Whether or not you’re a seasoned hunter or just someone who likes to try something new and different for a change, many avow that big game meat ranks high as a tasty treat. Purveyors sell their product proudly on the Internet and at some specialty meat stores across the country. Others get their big game meat by killing it themselves. Whatever way you acquire it, big game meat gives consumers a true taste of the wild – and it’s better for you, too! (At least a little bit.)

So take a minute or two and read a little straightforward, no-nonsense information about the nutritional benefits of big game meat. Calories, protein, fat, and cholesterol all play an important part of any diet, so here’s the lowdown on what you get when you eat big game meat.

Big game meat, such as deer, elk meat, and antelope, all contain excellent sources of protein. Compared to grain-fed beef, these animals actually provide slightly more protein. With only a one- or two-percent difference in protein, whether you consume beef or big game meat matters little, health-wise.

For instance, 100 grams of just about any big game meat contains fewer calories from fat than the same amount of beef. But, you can easily trim the visible fat off any beef you consume to make up the difference.

A long-time myth about big game meat is that it contains HDL-cholesterol, and that beef harbors that nasty stuff – LDL-cholesterol. In reality, the type of cholesterol found in the muscle tissue (the part you eat) of neither big game meat nor beef contains any of the bad things found in cholesterol. Muscle contains “free” cholesterol, which has nothing to do with LDL-cholesterol. Bad cholesterol, or LDL-cholesterol is found in animal blood, not muscle.

So hopefully, we’ve enlightened you as to the virtues of big game meat versus plain old beef. All those terrific attributes you heard from other sources might not exist, but, hey – go ahead and buy that big game meat. You haven’t lived ‘til you can at least say you’ve tried it once!