Preservative Free Beef Jerky is a Healthy Choice

If you're accustomed to thinking of beef jerky as the plastic-encased stuff you find by the counter in gas stations or convenience stores, you may consider it junk food. If you're like most of us, that won't stop you from eating it from time to time - in fact, compared to some of the other so-called food you find at convenience stores, any beef jerky is probably pretty healthy! Preservative free beef jerky, on the other hand, is in a whole other category. This is beef jerky made according to a traditional method, and it makes a great high-protein snack.

Drying strips of beef to make beef jerky is a traditional method of preservation. Preservative free beef jerky is not unpreserved, therefore - far from it. It is free of chemical preservatives, however. This natural product was well known to both the natives and the early settlers throughout North America - in fact, they depended on it. Before fridges and freezers, traditional methods of drying and preserving meat were absolutely necessary. And because beef jerky is compact and requires no cooking or additional preparation, it was the perfect travel food.

Think about it - if you were riding or walking across an empty plain, no towns or villages in sight, and you had to carry all your food on your back, what better travel food could there be than beef jerky? It was eminently convenient, it lasted for a long time, and it provided concentrated energy. There are even some stories about these early settlers placing beef jerky under their saddles while riding, in an effort to tenderize it - but these are probably nothing more than stories!

If you enjoy beef jerky as a snack, it is worth your while to seek out preservative free beef jerky. Many health food stores, as well as some conventional grocery stores, carry it. If you can't find a source near you, you can also mail order it - despite the lack of chemical preservatives, this beef jerky keeps very well, and makes a highly nutritious snack for all sorts of occasions.