The Benefits Of Game Meat & Why They're A Sustainable Protein

Growing up, I spent a lot of time visiting my grandfather's farm where we would hunt and we would eat what we hunted. When grandpa passed and I got older, I stopped hunting. I just didn't have a need for it. Everything I needed to eat I could find at the supermarket or online (or almost everything).

Game meats went from a regular occurance of my childhood to a delicacy as an adult, where I would only eat them at a restaurant. I would rarely, if ever, prepare and eat game meat at home. This was until recently. Over the past few years, demand for "Game Meats" has boomed and this has piqued my interest. So let's talk about it!

What Is Game Meat?

Game meat refers to meat from animals that are hunted in the wild, rather than raised on farms. It is important to note that many "game animals" are still raised in "farms," it's just that these farms are basically private land where they roam free.

The Benefits Of Eating Game Meat

Despite being a less well-known option, there are many good reasons why people should try game meats at least once.

1. Unique Flavors

Game meats have a distinct taste that sets them apart from more commonly consumed meats like beef, pork and chicken. This unique flavor profile is due to the animal’s natural diet and lifestyle, which can be quite different from that of domesticated animals.

2. Health Benefits

Game is very high in iron and contains higher levels of many beneficial nutrients including iron, vitamin E, Beta Carotene, Zinc Vitamin B(6) and Selenium. Selenium is an important part of our diet that we often lack and helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Game meats are also often leaner than traditional meats, and are a good source of protein. Additionally, some game meats like venison have been found to have a higher ratio of healthy unsaturated fats compared to saturated fats.

Perhaps the biggest health benefit of game meat is that it is raised with no added hormones and no antibiotics.

3. Sustainability

By eating game meat you are actually helping the environment. Without the work of the game industry, populations of wild game, such as deer, would increase to unsustainable levels. This can wreck havoc on native envirnments and cause imbalances in the ecosystem.

Hunting wild game helps to control populations of certain animals and prevent overgrazing, which can be a problem in some areas. This makes it a more sustainable source of meat compared to traditional farming methods, which can put a strain on natural resources.

4. Ethical Considerations

For many people, game meats are a more ethical choice because the animals are hunted in the wild and do not experience the same conditions of confinement and stress as farm-raised animals.

5. Adventure

Trying new and different foods is a great way to expand your culinary horizons and experience new flavors. Game meats can offer a new and exciting taste adventure that is unlike anything you have tried before.

Check out this video of one of our customers cooking an Elk Rib Rack he got from us:

In conclusion, game meats offer a unique flavor profile, a wide range of health benefits and are a great sustainable and ethical protein source. It is not easy to procure high quality elk, venison, wild boar and bison but we believe we've achieved this at Meat N' Bone. Our game meat collection provides you with some of the most delicious and ethically sourced game meat available online.