Venison is meat that comes from deer.
The biggest difference between beef and venison is the way they are raised. Beef cattle is raised and farmed, where our deer is from the wild.
Animal meats tend to be high in saturated fat, but there are a few exceptions. Wild game meats, such as venison, are low. This is often the motivation behind people choosing venison.
Venison contains all 10 of the essential amino acids. Amino acids are compounds that are responsible for chemical reactions in the body, and they also play a role in metabolic function.
Venison is full of B vitamins: B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin), which help regulate metabolism; and vitamin B6 and B12, which may lower homocysteine build-up in the blood, thus lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Venison is high in vitamins it has advantages in iron, vitamin B6, niacin, and riboflavin.
Pheasant | Turkey | Chicken | Wild Rabbit* | Venison | Lamb | Beef | |
per 100g | |||||||
kcal | 119 | 111 | 105 | 114 | 104 | 472 | 191 |
kJ | 505 | 469 | 443 | 477 | 442 | 720 | 800 |
g/100g | |||||||
protein | 27.1 | 25.2 | 20.1 | 21.8 | 23.4 | 20.8 | 23.1 |
fat | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.32 | 2 | 9.9 | 11 |
sat fat | 0.39 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.69 | 0 | 4.75 | 4.39 |
mg/100g | |||||||
cholesterol | 66 | 65 | 90 | 81 | 85 | 90 | 99 |
sodium | 40 | 64 | 37 | n/a | 44 | 43 | 49 |
iron | 1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
zinc | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | n/a | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
mg/kg | |||||||
selenium | 0.37 | 0.1 | 0.1 | n/a | 0.04 | 0.08 | 0.04 |
All values are for raw meat
Results from the research commissioned by the Game to Eat campaign – Leatherhead Food International Research 2006
*Results – Dish the info