Plenty of meat options are on grocery shelves, so why would you be interested in the benefits of eating elk? Maybe you want to live a health-conscious lifestyle and see elk meat as a means to that end. Perhaps you want to try something different. No matter your reasons, we’re glad you’re here.
This post aims to explain why eating elk will benefit you, the environment, and small businesses worldwide.
Let’s dig in.
Elk Meat is Healthier Than Beef
Beef is arguably the most visible type of meat at any supermarket or butcher. As a food staple in the United States and worldwide, vendors display beef front and center in their coolers. Given how widely available beef remains, you may wonder why elk meat proves the better option.
Between elk meat vs. beef, elk meat is lower in calories and contains less fat. It boils down to nutrition. Elk also offers more protein, iron, and B12 than a comparable serving of beef. In short, elk is better for you than beef.
Want more information? Check out the USDA Agricultural Handbook for a full listing of all the components of elk meat nutrition.
Elk Meat is Low in Fat and High in Protein
It is important to consider why lower fat and higher protein matter in the context of nutrition. Lower fat content could decrease the risk of developing heart disease, and higher protein levels can help stave off urges to overeat. So, not only are you getting healthier meat, but you may very well eat less of it.
However, be sure to understand something important about elk meat when it comes to cooking it. Due to its low-fat content, some cooks overcook their elk and dry it out. This happens when the meat loses all its fat. Keep a close eye on your elk while it’s cooking to ensure you get the most tender and delicious meal possible.
To improve your eating habits, taper off your beef intake and start eating more elk.
Elk Meat is Naturally Tender and Delicious
You might be concerned that you’ll lose out on tender and delicious meat when switching from beef to elk. Just know this: Elk meat is processed into many of the same cuts you know and love with beef, and you can expect comparable tenderness per cut.
Many companies offer the exact cuts you’ve grown to love with beef; options like filet mignon, medallion, and tenderloin cuts are just a few. The key with elk, as with any other type of meat, is how you cook it.
For the more naturally tender cuts of elk, like a filet mignon, cooking elk in a cast-iron skillet with some herbs and oil may be all you need for a tender, delicious main course. With some of the more firm cuts, consider a low-and-slow style cooking method to maximize your elk cut.
Versatility marks one of the benefits of eating elk meat, so be sure to check out some of our elk recipes.
Elk Meat is Sustainable and Has a Low-Environmental Toll
Like many beef farming operations, it would be challenging to feel good about eating elk if it were unsustainable and harmed the environment. Thankfully, this is not the case.
When you purchase elk meat from a trusted company, you’re buying a commitment to safe and sustainable farm practices. Reputable companies grow and harvest elk with respect for the animal and its natural heritage; the elk are free to roam the land and eat the foods they’d normally eat, including wild grasses, berries, and bark.
Further, elks are not held in industrial pens and force-fed. Elk live life similarly to they would in the wild. Plus, elk herds are much better for the environment. Think about this: If a rancher’s land can maintain a single traditional cow, that land can support three elk females.
Elk farming lets ranchers do more with less and is far more sustainable.
Elk Meat is Pasture-Raised and Grass-Fed
Unlike most cattle raised in the beef industry, elk eat natural foods. Most farm-raised elk are grass-fed and pasture-raised, meaning they forage for the foods around them. Humanely raised elk aren’t fed the nutritionless grain traditionally used to fatten cows. As a result, elk meat is healthier, has lower caloric density, and is higher in protein than beef.
When you buy elk from a trusted company like Steaks and Game, you’re not contributing to outdated beef industry standards that place money over the well-being of animals and consumers. You can break that cycle when you eat elk meat.
Elk Meat Doesn’t Contain Growth Hormones, Antibiotics, or Steroids
When you choose elk meat from a quality producer like Fossil Farms, you’re helping to support initiatives like their “Never Ever Program,” which stipulates that none of their elk ever receive growth hormones, antibiotics, or steroids. The benefit of eating hormone, antibiotic, and steroid-free elk is clear: You’re eating meat as nature intended — free from additives.
Buying Elk Meat Supports Small Business and Local Farmers
We all love a good underdog story — where a person or business faces a stacked deck but still prevails. When you buy sustainable elk meat from a small business, you can help the underdog thrive in today’s world of fast food and calorie-dense junk food.
Sure, eating elk meat has several nutritional advantages, but those aren’t its sole benefits. Buying elk from small businesses and local farmers directly supports a hard-working and essential economic sector.
Chew on this: Small businesses account for 44% of payroll, employ 57% of the private workforce, and provide 60 to 80% of new jobs in the country, according to Business Insider. When you buy from small businesses, you’re helping support millions of people stepping up to keep the country running.
The Benefits of Eating Elk Meat Are Too Good To Pass Up
Whether you’re looking to replace beef in your diet, try something new, or support small businesses, the benefits of eating elk meat are numerous.
Try elk today and see how it can benefit you and your family. Elk meat is for sale at a range of quality vendors with one goal: to deliver the freshest and highest quality elk meat to you.
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