Bison Meat Nutrition

Bison is becoming a more popular type of meat in the U.S. According to the National Bison Association, the U.S. demand for bison grew 10 percent in 2008. That was the fifth straight year that the demand for bison had gone up at least 10 percent. Bison is a great type of meat for those who are looking for a meat product that is lower in fat but still high in nutrition like protein and iron. There are multiple nutritional reasons to include bison meat in your regular diet.

Size

• This guide focuses on the nutritional facts for raw, grass-fed ground bison. It considers one serving to be 100 g. One serving of this meat has 146 calories. The calories in the meat come from the sizable amount of fat and protein in the meat. Of these calories, 65 come from fat, with 81 calories coming from the protein in the meat.

History

• According to the National Bison Association, the commercial bison meat business didn't start until the late 1960s. In a sense, it is a still new and emerging type of meat source. In 2003, the bison industry began to see growth. Before this point, it was too expensive to raise and process large amounts of bison. The NBA now touts that you can find bison in all 50 states. It also states that there were around 55,000 bison that were processed for their meat in 2008.

Benefits

• There are multiple benefits to adding bison to your regular diet. One serving of bison has 20 g of protein, which is 40 percent of your daily recommended amount. Protein is important for healthy hair, nails and skin, and it is also important for muscle growth and repair.

  Bison is also high in iron. One serving has 15 percent of your daily value of iron. Bison is low in sodium, with only 70 mg per serving (3 percent of your daily value). While high in iron, this type of meat is also high in multiple types of minerals and vitamins. There is at least 10 percent of your daily value of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus, selenium and zinc.

Drawbacks

• There are certain nutrition drawbacks to bison meat. While it is lower in cholesterol than other types of meat, it can still be high. A 100 g serving of ground bison meat has 55 mg of cholesterol. This is still 18 percent of your daily recommended amount of cholesterol. Bison meat can still be high in fat. It simply is lower in fat than other cuts of meat. The same serving of bison still has 7 g of fat and 3 g of saturated fat. While this is not incredibly high, those watching their saturated fat intake will still want to be cautious.

Comparison

• Bison is a great alternative to other types of meat, especially when comparing specific nutritional facts. Bison is the meat with the lowest fat content. It is lower than beef, pork, chicken and salmon, according to the NBA. Bison is even with these types of meat in terms of protein, while being lower in calories and cholesterol. Bison is higher than all types of meat in terms of iron, and it has a higher amount of vitamin B12 than all types of meat not including seafood.