Which Nutrients are Found in Venison?

Question: Which Nutrients are Found in Venison?

I'm a hunter and I love to eat venison. It tastes like beef, but doesn't seem to have as much fat. I was wondering how the calorie counts compare and what vitamins and minerals are found in venison.

Scott - About.com User

Answer: Like other red meats, venison (deer meat) is a source of protein, zinc, iron and selenium. Venison has about one-third the fat of beef and is lower in calories.

Venison can be used in a variety of recipes that would usually call for beef. The flavor is similar to beef, but with a touch of wildness to it. Not everyone likes that wild flavor of venison, but that flavor can be tamed down by cooking the venison in a non-fat beef broth.

Ground venison sometimes has a small amount of beef fat or ground bacon added to help bind the meat and hold its shape. That can add extra fats and calories depending on how much is used.

For one 3-ounce serving of venison, you would have approximately:

• 130 calories
• 26 grams protein
• 2 grams of fat
• 67 milligrams cholesterol
• 0.9 grams saturated fat
• 3.5 milligrams iron
• 26 milligrams magnesium
• 338 milligrams potassium
• 3 milligrams zinc
• 11 micrograms selenium
• 0.24 milligrams thiamin
• 0.4 milligrams riboflavin
• 9 milligrams niacin
• 0.6 milligrams vitamin B6
• 1.6 micrograms vitamin B12
• 1.2 micrograms vitamin K

Healthy Venison Recipes

• Venison Stew
• Venison Meatballs
• How to Grill Venison
• Venison Chili With Apples

_Source:

National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 24. "Nutrient data for 35080, Deer (venison), sitka, raw (Alaska Native)." Accessed February 9, 2012. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/7509.