When you go out hunting or fishing, you are participating in the ancient traditions of food acquisition. At Wild Game Food Bank, we always appreciate your donations when thrill of the hunt outweighs the need for fresh meat, but there are also some great reasons to enjoy that meat yourself.
The benefits of eating wild game are numerous. For one thing, many people simply prefer the taste of fresh venison or wild hog. Many red meat lovers are surprised to learn that wild hog is closer to a succulent red meat than it is to a whiter pork, like the farm-raised pig most people are used to. Wild hog is very lean and low in cholesterol, as is venison. Because of the different activity levels between wild animals and domesticated animals, wild game tends to be higher in protein and lower in saturated fats than farmed animals.
Wild-caught fish are similarly higher in nutritional value than conventional chicken and beef. Fatty fish, such as trout, salmon, tuna, and mackerel, are considered some of the healthiest fish, because they contain fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients are key to good brain and heart health, and eating fatty fish just once or twice a week can fulfill your body’s intake requirement of these nutrients.
Another reason some people prefer wild game over farm-raised meat is the more natural way the animal lives its life before the dinner plate. As organic products become more popular and more people are becoming concerned about the living conditions of animals raised for food, more people are coming to appreciate the free-range, organic lifestyle of the wild game animal. No hormones or antibiotics, no cages – just a beast in the wild, as God intended. The rich taste of wild game is a reward in itself.
This column is sponsored by Wild Game Food Bank.
BIO: Caitlin Meadows is the founder of Wild Game Food Bank. She proudly serves the community in this capacity while enjoying life as a wife, mom, and REALTOR®. A UF graduate and Gainesville native, Caitlin and her family have called Polk County home for the last ten years. Her husband is an avid hunter, which is what helped fuel the inspiration behind WGFB. Caitlin and her husband enjoy spending time outdoors with their son, attending church, and managing their cattle and chickens. To learn more about WGFB, go to wildgamefoodbank.com.