Hunting for Health: Wild game vs. Farm raised

Tis the season…for hunting and hunting is a big part of living in Northern Ontario – almost every male I know owns a shot gun and camouflage clothing. What most people don’t know is the health behind the meat that they kill and harvest themselves.

Animals that are free and run through the forest scavenging their own food have a completely different muscle mass and effect on your body after consuming it then factory farmed meats. This type of meat is more lean then farmed due to the amount of exercise the animal gets. When animals get to exercise and are happy in their environments their meat is a better quality. When animals are constantly scared or stressed by being kept in a cage they create free radicals that would be found in the blood, arteries, muscles and fat stores. Free radicals in animals and humans are what cause many illnesses such as cancer. When you ingest those free radicals they go into your own blood, arteries, muscles and fat storage.

Wild game has high levels of iron and zinc just like farm raised animals. Iron is used in the body for energy and zinc is used to maintain a health immune system. Wild game, unlike farm raised, has a higher level of omega 3. Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are good fats that are needed to maintain good brain health.

There are some risks when consuming wild game, especially if consuming on a regular basis. When the animal is shot with a bullet containing lead, the fragments can still be contained in the meat when being consumed. This causes higher levels of lead in the people consuming them, high levels of lead can affect memory, brain and nerve function. The ways to avoid this would be to use bullets that don’t contain lead.

Another thing to think about is environmental toxins, some wild animals contain high levels of mercury depending on where they live and what they have been consuming. Toxins get stored in the fat cells of animals so the fatty parts of the animals would be the most toxic.

When it comes to preparing the meat to be consumed, any method that involves keeping the meat moist and juicy is the best way to preserve any minerals. When it comes to consuming any meat there are not a lot of enzymes in it, making it harder on your body to break down. Having meat with a salad or raw/steamed vegetables is always the best way to maintain a healthy digestive system.

Getting out in the bush and connecting with nature is always a healthy idea – It helps to keep you active, as long as you walk to catch/track your prey. Just like everything in life, wild game has its pros and cons but overall would be much better than meat that comes in a can, package, or processed in any way.