Bison-rich red meat that is healthier than chicken
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What did America's first settlers make of the Native Americans they encountered on the untamed shores of the New World? Were they impressed by their diet? We will never know. But they ought to have been.
Bison meat is rich in minerals, protein and fatty acids and a brilliant source of iron. In the U.S., bison meat is growing in popularity as a low-fat alternative to beef.
On average it has 75 per cent less fat and 40 per cent more protein. Scientific tests have revealed its high nutrient density. It looks like beef but has a sweeter, richer taste and requires gentler cooking to prevent it from drying out.
Low fat: Bison meat is full of nutrients
A study by Dr Wayne Johnson and Dr Elizabeth Rust of South Dakota State University found that bison meat has a high concentration of essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids and is low in cholesterol, having even less cholesterol and fewer calories than chicken.
This lean, red meat also contains the valuable antioxidant selenium, potassium - which plays a key role in lowering blood pressure - phosphorous, copper, zinc and Vitamins B6 (essential for the immune system) and B12.
The American Heart Association recommends bison meat as part of a 'heart-healthy' diet. Some experts claim bison meat is the only non-allergenic farmed red meat available.
British farmer George Wakeling, who keeps bison on his Bouverie Lodge farm near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, describes it simply as 'nature's best --healthy, tasty and tender'.
Only small numbers of British farmers are experimenting with bison farming. Keeping bison in Britain requires a dangerous wild animals licence - and for farmers more used to cattle or sheep, the bison themselves can pose difficulties.
'Bison are much more challenging than cattle,' says Wakeling. 'They are not aggressive but very defensive and need handling with respect.'
Welsh peer Lord Newborough, who keeps a herd of organic bison on the Rhug Estate Organic Farm near Corwen in North Wales, says that the bison's worst enemy is stress.
Bison can also be seen at Bush Farm in south Wiltshire, where Lord and Lady Seaford farm a herd of about 100 in an area of pasture, lake and woodland which is also home to elk, raccoons, chipmunks, prairie dogs and rheas.
• Bison meat is available from www.bisonfarm.co.uk, www.bisons.org, www.rhug.co.uk and www.osgrow.co.uk
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