BUFFALO (the American Bison) has often been called the "original health food". Buffalo meat is significantly higher in protein, yet lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than most other meats, including poultry and many kinds of fish. Just take a peek at the chart to see how buffalo compares with other meats in cholesterol content!
With less than 50 calories per ounce, you can see why Buffalo meat is accepted as a diet food by several nationally recognized weight loss programs. And it tastes good, too. Some folks say it tastes like beef wished it did - hearty, sweet and rich with no gamey taste at all. If prepared property, buffalo is every bit as tender as the most tender beef available. Tasty ... tender ... and nearly fat free. Sounds almost too good to be true. But there's more.
No one, to date, has had an allergic reaction to buffalo meat. People whose system reacts unfavorably to some food products find they thrive on buffalo meat. We're not sure why, but suspect it is because buffalo are not subjected to chemicals, drugs and hormones. Nor are they force-fed in high density pens. Buffalo, due to their nature, are handled as little as possible. They spend most of their time grazing, and very little time - if any - in the feedlot. The meat does not contain drugs, hormones or chemicals. With buffalo meat, what you pay for is what you get: 100% pure, wholesome, tasty nutrition.
Buffalo often live well into their thirties, reaching maturity at 6 or 7 years of age. A mature buffalo bull measures six foot tall at the hump and weighs up to a ton (2,000 pounds)! Buffalo can easily run 35 miles per hour, with enough stamina to outrun a horse. Numbering in the millions before the arrival of Europeans in North America, the Buffalo is revered by Native Americans. It was the main sustenance for the plains Indians, who used every part of the animal for clothing, shelter, and tools, as well as food. At the end of the 19th century the buffalo faced near extinction, numbering only 1000 or less. Because of conservationists and some dedicated ranchers that recognized the market potential of Buffalo meat, today there are an estimated 250,000 American Bison in the Unfted States and Canada, and that number is growing.
Adapted from a report of the National Cholesterol Education Program expert panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of HIgh Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Arch lnter Med 1988 (Jan): 36-69).
