High on my list of foods to work in to your menu is buffalo (or bison- in North America they are the same thing).  It combines the best of both worlds of red and white meat and is delicious to boot! Not too gamey, but with big beefy flavour, it’s sure to be a hit in your home.

Fun song titles aside- what makes it worth adding?

  1. Surprisingly lean: buffalo is leaner than beef and pork and on par with poultry in terms of fat.
  2. More Iron: In a time where many are reducing their red meat intake, I am starting to see quite a few clients who struggle to get enough iron from diet alone. Buffalo actually has more iron than beef, and more than 5 times the amount of iron in chicken.
  3. Omega 3s: Much of the buffalo available in Canada is grass fed, giving it a much better fat profile. This means more omega 3s, less saturated fat and an omega 3 to omega 6 ratio that is better for your health.
  4. More affordable than you think: Check around at your local butchers, often they will sell larger packages of ground buffalo at very reasonable prices. Case in point- at my local grocery store it was 12.99/lb. At my local butcher (where it’s almost exclusively organic and grass fed meat) I was able to buy 10 lb for $70. That’s only $7/lb!! If you don’t have room or want to spend quite that much at a time, find a friend or neighbor to split the pack with you.

Buffalo can stand in for beef in almost any recipe, so feel free to experiment. Stay tuned for my home tested buffalo recipes to be posted soon.

Do you have any favourite buffalo or bison recipes? Share on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Westcoast-Nutrition/186984377990396