Healthy bison meat is a nutritious choice

These days, it seems everyone wants to eat healthier, and that includes knowing where your food comes from, what goes into making it and how nutritious it is. Choosing grass fed bison means you can naturally feel good about the meat you eat. At Noble Premium Bison, our animals graze freely on grasslands native to the Canadian prairies. Our bison are raised without hormones and antibiotics and our bison products contain no additives. Healthy, delicious, sustainable—that’s Noble Premium Bison.

 

Natural versus Organic—Bison Meat is Meat Raised Naturally

The term ‘natural’ does not mean the same as certified organic. Under Canadian labelling guidelines, a ‘natural’ or ‘naturally raised’ label claim is allowed only if animals were raised with minimal human intervention, such as bison. While we can’t claim our bison meat as certified organic, we can say that our products are about as natural and unprocessed as you can get.

The Canadian Organic Standard for beef requires that:

• during grazing season, mature cattle receive 30% or more of the forage in their diets from grazing on pasture
• all feed and pastures for grazing must be certified as organic with very few exceptions

During grazing season, our naturally raised bison receive 100% of their diet from grass. We don’t use pesticides on our pastures but we do occasionally use fertilizers along with our organic compost. This is why we talk about our bison meat as being all natural versus organic.

Bison meat benefits—we asked the experts.

Bison meat is one healthy protein, but don’t just take our word for it. Canada’s Food Guide recommends bison meat as a ‘heart healthy lean protein’ for Canadians, and many nutritional experts tout bison as ‘a step above beef when it comes to sustainability, heart health and even taste.’ Nutrient-dense bison meat is healthy because it’s:

• ​a great source of lean protein
• one of the best Omega-3/Omega-6 ratios of any red meat
• high in iron, B vitamins, zinc and selenium
• regenerative by nature and raised naturally on grass
• hormone free, antibiotic free

Bison Meat Nutritional Profile

Make every bite count—with nutrient-dense foods like bison meat

Bison meat nutrition has been recognized by dieticians and nutritionists for many reasons. Bison meat is a rich source of complete protein containing all the essential amino acids in appropriate amounts. Each 100g serving of cooked lean bison contains about 21g of protein, which the body uses to:

• ​fuel muscles, the brain and the heart
• build and repair tissues
• produce enzymes and some hormones
• maintain cell membranes and components of the immune system

Infants, toddlers and children need nutrient-dense complementary foods too. Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests introducing infants to these foods at about 6 months, including foods rich in iron and zinc.

Bison meat nutrition is also about what’s NOT in the meat

​Healthy food means food free of growth hormones and antibiotics. It also means food that’s not overly processed and full of additives, sodium and sugar. Heart&Stroke™ of Canada tells us that, “Eating fewer highly processed, also known as ultra-processed foods, is one of the best things you can do to achieve a healthier diet. This is because nutrients are often removed from processed foods while salt and sugar are added in.”

​Unlike many beef cattle that are commonly raised in feedlots and need antibiotics due to their close quarters, our bison are antibiotic free. Raised on the Canadian prairies, they have room to roam and don’t require antibiotics to stay healthy. Our animals are hormone free because Canadian government regulations prohibit the use of growth hormones in bison.

 

“Unlike faux meat alternatives, our bison are raised as nature intended—on the land and not in a lab.”

Bison vs Beef

​Although beef has some of the same health benefits of bison, bison meat is a leaner protein. That means bison meat may be a healthier choice if you’re looking to maximize nutritional benefit while reducing your calorie or fat intake. Leaner cuts like sirloin steak and inside round steak will have less marbling and less fat than cuts like ribeye steak and ground bison. Depending on the cut, bison meat can also be:

• ​higher in iron and other nutrients
• lower in total and saturated fat
• lower in calories

Bison meat can help prevent iron deficiency

​Everybody needs iron, especially ‘heme’ iron. Bison meat is considerably high in heme iron—even higher than beef. It’s what gives bison meat a darker red color than beef, a colour that can actually deepen over time. Heme iron from animal products is:

• an essential nutrient that makes up 95% of functional iron in the human body
• more absorbable than non-heme iron found in plant sources
• effective for preventing low energy, anemia symptoms and other symptoms of iron deficiency common among vegetarians, women of reproductive age, and young children

More Omega-3s means more good fat

​Red meat often gets a bad rap, but when it comes to cholesterol and saturated fat, lean bison is considered by many nutritionists to be quite healthy. Some studies have shown that bison raised primarily on grass, like Noble Premium Bison, have a better total fatty acid concentration (more omega-3s and less omega-6) compared to cattle raised in feedlots. That makes bison meat one of the more beneficial Omega-3s to include in a balanced diet.

High in Energizing B Vitamins and Minerals

As a protein, bison steak, ground bison and whole bison muscle cuts are rich in Vitamin B12, B6, Phosphorous and Niacin, all recommended daily and essential for physical and mental health. These vitamins and minerals also help with the conversion of nutrients from the food we eat into useable energy for the body—one reason why eating more protein is important for increasing energy levels.

Selenium to fight inflammation

Enjoying bison meat it is a great way to boost your intake of selenium. Selenium benefits are similar to the benefits of antioxidants. Antioxidants are known to help prevent the kind of oxidative stress that causes cellular damage and can speed up the aging process. A nutrient-dense diet that includes bison meat may help to counteract these effects, and keep us feeling energized.

Think Zinc for a strong immune system

​Bison meat is a great way to naturally acquire zinc, which is critical for proper immune system and cellular function. Zinc benefits also include forming new tissue, hair and skin cells. A serving of bison cooked from a raw, 113-gram (4-ounce) portion provides 35% Daily Value of zinc.

Eat Better. Eat Bison.

At Noble, we believe the high value in our premium bison products is a result of how we manage our land and animals, the care and consideration we put into making all our bison products, and the nutritional benefits of this specialty protein.