Venison is typically leaner than beef and some cuts, such as top round actually contain less fat per serving than chicken. This is due to the fact that wild animals generally exercise more and consume a more natural diet than commercially farmed animals. Wild animals such as deer are not subjected to feed containing chemical additives, synthetic growth hormones and other nasties, making them a much healthier all round choice.
Top round beef (one of the leanest cuts) contains more fat per serving than venison – e.g. 3oz of beef contains 160 cal 5g fat and 26.9g protein, compared to 3oz of venison containing 129 cal 1.6g fat and 26.8g protein. When venison is trimmed of its excess fat, compared to trim beef, the remaining meat is 97.8% fat free; the same cannot be said for the beef.
Top round venison is higher in most vitamins and minerals than beef, with zinc and vitamin B-12 being the exception. Venison is extremely rich in niacin, thiamine and riboflavin and vitamin E.
Downsides to venison are the cost and the slightly higher cholesterol levels, but overall this rich meat has a much better nutritional profile than most commercially available meats, making it worth the extra cost and an investment in good health!