Venison Nutrition Benefits and Facts

Nutritional summary

Venison is classified as an unprocessed red meat, a category that includes all mammalian muscle meats such as beef, lamb, and bison .
Venison is a concentrated source of iron, often containing higher concentrations than white meats, fish, and many other red meat varieties .
Compared to conventional beef, venison typically has a lower total fat content and a higher ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to saturated fats .
Venison is frequently categorized as a lean meat because it often meets the USDA criteria of containing less than 10g of total fat and 4.5g of saturated fat per serving .
Early research comparing wild ruminants to livestock suggests that venison's fatty acid profile more closely resembles that of pasture-fed cattle than grain-fed cattle .

Interesting fact

The term 'venison' originally referred to the meat of any animal killed by hunting, including wild boar and hares, before becoming synonymous with deer in the late Middle Ages.

Standout nutrients

EPIC

SOURCE

Vitamin B6

SUPER

SOURCE

Niacin

SUPER

SOURCE

Choline

SUPER

SOURCE

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

128

kcal per 100g

Protein24.8g

Fat2.92g

Fat breakdown

Polyunsat0.43g

Monounsat0.65g

Saturated1.52g

Trans0.10g

Seasonality

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

PeakIn seasonOther months

Diet

Gluten FreeDairy FreeKetoLow FodmapPaleo

Sustainability

Lighter footprint

Wild-culled venison often has a lower carbon footprint than farmed livestock and helps manage forest ecosystems.

Confidencemedium

Storage

Refrigerate

3–5 days

Keep in the coldest part of the fridge

Freeze

6–12 months

Wrap tightly to prevent freezer burn

Flavour

Data & Sources

Harmonized from 3 validated sources

Swiss Food Database

2 contributing source foods

McCance & Widdowson

1 contributing source food

USDA

USDA FoodData Central

2 contributing source foods

Claim citations

Dietary Meat Categories and Descriptions in Chronic Disease Research Are Substantively Different within and between Experimental and Observational Studies: A Systematic Review and Landscape Analysis - PMC

[1]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of Total Red Meat Intake on Glycemic Control and Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials - PMC

[2]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Healthy Dietary Patterns with and without Meat Improved Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors in Adults: A Randomized Crossover Controlled Feeding Trial - PMC

[4]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Unveiling the Nutritional Quality of Terrestrial Animal Source Foods by Species and Characteristics of Livestock Systems - PMC

[7]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Benefits and Risks Associated with Meat Consumption during Key ...

[8]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Coverage

Nutrients

FoodCompass

51.7

Version

Similar flavours

Explore flavour space →