Beefalo: Red Meat for the Health Conscious

By Paul Rothbart

Beef has been a popular type of meat worldwide for a long time. A juicy burger, a tasty beef stew, or a grilled steak can make the mouth water and stimulate the taste buds. Although beef does contain nutrition, it can also have a lot of saturated fat. Most doctors and nutritionists recommended eating it in moderation. You can buy leaner cuts, but there is an option that may be better. Beefalo is a hybrid that is 37.5 percent buffalo and 62.5 percent cow. Their meat is leaner and healthier than beef but has the same flavor.

Advantages for Ranchers

The cost and workload involved in raising cattle can have an impact on the price and quality of the beef. The beefalo grow larger and faster than both cows and buffalo. Thus they can produce more meat in less time. Beefalo are adaptable animals and can live in almost any climate. They are easier to manage as well. This can help keep the price down. Beefalo graze on grass while consuming small amounts of grain in the winter. This helps make their meat lean, healthy, and delicious.

Health Benefits of Beefalo

Beefalo compares favorably with chicken and pork as well as beef. A serving of 100 grams of cooked beefalo contains only 188 calories, less than any of the other three types of meat. It also beats the trio in cholesterol with only 58 milligrams. In terms of fat, beefalo has only a third of the total and saturated fat content of beef or pork and about half that of chicken. When it comes to protein, it's hard to beat beefalo. With 30.66 grams in each serving, it easily bests chicken, beef, and pork. 

The Flavor

So, beefalo is reasonably priced and healthy, but how does it taste? Most people who have tried it find it delicious. In fact, multiple blind taste tests given to groups by beefalo ranchers found that the majority could not taste the difference between beefalo and beef.  Most any cut of meat you can get from cattle can also come from beefalo. The meat can be ground and used in burgers or other ground meat dishes. Also, unlike buffalo, beefalo can be milked, producing a tasty and healthy dairy product. 

For meat-eaters, beef can be pure joy. But it can be improved upon health-wise. Give beefalo a try. You can get all the flavor from your favorite beef dishes with less fat and cholesterol and more protein.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Sarasota, Fla.