Monday, February 9, 2009

Feel free to eat skippy

I just found a great little article that outlines some of the benefits of eating kangaroo meat and dispels some common myths about it too.

Ali and I frequently eat the 'kanga bangas' (pictured) mince or steaks as a low cost, high protein source. They are almost my sole source of red meat (recent blood test said my iron levels were a-ok). People are so surprised when you tell them you can buy it from Woolies!



Common Question: I have heard kangaroo is low in fat and good to eat when on a diet. However, I'm worried that if I give it to the family we could all end up with parasites! Is this true?

Answer: It's funny that this rumour has become so widespread. The answer is there is no risk to you or your family if you buy kangaroo meat from the butcher or supermarket — just don't scrape it off the road! Kangaroo is one of the healthiest and most hygienic meats you can eat. I should rephrase that by saying, like all other meat on sale for human consumption, kangaroo is extremely safe to eat. It is also one of the healthiest and most economical meats to include in your diet. The reason I initially suggested that kangaroo was healthier than other meats is because there are such stringent health measures enforced by the industry before the meat is approved for resale. Approximately 0.7% of kangaroo is rejected for human consumption use, which is a third less than the amount rejected from domestic animal farming practice. The other bonus is, kangaroo meat is free of chemicals. When a kangaroo gets sick in its natural environment, it dies. Domestic animals, on the other hand, are treated by the vet using antibiotics, hormones and other medications that can be transferred to our food.

Stupid follow up comment: "Oh I just don't think I could bring myself to eat skippy".

Good Answer: It's ironic that some people think it's cruel to kill kangaroo but will happily chow down on steak and cutlets from cows and sheep reared for the sole purpose of being fattened up for slaughter. The kangaroo does not suffer the stress of live trucking and abattoirs; instead they live freely in the wild until they are killed instantly by professional shooters.


Read the rest of the article here

5 comments:

LizN said...

The only thing I don't like about Kanga Bangas is that per serve, the sodium count is way too high so I only eat them rarely. The Naturoo brand has 700mg of sodium which is still too high but not as bad.

Doris's BEHAG journey said...

Steph
Why do you just eat the bangas and mince???? The steaks and roasts are much better.
I grew up on wild game meat (kangaroo, rabbit, pidgeon etc) as my main protein source when I was a child out at Lightning Ridge (we lived a long way out of town on the mine fields). And yes there are parasites in the "wild" kangaroos! But the meat we eat from Naturoo etc, that have been treated very well and are farmed almost the same way as cattle. But I am the only one in my household that will eat Roo, the boys don't like the idea of eating our national emblem. More for me!!!

Stephanie Davis said...

Hey Liz and Dori- where do you guys buy the Naturoo brand from? The brand pictured that we buy is the only one ive seen so far.

I do eat the steaks Dori! the marinated ones are niiice. Had a roast once but found it a little fatty?

Raechelle said...

Great article!
We eat roo about twice a month (for friday night barbie-instead of beef or lamb). We eat the marinated steaks--very tender.

cheers!

Anonymous said...

I only tried them just recently for the first time. I guess you could say I'm not a huge fan of eating game but I'm trying.

Different companies I've found also have different tasting game. So I'm trying the old trial and error method to see what I like and don't like. :o)


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