Bison Meat Can Be a Key in Reversing America's Obesity Trend

July Bison Month Highlights Great Taste, quality Nutrition

Westminster, CO (July 2, 2009) - The bad news: America received a report card this week showing that its citizens-and particularly the Baby Boomers-are failing in the fight against obesity.

The good news: The report card arrived just in time for July Bison Month, when people can begin to reclaim their waistlines by adopting a diet that includes delicious high-protein, low-fat bison meat.

July Bison Month, celebrated each July, is a time in which American bison producers and marketers promote the delicious taste of bison burgers, steaks and roasts as a summer grilling alternative. According to the National Bison Association, the recent obesity report also highlights the advantage bison offers as a healthful, nutritious cookout option.

"People don't have to give up good food to have a healthy lifestyle," said Dave Carter, executive director of the National Bison Association. "With bison, people can enjoy exceptional flavor from meat that is naturally raised with low fat, high protein, and plenty of dense nutrients."

Research by Dr. Marty Marchello at North Dakota State University has shown that the meat from bison is a highly nutrient dense food because of the proportion of protein, fat, mineral, and fatty acids to its caloric value. Comparisons to other meat sources have also shown that bison has a greater concentration of iron as well as some of the essential fatty acids necessary for human well being. Readers' Digest magazine has even listed bison as one of the five foods women should eat because of the high iron content.

Carter noted that bison meat is becoming increasingly easy to find in retail stores and on restaurant menus. Most natural food stores, and many conventional supermarkets, now stock a selection of bison meat. Farmers' markets across the country are also popular outlets for locally-grown bison meat.

And, the National Bison Association's website, www.nationalbison.com, contains a "Where to Buy" tab, which allows consumers across the country to easily locate locally-raised bison meat. The site also contains nutritional data on bison meat as well as cooking tips and recipes.