My close friends, roommates and family can all agree that I have a food obsession with bison.  I’m such a huge fan and bison advocate that aside from attending a marketing conference with my dad in Atlanta last year, I also flew there to eat at Ted’s Montana Grill—Ted Turner’s own restaurant that primarily sells bison.  It was delicious—I highly recommend it!

I can’t pinpoint the exact catalyst that made me switch over to bison, but what I can say is that bison meat is the best way to go for red meat protein in your diet.  I hope you are reading this Ted….I’m open to discuss a spokesperson position for promoting bison in the American diet. Mr. Turner is actually the 2nd largest individual landowner in North America consisting of personal land and ranches that manage bison head.

This leads me to my next point about the difference between buffalo and bison, since they are so frequently interchanged—a common misnomer.  Yes, bison and buffalo belong to the same family, but they are actually different and roam on different continents.  “True” buffalo- the African or Cape buffalo and the Asian Water Buffalo are native to Africa and Asia and are still even distinctly different.

The bison that you find on menus and in butcher shops is native to North America.  So, why are they so often called buffalo?  Historians think that when the European explorers came across this unknown animal they could only relate it to the buffalo they were familiar with across the pond and called them “les bouefs,” which eventually led to “buffalo.”

But, I digress….The reason I’m so crazy about bison is because of its nutritional benefits.  Take a look at this chart below….it blows beef out of the water in every category.  It is leaner—less fat, has more protein and nutrients and less calories and cholesterol than beef.  Additionally, bison is grass-fed and subject to strict guidelines by the National Bison Association (NBA).  Bison isn’t injected with hormones, antibiotics, steroids, additives or tenderizing ingredients, which makes it an all-natural meat.

Bison is the perfect body building meat and has come to be known as the “muscle mass meat” in the fitness industry because of its balanced nutritional profile.  If your goals are to lean out and tone up, then I highly suggest you start eating bison instead of regular beef.  It’s high in Omega-3’s, has 70% more iron than regular beef, and is high in CLA—a fatty acid that promotes fat loss and building lean muscle mass.  And if you’re concerned about taste…well, you really can’t tell the difference…I’ll be posting one of my bison recipes soon!  Until then, you can find bison meat at your local Whole Foods, local health food retailer and a popular option—online!