Dec 11
24
The Benefits Of Rabbit Meat
Since the earliest of times, rabbit meat has formed a large source of our meat consumption. This is due to the prolific nature of rabbits, and also the ease in trapping or hunting for these animals. And although it is no longer necessary to go out to hunt for your own food each day, rabbit meat has not lost its appeal as a healthy alternative meat protein. In fact, as the world-wide demand for meat protein continues to increase, so the benefits of farming rabbits for their meat become clearer.
The texture and taste of rabbit meat is very similar to white chicken meat, and many cooks have exclaimed at how the bland palette of rabbit meat makes it so versatile in making simple and extravagant dishes, as it readily absorbs flavors and aromas.
There are more reasons why cooking with rabbit meat is a healthy alternative, not only because a few famous chefs enjoy working with rabbit meat. Firstly, rabbit is lower in fat than turkey, pork and beef. Rabbit meat only has 795 calories per 1 lb. (450 gm.) of meat, and is low in cholesterol. This makes rabbit meat a healthy choice for people suffering from heart disease, hyper tension, and those struggling with weight problems. At the same time, rabbit meat is higher in protein than any other meat, and this makes it an excellent choice for body builders, and people requiring extra protein intake.
Rabbit meat is also more economical to produce. It is possible to produce 6 times as much rabbit meat, using comparable amounts of water and feed, as we could get from cattle, and that on only a fraction of the land that cattle would need. This makes it both cheaper to produce and more environmentally friendly too.
We must take time to take note, however, that if rabbit meat is the only source of animal protein, there are health risks involved, as rabbit meat is very low in essential fatty acids. These are needed for healthy cell growth and digestion. Two of the commonly found diseases affecting people who consume only rabbit meat are “Rabbit Starvation”, which refers to a severe deficiency in these amino acids in a person’s diet. The other is Tularaemia, or rabbit fever, which is a bacterial infection common in both people and animals.
In spite of this, rabbit meat holds many benefits for the consumer, when used in conjunction with a balanced diet, and for the producer, due to the profitable nature of the ease with which rabbit farming can be maintained.
