Deer hunting season is more than a time for avid hunters to enjoy a fun and challenging outdoor activity; it is more than a time for hunters to fill their freezers with fresh caught meat; it is a time for people to change their diet to a healthy beef alternative – venison.

Venison has healthy dietary implications…

Venison is an excellent source of protein that is low in fat. A recent study that appeared in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics (Volume 65 Issue 4), researchers set out to determine how an individual’s fat burning process reacts to a high protein meal. It was determined that increasing your dietary protein can help jump start your fat burning when you are in a fat burning lull.

A small 4 ounce steak of venison supplies 68.5 percent of your daily required protein. Not only does venison have high protein content but it also has low saturated fat content (only 1.4 grams) and is low in cholesterol.

An interesting fact to note is that venison also has less cholesterol than chicken and turkey. Looking for a food high in iron, look no further, venison provides 28 percent of iron in a serving size. This meat is full of other important nutrients, minerals and vitamins such as phosphorous, selenium and vitamin B12. Best of all a four ounce serving size only adds 180 calories to your diet.

Venison boosts a healthy state economy…

In Michigan according to Jordan Pusateri Burroughs a wildlife outreach specialist in the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, deer hunters harvest 450,000 deer annually. Burroughs says that "Total retail spending by deer hunters contributes more than $700 million annually to the state’s economy, and the deer hunting industry all total, accounts for almost 12,000 jobs." Hunters also contribute millions to state and local tax revenue.

Venison can boost the health of your personal and community economy.

In trying economic times, when most families are struggling to afford meat to put on the table, a seasoned deer hunter can bag enough deer meat to supply his family and even have enough spare portions to share with friends and neighbors. Venison is a perfect high quality meat substitute.

Deer hunters stay in local hotels and eat at local restaurants giving local economies a boost. Some communities even have programs where they will process your deer meat for free if you donate your excess deer meat to local food banks.

Venison is great for a greener healthier planet. Deer live naturally in the wild and according to environmentalists this leads to healthier and happier deer. Using "green" buzzwords like free-range, grass feed, organic and locally harvested; eating locally hunted venison provides a boost to the green movement to save our planet.

Since deer is not farm raised, do not expect to find steroids or antibiotics in the meat. These chemicals enter into the population that eats the meat leading to a population afflicted with negative health effects. It is good to know that venison is a chemical-free meat.