Food Safety, Nutritional Benefits, and Everything You Must Know Before Consuming Meat or Meat Products

There is no shortage of meat lovers around the globe. There are several types of meat, and all have been a part of the human diet for ages. Basically, meat is known to provide higher nutritional benefits and offer a decent range of vital nutrients. In the past few decades, much attention has been given on the production of healthier meat and meat products to promote health conditions and avert the risk of diseases.

Why are Meat Products Gaining So Much Importance?

An unexpected spur has been seen in the processing and production of meat products owing to the visible changes in consumer requirements and preferences for meat products. People worldwide have begun understanding the importance of consuming healthier meat products that are low in fat, nitrites, cholesterol, salt, and calories and that hold in additional health-promoting bioactive ingredients such as unsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, sterols, and fibers. This is mainly due to growing awareness among people about the nutritional benefits of consuming healthy meat products. Also, the growing competition is compelling the meat processing industry to make use of highly expensive and quality meat, and produce products at lower costs. The affordable prices of meat products are also luring many people to consume meat products on a frequent basis. This has significantly boosted the revenues of the meat product industry. A report by Research Dive claims that the global Southeast Asia meat product industry is expected to show augmented growth by generating a revenue of $1,17,259.2 million by 2026.

Here are top 5 types of meat that are highly consumed and popular due to their amazing health benefits.

1. Pork

This is one of the most widely consumed types of meat in various parts of the world. It is called as “red meat” as it contains huge quantities of myoglobin, a protein accountable for the red color of meat. In reality, there are various different cuts of pork, and a wide range of meat products use it as follows:

• Salami
• Jamon
• Bacon
• Prosciutto
• Sausages
• Ham
• Hot dogs

What are the Benefits of Consuming Pork?

• Pork is a known to be a vital source of vitamin B1 (thiamin). The amount of this vital vitamin, which performs a major part in glucose metabolism and safeguarding cardiac health, is very high in pork than any other meat types.
• It is affordable as compared to other meat types.
• It comprises good quantities of zinc and selenium, which are accountable for enhancing the immune system, protecting against oxidative stress, and maintaining optimum hormone production.

2. Beef

Very often, when people think of red meat, they most likely imagine beef. There a variety of beef products and cuts of beef, such as hamburgers and ribeye steaks.

What are the Benefits of Consuming Beef?

• Beef is a powerhouse for zinc, iron, and vitamin B12 which are highly essential in human diet.  
• The main source of fatty acid in beef is oleic acid, which promotes heart health.
• Beef comprises various highly beneficial ingredients such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), creatine, and glutathione.

3.  Mutton and Lamb

Both are very similar forms of meat, with one major difference;

• Lamb meat is obtained from a sheep, less than a year old.
• Mutton meat is obtained from an adult sheep

Similar to pork and beef, there are many types of popular lamb cuts, among which lamb chops are the utmost popular.

What are the Benefits of Consuming Mutton and Lamb Meat?

Both of these types of meat are highly nutritious.

• As a sheep keeps on grazing on grasslands entire day, the omega 6:3 ratio is very low, and possibly ideal than other meat types. 
• Lamb comprises several health-protective nutrients, especially selenium, zinc, and types of vitamin B.

4. Chicken

Chicken is one of the highly preferred and loved choices of meat types. However, chicken falls under a different category of meat i.e. the poultry category. Usually, people call poultry meat as ‘white meat’. Being one of the highly preferred foods across the globe, there are various kinds of chicken-based products available worldwide, from fried and roasted chicken to ready to cook or frozen products.

What are the Benefits of Consuming Chicken Meat?

• Chicken is very inexpensive as compared to other types of meat. For people who are attempting to eat less fat or calories, chicken is an ideal option as it provides smaller amounts of fat or calories as compared to other types of meat—but with the same protein content, as it is a protein-dense food. 
• Chicken broth or stock provides a major source of gelatin; this is because chicken bones have a lower density than other types of meat. Hence, gelatin and collagen are very easy to extract from chicken meat.
• Chicken holds a good source of essential minerals and vitamins, mainly phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and types of vitamin B.

5. Wild Boar

Wild boar or wild pig is the one which is usually seen in the forest areas. Wild boar meat offers a good source of protein and a smaller amounts of fat as compared to regular pork.

What are the Benefits of Consuming Wild Boar Meat?

• As wild boar resides and consumes food from the natural environment, it comprises a greater quantities of omega-3 fatty acids as compared to purely grain-fed pigs. 
• Wild boar meat offers various health-protective nutrients, mainly selenium, types of vitamin B, and zinc.

What Care Should Be Taken While Handling Meat OR Meat Products?

There are numerous types of bacteria that grow over animal products, so it is very necessary to carefully clean, handle, and stock all types of meat. However, there are several rules for handling different meat types, which can be a bit confusing. Sometimes, it is absolutely okay to consume some types of meat after almost a week after it was cooked or froze for later use. On the other hand, some other meat types must be thrown away within a few days. It is better to consult an experienced meat vendor regarding the period a particular meat type is safe for eating. Moreover, in case of processed meat products, it is highly advisably to go through the cooking guidelines and expiry date of the product.

The Bottom Line

Safety as well as healthy issues are connected with anything and everything you might consume. A healthy eating highly depends on your knowledge of nutritional benefits, safe cooking as well as storage and cleaning practices of the food you eat.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.