Australia’s top nutritionists and chefs are waking up to Roo – it’s sustainable, delicious and nutritious, and being native to Australia, it really is the lean meat we were meant to eat.
One of Australia’s best-known nutritionists, Dr Rosemary Stanton, named Kangaroo as the ‘best-in-show’ meat option in her article published on taste.com.au.
“Extremely low in fat, kangaroo meat has virtually no saturated fat,” she wrote. “Its levels of protein and zinc are similar to those of other meats, but it has more iron, twice as much vitamin B12 and higher levels of most other B vitamins.”
And she’s not the only nutritionist who has jumped on the Roo bandwagon.
Australian nutritionist, blogger and social media sensation, Lola Berry, discussed why Kangaroo meat is great for weight loss in a recent blog.
“Roo is pretty much the best source of meat out there if you are trying to lose weight,” she wrote. “As kangaroo meat is so lean, it provides an awesome source of protein without much animal fat at all.
“Kangaroo meat is thermogenic as well. This means your body works four times as hard to burn it off compared to other food sources like fats and carbohydrates.
“It’s also a brilliant source of iron too, which is great for boosting both your immune function and metabolism.”
We are all well accustomed to the golden rule of weight loss – eat fewer calories than you burn each day – and Roo, being such a lean meat, scores top marks in this class.
According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand 100g of fillet steak fully trimmed and grilled has 746kJ, compared to 100g grilled loin fillet of Kangaroo weighing in at 566kJ.
While we know Roo is a healthy choice for our hearts and waistline, it’s also a winner for the environment and our pockets too.
According to Judy Davie at The Food Coach a kilogram of Kangaroo steak is around $19, compared with around $39 for beef and $27 a kilo for lamb.
“Being an inexpensive meat, you can afford to buy the best cuts such as strip loin, fillet and rump. These can all be pan fried, BBQ’d and grilled. Secondary cuts such as minced and diced kangaroo are best slow cooked,” Judy said.
And when you look at the sustainability of eating kangaroo, Judy said kangaroo harvesting is a natural and necessary aspect of the culling process.
“After assessing the kangaroo population and the effects of seasonal conditions, the Government sets a sustainable quota to be culled each year – usually around 15-20% of the population,” she wrote. “It’s a strictly monitored process to protect the sustainability of the species.”
And unlike beef and lamb, kangaroos are not farmed for their meat – instead they’re harvested in their natural environment.
A study undertaken by The RSPCA Australia concluded that correct harvesting of Kangaroo “is considered one of the most humane forms of animal slaughter,” not only because it is fast and accurate, but also because the animal is free, not farmed.
And when you compare that to the farming of beef, lamb, pork and chicken, it’s good to know your Roo is coming from a happy place.
So with its high nutritional value, affordable cost and sustainability factors, Roo is fast becoming the preferred lean meat in Australia’s most health and environmentally-conscious kitchens.
