What’s the healthiest red meat? Buffalo, cow or pork?

Meat is a fantastic protein source essential for building muscles in the body. Buffalo meat is the most consumed meat in India after chicken, followed by mutton. However, do you know what’s the most healthy red meat option available to you? If you are a red meat lover who wants to ensure you eat it right, here’s what you should know. It isn’t about what meat is healthiest, but how often you eat it, how much, and what cuts you consume.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you want red meats, find the leanest cuts with all fats removed. For example, if you opt for pork, you should go for the tenderloin, loin and centre cut chops, removing visible fat. Also, it’s better to avoid processed forms like bacon and sausage. Also, you should not pan-fry or deep-fry the meat, but go for methods like baking, broiling, air frying, steaming, roasting, grilling or poaching. If you can pick grass-fed, organic meats, nothing like it as they have the least exposure to pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones.

Picking the right meat
Here are a few tips if you ever struggle to identify whether you are purchasing the right meat for your healthy meal. The meat of buffalo, cow and ox is commonly known as beef. Meanwhile, buffalo meat is also called kara beef. Each type of meat could be distinguished as they have unique textures and properties. Some meat stores sell ox meat in the name of buffalo meat. However, you could easily spot the difference if you observe these meats closely. Fat on buffalo meat is milky white in colour, while ox fat has a yellowish white hue. Although both meats could be called red meat, buffalo meat is redder. Meanwhile, buffalo meat is leaner than ox and hence requires less cooking time. Moreover, buffalo meat is more nutritious than other red meats.

The marbling in beef would be thinner, while it is absent in mutton. Besides, mutton has a strong odour that is easily detectable. Buffalo meat contains more protein than mutton or goat meat. Pork meat could be easily identified by its strong and thick skin. Although the pork skin is tough, pork meat is in fact softer than buffalo meat. Mutton is the common name for goat meat here, but its culinary name is chevon. Mutton is meat from a sheep that is over a year old.