Deer Meat: Cholesterol-Friendly & Lean Protein - Portioning Guide

Question
Brief background:
1. My wife is excited about using deer meat from a hunter friend because it is lower in fat than beef and could be used to add variety to our meals of fish and chicken and veggies.
2. My cholesterol hit 260 many years ago;
   My physician wanted to medicate me, I opted for diet %26 exercise.
   My cholesterol dropped to 200 and stayed that way.
Question:
   In your opinion, how many 3-ounce portions of deer meat could I safely consume per week without being concerned about increasing my cholesterol level?

Thanks.

Ron


Answer
Dear Ron,

Congratulations on lowering your cholesterol level so well with lifestyle changes!  Not many people are able to accomplish such a significant change.

How often you eat deer meat depends greatly on other factors in your diet.  I assume you are asking "If everything else stays the same and I substitute deer for fish or chicken, how many days a week would this be okay?"

Deer is actually slightly higher in cholesterol than beef and pork, depending on the cut of meat, but is also lower in fat.  I would suggest you limit meals of venison to just once or twice a week if you were able to reduce your serum cholesterol by cutting out red meat.  It would be very much like starting to eat red meat again.

However, I am also assuming you made many changes other than eliminating beef from your diet.  If you also reduced your intake of fried foods, fast foods, eggs, fatty foods, and lost some weight, then one aspect of your diet may not make a huge difference.  Chances are there were many changes that lead to your cholesterol lowering, so adding this one food in might not change it back at all.
I suggest you enjoy a small portion of deer meat once or twice a week and check your cholesterol level in about 6 weeks--that's how long it should take before you can notice a change if, in fact, one is occuring.
You can also probably counteract any increase by taking Metamucil two or three times a day, which effectively reduces cholesterol by binding to bile and excreting more of it from the body (preventing the re-circulation that maintains some cholesterol in the body).