The Benefits and Side Effect of Eating Bush Meat

 Benefits and Side Effect of Bush Meat

Throughout Nigeria, game animals, also known as bush meat, are used in a variety of dishes. Apes like chimps and gorillas, as well as crocodiles, antelopes, and scaly ant eaters, are examples of these animals.

Mammals and birds that are either wild or farmed are considered game animals. They are not typically thought of as domestic animals, but they are frequently hunted for food.

When it comes to health implications, eating bush meat has both pros and cons. It is impossible to overstate the benefits of eating game animals.

Game meat is lower in saturated fat than other fatty meats, making it healthier. When compared to beef and pork, they are also low in calories.

Furthermore, wild game meat contains a high amount of Eicosapentaenoic acid, an essential omega -3 fatty acid with numerous health benefits.

Finally, wild game thrives in its natural habitat. This results in meat that is high in vitamins and minerals and free of growth hormones, which are commonly used in meat and poultry production in the United States.

As a result, game meat is an excellent source of organic meat.

Despite these advantages, eating game meat should be approached with caution for the following reasons.

Inadequate meat inspection procedures

Game consumption of meat can be particularly hazardous because most of these animals are caught in traps, shot at by hunters, and in some cases, discovered dead in the bush and sold into the market without any meat inspection procedures performed on the carcass by a professional to examine and guarantee that their flesh and organs are free of disease and any food-borne contaminant or pathogen. Experts say ape meat is especially dangerous because the HIV virus is thought to have originated in chimps. Ebola, anthrax, and yellow fever are all spread by apes.

Lead bullet fragments ingested

The major part of game animals are typically shot with lead bullets by hunters. Fragments of these bullets can be seen when you examine the tissues of these animals. Whilst also chewing on the meat, you might notice some grit or a small stone.

Ingesting these lead pellets has the consequence of accumulating dangerous levels of lead in the body over time, which can interfere with a variety of metabolic functions in our bodies. Lead is toxic to the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, reproductive, and nervous systems, among other organs and tissues.

a substance that can cause cancer in living tissue). This is due to the fact that the smoking process contaminates food with polycystic hydrocarbons and nitrosamines, which are common in smoke. These substances have been linked to cancer in the past. In fact, some scientific studies have discovered a statistical link between smoked food consumption and the development of intestinal cancer.

While game meat is an irresistible delicacy in many cultures throughout Nigeria and the world, extreme caution should be exercised when handling or eating these animals. Here are some steps to take to reduce the chances of coming into contact with pathogens that may be present on and in game animals.

Within a week of handling the carcass of any game meat, wash your hands thoroughly with antiseptic soap or solution.

Furthermore, avoid chopping the meat into large pieces. Cutting the meat into small chunks allows the heat from the boiling water to easily penetrate the meat. Because the heat may not be able to penetrate the center if the chunks are too large, the center may not be properly cooked.

Also, rinse thoroughly after cutting to remove all traces of blood.

Subsequently, you must ensure that game meat is properly cooked. It should never be eaten raw. This is due to the fact that they may contain a variety of microorganisms and parasites that can cause serious illness.

A case study of a 13-year-old boy named Weijie from Shanghai, China's Zhejiang province, is one example. After eating the raw gall bladder of a snake, he was diagnosed with Pentastomiasis (a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by blood sucking worms called pentastomes). The Fudan University Children's Hospital discovered hundreds of parasites in Weijie's lungs, liver, intestines, and kidneys.

His parents gave him the snake's gall bladder in the hopes of keeping him healthy and improving his vision. Although it appears amusing, this is a Chinese legend.

"Snake gall bladder is good for eyesight and clearing inner heat," says Meng Silang, vice-secretary general of the Shanghai Traditional Medicine Association. The correct method is to parch the gall bladder and grind it into powder."

Is it better to eat or not eat assorted meats?

Offals, also known as 'assorted meat,' will be the topic of discussion (entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food). Brains, hearts, kidneys, livers, tongues, stomachs, intestines, testicles, and other offals are examples.

The Benefits

Organ meats are packed with nutrients. Nutritionists agree that these portions contain far more wholesome nutrition than the muscular flesh of the same animals. It's no surprise that lions and jaguars, for example, instinctively go for the internal organs of their prey. I suppose this behavior is due to the fact that these predators have learned where the majority of the food is located over time.