Meat and poultry
Venison on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 30 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), cooked, loin or steak, for around 160 calories. One small steak, about 120 g (4.2 oz), gives roughly 36 g of protein for 192 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from venison alone you would need about 100 g (3.5 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How venison sits on a GLP-1
Venison carries more protein per gram than beef and about a third less fat, so it fills less room for the same protein. Like every very lean meat, it punishes overcooking, and on a slow stomach a tough piece of meat is a serve you will not finish.
When your appetite is small
Buy the loin rather than a stewing cut, cook it rare, and slice it. A 100 g serve is about 30 g of protein for roughly 160 calories, so a single small steak is a full protein stop.
Three ways to prepare it
Sear the loin and rest it
Hot pan, two to three minutes a side, ten minutes resting under foil. Slice across the grain.
Slow braise the shoulder
The tougher cuts fall apart after three hours and shred into something soft enough for a bad day.
Venison mince in a ragu
Mince avoids the overcooking problem entirely and the strong flavour suits a long slow tomato sauce.
What to eat it with
Juniper, blackberry, red cabbage, mushroom. Fat helps: a knob of butter in the pan at the end makes a lean meat much easier to eat.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venison | about 30 g | 160 kcal | this page |
| Kangaroo | about 26 g | 120 kcal | See the page |
| Steak | about 29 g | 210 kcal | See the page |
| Lamb | about 26 g | 215 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, cooked, loin or steak, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Venison in all three countries, usually farmed. The UK sells it widely in supermarkets, Australia sells it through butchers and game suppliers, and in the US it is often wild harvested rather than sold retail.
Questions people ask
Is venison healthier than beef?
It is leaner, with about 30 g of protein per 100 g for around 160 calories, and it is high in iron. Whether it suits you comes down to cost and availability more than nutrition.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.