The Jerky Trend

The Jerky Trend

Beef jerky is one of the fastest growing products of the food industry, largely because people have less time but also want foods that are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals, and protein. But jerky is more than a trend. Based on decades of advertising, you would be forgiven for thinking that beef jerky was an ultra-masculine snack. The truth is, all kinds of people love to eat jerky, and here we touch on a few.

 Early traders and explorers prized jerky as one of the best sources of nutrition when travelling to new areas with limited food supply. Jerky became a staple item because the primary ingredient meat, could be hunted anyway along the trip and any left-over meat was easily dried before continuing on their journey.

Jerky’s reputation continues on to the world of today amongst our countries bravest, which has been a common inclusion and one of the highlights within the defence force’s ration packs.Because jerky is lightweight, nutrient-rich, and long-lasting, it provides the perfect trifecta for our heroes on the go.

You do not have to be an avid outback or coastal adventurer to enjoy the delights of beef jerky. Jerky has long been a highly popular service station snack, and its popularity is forever growing. Analysts attribute the rise in road trip jerky to a mixture of health concerns and convenience. When your road tripping and need easy, ready to eat and on the go food that does not require heating, cooling or utensils, jerky is the hero. At the same time, growing health consciousness in the Australia have people avoiding traditional sugary snacks like doughnuts, cookies and sweets, and other processed salty snacks like potato chips. Jerky falls into a healthier snack category along other Nungra Nibbles favourites like our seasoned macadamia, cashew, almonds, peanuts, and dried mango pieces.  

Some other mass-produced convenient store jerky can be loaded with sodium, but artisan jerky is one of the healthiest snacks for your heart . Unprocessed jerky is loaded with vitamins and minerals that support heart and overall health like zinc, iron, vitamin B12, phosphorus and folate. Nungra Nibbles jerky is low in fat and sugar, which helps support heart health and also is low in nitrates and MSG nasties.

As mentioned in an earlier blog  “Beef Jerky benefits for the body” Each 85g bag of Nungra Nibbles Teriyaki flavour Beef Jerky contains 38g of protein which equates to 12.6g per serve. These high levels of protein provide the essential amino acids that muscles need to repair and rebuild. This not only allows you to recover from exercise, but also helps you get stronger over time. The daily recommended protein intake for an average 85kg, sedentary male adult is about 71.4g grams per day. For the average 70kg, sedentary female adult it is about 52.5g grams per day. That is typically about 10% of your caloric intake, and most Australians achieve that or more in their daily diets. But to increase muscle mass, athletes in training need about 0.5 to 0.8 grams of protein per body weight per day. That same adult would suddenly need 80 to 128 grams of protein to be building the muscles they need to perform. Fitness enthusiasts often turn to whey protein in the form of shakes, but these can contain a high sugar content, and can contain too much protein, which puts a strain on the kidneys and can cause weigh gain. Many Fitness enthusiasts have turned to jerky because it hits the sweet spot of low fat, low sugar, and just the right amount of protein.

The younger generations prefer snacks that are less processed, made with natural ingredients and are available in multiple, intriguing flavours. Jerky hits every note on that list, and its popularity grows every day with new jerky flavour combinations and ingredients. Nungra Nibbles boasts a great variety of flavour combinations and heat ratings with Honey Habanero, Jalapeno/Lime, Garlic Pepper, Lemon Lime Pepper, Salt/Vinegar, Teriyaki, Hickory Brown Sugar, and Sesame BBQ to list a few.

At Nungra nibbles, we respect the traditional, craft heritage of jerky that appeals to people everywhere for its taste, convenience, and health benefits. We know the reputation that more processed jerky companies have created for this staple is a masculine, high sodium snack, and we want to leave all that in the past. Our jerky is a low-carb, vitamin rich, high protein snack that all kinds of people are demanding in their busy, health-conscious lifestyles.

Whether you are looking for something hot, medium, mild, or wild we are sure to have a jerky to satisfy you. Visit www.nungranibbles.com.au for a full selection of flavours, and to get a piece of the healthiest, most satisfying jerky around!

Featured images by www.freepik.com

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