Surprisingly Beneficial Reasons Why Louisiana Should Be Eating Nutria Rats

Lafayette, Louisiana (KMDL) - I can't help but think that if we would have never added the word "rat" when talking about nutria, people all over Acadiana and Louisiana would regularly be eating them.

The word rat is a strong one that we just can't seem to get past.

Well, that and the whole orange teeth thing.

Hey, I get it...it's a hurdle I haven't been able to get over either.

What if I told you there are some surprisingly beneficial reasons why we should actually be eating nutria?

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Are Nutria Rats Really Rats?

Technically, nutria rats aren't actually rats. They are technically large, semi-aquatic rodents though.

While nutria do share similar characteristics like a rat-like tail, nutrias are not rats.

From wikipedia.com -

"The nutria, or coypu is a herbivorous, semi-aquatic rodent from South America. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae.

The nutria lives in burrows alongside stretches of water and feeds on river plant stems."

READ MORE: U.S. Wildlife Service Urging Louisiana to Eat Nutria Rats

If we could just start calling them nutria instead of nutria rats, I really think eventually we could get past the whole rat hangup thing and start eating them on a much more widely accepted scale.

There are some really good reasons why we should, for both environmental and nutritional reasons.

Benefits OF Eating Nutria

We all know one of the biggest benefits to us all starting to eat nutria would be the positive impact in helping to stop coastal erosion.

Aside from the positive environmental impacts, eating nutria has even more to offer.

Nutritional Value

Nutria meat is really high in protein.

The protein level of nutria meat far surpasses protein level in meats like chicken, turkey, and even beef.

Seems like nutria meat should be a go-to for people on high protein diets.

READ MORE: Louisiana Couple Cooks Fresh Nutria Over Rice for YouTuber

Low In Fat And Cholesterol

Another benefit to nutria meat is that it's low in fat and cholesterol.

Nutria meat is leaner than ground beef which makes it an excellent choice for people looking to lower their fat and cholesterol intake.

Rich In Minerals

Nutria meat is rich in mineral like iron, zinc, copper, and selenium. These minerals are important for things like immune support, metabolism, growth and development, overall health and well-being, and more.

What Do Nutria Taste Like?

Unlike alligator, nutria meat does not taste like chicken.

People who eat nutria say it tastes more like rabbit or dark turkey meat.

Nutria meat is also really versatile to cook with. You can use nutria meat for all kinds of different Cajun and Creole dishes like jambalaya, gumbo, chili, sauce piquante, even a courtbouillon.

So, what do you think?

After reading all of the positive benefits of eating nutria, is this something you could get on board with?