Lamb

While lamb makes up only a fraction of the meat eaten in the United States, it is used in a myriad of wonderful recipes throughout the world. When lamb is labeled as "spring lamb" it signifies that lamb that was brought to market during the spring and summer months which was formerly the season for fresh lamb. However, lamb is now available throughout the year, and the label "spring lamb" does not necessarily connote additional quality.

Lamb is the meat from young sheep that are less than one year old.

This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Lamb provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Lamb can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Lamb, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• How to Enjoy
• Individual Concerns
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health Benefits

Although high in saturated fat, lamb is a very good source of protein, providing 60.3% of the daily value for protein along with 21.1% of the DV for saturated fat in four ounces. The structure of the human body is built on protein. We use animal and plant sources of protein for our amino acids and rearrange the nitrogen to make the pattern of amino acids we require.

Zinc for Healthy Immune Function

Lamb is also a good source of zinc, a mineral that affects many fundamental processes, perhaps the most important of which is immune function. If one mineral were singled out for its beneficial effects on the immune system, zinc would lead the pack. A cofactor in a wide variety of enzymatic reactions, zinc is critical not only to immune function, but for wound healing, and normal cell division. Zinc also helps stabilize blood sugar levels and the body's metabolic rate, and is necessary for an optimal sense of smell and taste.

A four-ounce serving of lamb contains 38.3% of the daily value for zinc.

B vitamins for Energy and Cardiovascular Protection

Meat products, like lamb, are a good source of vitamin B12. This vitamin supports production of red blood cells and prevents anemia, allows nerve cells to develop properly, and helps your cells metabolize protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

In addition, Vitamin B12 plays a critical role as a methyl donor. Methylation is a basic cellular process in which methyl groups are transferred from one molecule to another, resulting in the formation of a wide variety of very important active molecules. When levels of B12 are inadequate, the availability of methyl groups is also lessened. One result of the lack of methyl groups is that molecules that would normally be quickly changed into other types of molecules not only do not change, but accumulate. One such molecule, homocysteine, is so damaging to blood vessel walls that high levels are considered a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (homocysteine is also associated with osteoporosis, and a recent study found that osteoporosis occurred more frequently among women whose vitamin B12 status was deficient or marginal compared with those who had normal B12 status.) Just four-ounces of lamb supplies 40.8% of your daily needs for vitamin B12..

Description

Americans eat a fraction of the amount of lamb consumed in many other countries in the world. And that's too bad since this red meat is very healthful and extremely delicious, having a very tender and buttery quality.

Lamb is the meat from young sheep that are less than one year old. It is usually available in five different cuts including the shoulder, rack, shank/breast, loin and leg. Additionally, many stores sell it already ground to be used to make burgers, meat loaf or sauces.

History

Currently the most abundant livestock in the world, sheep were originally domesticated in the Middle East and Asia more than 10,000 years ago. As a source of not only food, but also textiles (wool), sheep were introduced and became popular throughout many regions of the world. The Romans introduced sheep into Great Britain, where lamb is very popular, over 2,000 years ago. Lamb was not introduced into the Western Hemisphere until the early 16th century when the armies of the Spanish explorer Cortez brought sheep with them on their explorations.

Since ancient times, lamb has been regarded as a religious symbol. It was commonly used as a sacrifice, and a symbol of sacrifice, in many religions including Judaism. In many countries, lamb is a traditional dish at Easter in commeration of the Last Supper at which lamb was likely served. Jesus is often referred to as the "Lamb of God".

Lamb is a staple in cuisines throughout the world including Turkey, Greece, New Zealand, Australia and countries of the Middle East.

How to Select and Store

While USDA inspection of lamb is mandatory, grading is voluntary, so therefore not all lamb will be labeled with a grade. Those that are carry the titles Prime, Choice and Select. Prime and Choice are the most tender and flavorful, but also have the higher fat content.

Although lamb is generally a very tender meat, there are still signs you can look for to better ensure high quality. Purchase lamb whose flesh is firm and fine textured and pink in color. Any fat surrounding or marbled throughout the lamb should be white, not yellow.

Oftentimes, you will see lamb labeled as "spring lamb". This moniker signifies that lamb is brought to market during the spring and summer months, the main season that fresh lamb used to be available. Since lamb is now available throughout the year, "spring lamb" does not necessarily confer additional connotations of quality.

Since lamb is highly perishable, it should always be kept at cold temperatures, either refrigerated or frozen. Refrigerate the lamb in the original store packaging, if it is still intact and secure, as this will reduce the amount of handling involved. If the lamb has a "Use-By" date, follow that for guidelines as to how long it will stay fresh. If it does not, then follow these simple guidelines: lamb roasts and chops can stay fresh in the refrigerator three to five days while ground lamb will only stay fresh for up to two days.

If you have more lamb than you can use within this period of time, you can freeze it. Using either aluminum foil or freezer paper, wrap the lamb carefully so that it is as tightly packaged as possible. Ground lamb should be able to keep for three to four months while roasts and chops will keep for about six to nine months.

How to Enjoy

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Ground lamb makes delicious burgers. Season and cook as you would a hamburger.

Braise lamb loin pieces in red wine, garlic and rosemary.

The hearty flavor of lamb makes it a wonderful meat to be featured in a stew.

For a healthy twist on the traditional food pairing, serve lamb with a mint yogurt sauce, made from plain yogurt, mint leaves, garlic, and cayenne.

Place bite size pieces of lamb on a skewer with your favorite grilling vegetables and make lamb shish kebobs.

Individual Concerns

Red meat is a significant source of dietary saturated fat and cholesterol. These two compounds have been associated with development of various chronic diseases, including heart disease and some forms of cancer.

In a paper which examined over 4,500 scientific studies on the links between nutrition and cancer, researchers made public health goals and recommendations to individuals to help reduce cancer risk. Scientists advised that if eaten at all, red meat intake should be limited to less than 3 ounces daily. Choices for animal protein should be from fish, poultry or meat from non-domesticated animals (like venison) instead of domesticated red meats (beef, lamb and pork).

Lamb and Purines

Lamb contain naturally-occurring substances called purines. Purines are commonly found in plants, animals, and humans. In some individuals who are susceptible to purine-related problems, excessive intake of these substances can cause health problems. Since purines can be broken down to form uric acid, excess accumulation of purines in the body can lead to excess accumulation of uric acid. The health condition called "gout" and the formation of kidney stones from uric acid are two examples of uric acid-related problems that can be related to excessive intake of purine-containing foods. For this reason, individuals with kidney problems or gout may want to limit or avoid intake of purine-containing foods such as lamb.

Nutritional Profile

Lamb is a very good source of protein and selenium. It is also a good source of vitamin B12, niacin, zinc and phosphorus.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Lamb.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, an in-depth nutritional profile for Lamb is also available. This profile includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Introduction to Food Rating System Chart

In order to better help you identify foods that feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a Food Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the foods that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either an excellent, very good, or good source (below the chart you will find a table that explains these qualifications). If a nutrient is not listed in the chart, it does not necessarily mean that the food doesn't contain it. It simply means that the nutrient is not provided in a sufficient amount or concentration to meet our rating criteria. (To view this food's in-depth nutritional profile that includes values for dozens of nutrients - not just the ones rated as excellent, very good, or good - please use the link below the chart.) To read this chart accurately, you'll need to glance up in the top left corner where you will find the name of the food and the serving size we used to calculate the food's nutrient composition. This serving size will tell you how much of the food you need to eat to obtain the amount of nutrients found in the chart. Now, returning to the chart itself, you can look next to the nutrient name in order to find the nutrient amount it offers, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this food and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling." Read more background information and details of our rating system.

Lamb loin, roasted 4.00 oz-wt 113.40 grams 229.07 calories Nutrient Amount DV (%) Nutrient Density World's Healthiest Foods Rating tryptophan 0.35 g 109.4 8.6 excellent protein 30.15 g 60.3 4.7 very good selenium 34.36 mcg 49.1 3.9 very good vitamin B12 (cobalamin) 2.45 mcg 40.8 3.2 good vitamin B3 (niacin) 7.75 mg 38.8 3.0 good zinc 4.60 mg 30.7 2.4 good phosphorus 233.60 mg 23.4 1.8 good World's Healthiest Foods Rating Rule excellent DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DV>=10% very good DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DV>=5% good DV>=25% OR Density>=1.5 AND DV>=2.5%

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Lamb

References

• American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, nutrition and the prevention of cancer: A global perspective. American Institute for Cancer Research 1997 1997.
• Dhonukshe-Rutten RA, Lips M, de Jong N et al. Vitamin B-12 status is associated with bone mineral content and bone mineral density in frail elderly women but not in men. J Nutr. 2003 Mar; 133(3):801-7 2003.
• Ensminger AH, Esminger M. K. J. e. al. Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia. Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986 1986. PMID:15210.
• Hyun T, Barrett-Connor E, Milne D. Zinc intakes and plasma concentrations in men with osteoporosis: the Rancho Bernardo Study. Am J Clin Nutr, Sept. 2004:80(3):715-721. 2004. PMID:15321813.
• Kassie F, Uhl M, Rabot S, Grasl-Kraupp B, Verkerk R, Kundi M, Chabicovsky M, Schulte-Hermann R, Knasmuller S. Chemoprevention of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ)-induced colonic and hepatic preneoplastic lesions in the F344 rat by cruciferous vegetables administered simultaneously with the carcino. Carcinogenesis. 2003 Feb;24(2):255-61. 2003. PMID:12584175.
• Margen S and the Editor, Univ of California at Berkley Wellness Letter. The Wellness Encyclopedia of food and nutrition. New York: Health Letter Associates 1992 1992.
• Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, Scherr PA, Tangney CC, Hebert LE, Bennett DA, Wilson RS, Aggarwal N. Dietary niacin and the risk of incident Alzheimer's disease and of cognitive decline. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004 Aug;75(8):1093-9. 2004. PMID:15258207.
• Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988 1988. PMID:15220.

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