Lamb, according to many people, is fatty meat that contains large amounts of cholesterol. But this product occupies the first lines in the menu of residents of Asia and the East, from which delicious dishes are prepared and used almost every day.
In fact, there is not much harm from mutton, the main thing is to be able to choose it and cook it correctly.
Lamb: Health Benefits
This type of meat is equally useful to women and men, due to its balanced composition.
These include: vitamins (B, PP, E, K, D), trace elements (calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium), proteins, fats. They help the body in the fight against various diseases.
On a note! If lamb is of the first category, then per 100 g there are 209 kcal. If the meat is of the second category, then 100 g corresponds to 166 kcal. At the same time, a product with a lower calorie content is more saturated with nutrients than more high-calorie meat.
Thanks to its beneficial properties, lamb has a beneficial effect on humans.
1. Helps improve well-being. The content of B vitamins improves the digestive system, the synthesis of nutrients, and also increases the tone of the body, immunity. The product restores blood circulation, strengthens bones. All this due to the content of vitamins E, K, D.
2. Helps to restore the functioning of the nervous system. Frequent use of the product stops the development of diseases associated with the heart and blood vessels. The work of the central nervous system improves thanks to B vitamins.
3. Helps the formation of the baby's nerve cells in the womb. This is facilitated by the presence of folic acid in meat.
4. Helps withstand colds. The beneficial properties of mutton also have a positive effect on the children's body. Using animal fat, prepare infusions and compresses. They are necessary in the treatment of colds in babies. Often, the child’s body is rubbed with the fat of an animal, then covered with a blanket.
5. Helps with weight loss. Within 24 hours, it is allowed to eat 100 g of low-calorie meat of the second category.
On a note! It is scientifically proven that there is not so much cholesterol in lamb as people think. It is much smaller than in beef and pork. Along with this, the fat in lamb meat is also very small compared to pork. Therefore, lamb is recommended for diabetics and overweight people.
6. Helps stop tooth decay. From frequent consumption of sheep meat in humans, the teeth will be healthy. This is due to the high percentage of fluoride. The tooth enamel will be strong due to its calcium content.
7. Helps to restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, thanks to lecithin, which is part of mutton meat. People with gastritis diseases, ulcers are recommended broths cooked on lamb meat.
8. Helps increase hemoglobin because the product is rich in iron. It is often used to prevent anemia.
Thus, the benefits of lamb are obvious. But do not forget about contraindications, as well as the possible harm of such meat.
Lamb harm to humans
Eating animal meat in unlimited quantities will have a negative effect on the body. At the same time, a person is facing obesity, sclerosis, arthritis, and problems with the heart, joints, and intestines will appear. This is especially often observed in people in adulthood. However, if the product is properly prepared and consumed in moderation, then direct harm to the human health of such a product can be avoided.
Lamb is contraindicated in people who have:
- serious atherosclerotic manifestations;
- problems with the liver, gall bladder, kidneys;
- impaired digestion;
- gastritis or a stomach ulcer;
- overwhelming level of acidity;
- gout, joint problems.
Representatives of the older generation and children under 3 years of age should refuse lamb meat, as it is difficult to digest.
On a note! Of all varieties of meat, mutton cannot be consistently consumed exclusively. It is not saturated with iodine, which can subsequently lead to problems with the thyroid gland.
Lamb selection by appearance
Under the mutton understand the meat of young timbers and lamb, slaughtered at the age of one month. Meat is usually divided into categories. These are young lambs of 1-2 months, rams of 3-12 months and animals of an older age.
To prepare a delicious dish, take the meat of the lambs, because it is more delicate, nutritious, has a pleasant taste. In order not to make a mistake with the choice, it is necessary to take into account some factors when buying.
Sheep meat is classified as low-fat varieties. And this despite the fact that young lamb has more fat than adult. But this fat is very tender and juicy. But the meat of adult sheep differs from young sheep in that the amount of protein in it corresponds to the amount of protein in pork.
On a note! If possible, then choose the carcass of the Kalmyk breed. These animals have special care, as a result of which they have no special smell, and there are more vitamins and minerals than in the meat of an adult ram.
Choose mutton with benefit by the following criteria.
1. The meat will not be hard and have an unpleasant smell, if you give preference to a one-year-old lamb. The lack of fat on the carcass suggests that the buyer is offered goat meat.
2. Lamb should be with a gentle light fat and pink tint, evenly distributed over the entire surface.
3. You should check the freshness of the product by pressing it with your finger. If there is no dent left, the meat is fresh.
4. The surface of the piece should shine, not have smudges.
5. Pay attention to the bones. At the young lamb they are pink, and the ribs are thin, located at a small distance from each other. In an adult animal, the bones are larger and white.
6. To make sure that a piece on the market is not tinted, it is worth checking it with a dampened cloth. If you attach it to the meat and a red mark remains on it, then this is a processed instance in a chemical way.
7. There must be a mark on the piece. This is confirmation that the carcass has passed the test.
The above criteria will help the consumer choose fresh, juicy lamb meat.
The choice of lamb for a specific cooking method
Lamb meat can be fried, boiled, stewed, and also used in the form of minced meat for cutlets, meatballs, used for cooking pilaf, kharcho. The question is which part of the carcass is suitable for a particular method.
1. If you need meat for cooking, then buy the neck, brisket or shoulder blade.
2. To prepare pilaf or stew, you need a spatula or brisket.
3. If the carcass is necessary for frying, then the back leg is preferred.
4. For a roast, it is worth buying a cervical or kidney part, and the back leg is also recommended.
5. To cook cutlets or meatballs, you should take a scapula, neck.
6. For backing, the back leg or kidney is suitable.
7. In cooking stew you will need the back leg, the shoulder blade of the animal.
Not only the pleasant taste of food, the absence of an unpleasant smell, but also its benefits to the body depend on the right choice of lamb.
The harm of mutton and its benefits are directly related to its choice, preparation, consumption.
It is important to remember that the product should not be given to small children and older people when fried.
It is also necessary to take into account the contraindications of lamb, according to which it can be completely excluded from the diet or used with great care.
