Lamb is known for it’s tender and butter-like meat, and in this post we talk about some of the health benefits of lamb in your diet.

Healthy Heart

• Grass-fed lamb is a significant source of omega-3 fats, whose adequacy in the diet is associated with decreased risk of inflammation and heart disease.
• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is found in valuable amounts in grass-fed lamb. Increased intake of this nutrient is associated with reduced inflammation and reduced body fat. Both of these consequences would be expected to lower heart disease risk.

Maintain Muscle Mass

• Lamb is an excellent source of high-quality protein, and may promote the growth and maintenance of muscle mass. High-quality protein is very important for the maintenance of muscle mass, especially in elderly people.

Red Blood Cells

• Lamb meat is an ideal source of iron. An average portion can provide 20 per cent of the recommended daily intake for men and 12 per cent for women. The iron found in lamb meat and other red meat is in a form that is easily absorbed by the body. The inclusion of iron in the diet is vital in the formation of red blood cells.

Tips:

• Buy organic 100% grass-fed. Organic standards help lower risk of contaminated feed and organic lamb lamb usually has higher nutrient quality.

• What to look for – purchase lamb whose flesh is firm, fine textured and pink in colour. Any fat surrounding or marbled throughout the piece of lamb should be white, not yellow.
• Fridge – refrigerate lamb in the original store packaging, if it is still intact and secure, to 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.
• Freezer – If you have more lamb than you can use within this period of time, you can freeze it. Using freezer paper or plastic freezer wrap, wrap the lamb carefully so that it is as tightly packaged as possible. If you plan to freeze for one week or longer, it’s a good idea to overwrap it with a second layer or place the already-wrapped lamb into a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn. Ground lamb should be able to keep for three to four months while roasts and chops will keep for about six to nine months.