Leg of lamb can be a tasty alternative to beef and pork for those looking to cut down on those types of meat. A typical lamb leg consists of the shank and sirloin and you want to look for a lean cut with the fat trimmed to a fourth of an inch. Although lamb is a nutritious type of meat, it can be much chewier than the beef or pork to which you are used. For those not raised on lamb, it can be an acquired taste, but the process of acquisition may well be worth the effort in exchange for the nutrients it adds.
Domestic leg of lamb and imported New Zealand leg of lamb are two of the most popular and common choices available in America. Very little nutritional difference can be found between these two offerings for the most part. The one nutrient that could make a big difference in a diet is that the New Zealand version only contains 40 milligrams of sodium in a one pound serving while domestic leg of lamb contains 56 milligrams. This difference does give a slight edge to the imported lamb being a slightly better choice for those on a low sodium diet. Though, truth be told, if you are capable of eating an entire pound of leg of lamb in one sitting, you may have bigger problems than too much sodium in your diet.
A 100 gram serving of domestic shank and sirloin adds 230 calories, 17.07 grams of fat, 69 milligrams of cholesterol and 17.9 grams of protein to your meal. Those 56 grams of sodium is still low enough to make domestic leg of lamb qualify as a low sodium choice, but the 7.43 grams of saturated fat is equal to 37 percent of the recommended daily intake of that particular nutrient. You should weigh the benefits of low sodium against the high saturated fat content when looking to add leg of lamb to your diet.
Leg of lamb is a rich source for vitamin B12. A 100 gram serving provides 2.5mcg of this vitamin which will provide you with 42 percent of all the B12 you need in a day. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cell formation, preventing anemia and reducing levels of homocysteine which may be linked to developing cardiovascular disease.
A number of minerals are plentiful in leg of lamb. Just 100 grams provides ten percent or more of the daily recommended intake of phosphorous, zinc and selenium. Those percentages are based on 170 milligrams of phosphorous, 3.32 milligrams of zinc and 20.7mcg of selenium. Phosphorous is vital to almost every metabolic reaction taking place within the body and is especially important in converting nutrients into energy, zinc plays a part in protecting cells against damage done by disease causing compounds known as free radicals, and selenium is an essential part of the immune system that maintains resistance to infections and disease.
