My girlfriend often tells me that my body is strong for this winter, oh I forgot to say that the winter temperatures has been dipping below 0C. Ever since October, I have been buying lamb/mutton meat as my primary meat; along with various vegetables since I know that the upcoming winter will be much colder than the two previous years. It's Global Cooling. Politics and weather topics aside, there's one secret weapon to have a natural resistant against the cold winter weather: lamb/mutton meat.
Since sheep eat fresh grass unlike the feeds being given to most commercial cows, chickens and pigs; sheep maintain lots of vitamins that the previous three animals have mostly lost. I will just shorten the list to some few, for your winter resistant guide.
Iron-As a red meat, lamb inherently has a lot more iron than other protein sources like chicken or fish. In addition, since lamb is an animal source of iron, it contains heme iron rather than the non-heme iron found in plants. Heme iron is the more absorbable form of iron so consuming red meat like lamb can help to improve and prevent iron deficiency and anemia symptoms. How much more absorbable is the heme iron in lamb meat than non-heme plant iron? According to the National Institutes of Health, the bioavailability of iron is approximately 14 percent to 18 percent when someone consumes a diet that includes significant quantities of meat, seafood as well as vitamin C, which boosts iron absorption. For vegetarian eaters, the bioavailability of iron from their meat-free diets is significantly lower at only 5 percent to 12 percent.
Protein-As a type of meat and, more specifically, a type of red meat, lamb is loaded with vital protein. Just one three-ounce serving of lamb meat contains over 23 grams of protein. Protein intake is important to everyone, but the more active you are, the more important it is that you get enough protein in your diet. Protein does so much for the body, including providing it with slow-burning, sustainable fuel. It also helps your body build, repair and maintain muscle mass. The protein found in lamb meat is made of essential amino acids, which can only be obtained through our diets. Animal protein sources like lamb meat are considered “complete proteins” because they contain all essential amino acids. Other non-meat protein sources, like vegetables, grains and nuts, typically do not contain at least one or more essential amino acids.
Oh, and lamb is also loaded with immune-boosting zinc. This nutrient can be found in cells throughout our bodies, and it’s absolutely essential to optimal immune health, along with wound healing, DNA and protein synthesis, as well as growth and development in children.
When it comes to immune health, if you don’t get enough zinc on a regular basis, your immune system is not going to function as it should, which means you’re more likely to have all kinds of health problems ranging from the common cold to more serious infections like pneumonia. Consuming lamb meat and other zinc-rich foods can help keep your zinc levels in a healthy place and boost your overall immune function. In addition, zinc helps enable optimal senses of taste and smell (two very important things when you’re consuming some tasty lamb meat).
This is not to endorse sheep meat against the winter times, because some people may not even like to eat because they will be tired from boiling lamb meat all the time, but to inform that it has more protein, zinc and other vitamins that beef, pork and chicken doesn't have. God's creatures are wonderful, we should multiply and consume them properly, so that everything would not go to waste.
Have a happy winter!
