Goat meat (mutton): nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   Most zinc in its group

   Goat shoulder gives 4.19 mg of zinc per 100 g, 1st of 14 in the meat, poultry and egg group and 12th of 243 foods. That meets 25 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 32 per cent of a woman's. Zinc from meat is absorbed better than zinc from grains.

2. 02

   Protein across the cuts

   The shoulder supplies 20.3 g of protein per 100 g, about 38 per cent of a man's requirement and 44 per cent of a woman's. The leg rises to 22.1 g, and even the lean heart has 19.4 g.

3. 03

   Muscle is modest for iron

   Shoulder meat has only 1.48 mg of iron per 100 g, 12th of 14 in its group. The organ meats change that completely: liver 6.56 mg, kidneys 6.73 mg, lungs 7.1 mg and spleen 51.41 mg per 100 g.

4. 04

   Niacin and saturated fat

   Goat shoulder meets 29 per cent of a man's niacin requirement per 100 g. It also carries 5.44 g of saturated fat, so choosing leg or chops over fatty shoulder keeps that lower.

Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.

• Kosha mangsho: Bengali mutton slow-fried in mustard oil with onion, ginger and garlic until the masala darkens and clings.
• Laal maas: Rajasthani mutton in a deep red gravy of Mathania chillies, curd and ghee.
• Mutton keema with peas: minced leg or shoulder cooked with onion, tomato and garam masala; leaner if made from leg.
• Kaleji or gurda kapura fry: organs cooked quickly over high heat with onion, green chilli and pepper.
• Pressure-cook mutton, chill the stock and lift off the set fat before making the gravy to cut saturated fat.

Goat meat's saturated fat depends heavily on the cut and the cooking: a fatty shoulder in a ghee-rich gravy is a heavy dish, while lean leg in a home curry is not. Organ meats are high in purines, so people with gout should limit them, and brain is high in cholesterol. Buy mutton fresh from a clean shop, keep it cold and cook it thoroughly, especially minced meat and organs. People with heart disease or high cholesterol should ask their doctor how often red meat suits them.

Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.

• Sheep meat (lamb)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Chicken (broiler)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Chicken liver and gizzard

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Pork

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Rabbit

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Emu

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

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