Goat meat, often available from Halal and other specialty butchers, is a popular meat in Mexican, Indian, Greek and southern Italian cooking. You may find it listed as "chevon" in upscale restaurants and shops and it often serves as an alternative to beef or turkey. Goat is generally a lean meat.
Calories
A 170-g portion of goat meat -- approximately 6 oz. -- contains 243 calories. This accounts for about 12 percent of the calories you may ingest every day if you follow a 2,000-calorie diet.
Fat and Cholesterol
Goat meat is relatively low in fat, with 5.1 g per serving. Approximately 19 percent of the calories in a serving come from fat. A portion of that fat is saturated fat: 1.6 g. The remainder of the fat is unsaturated. A 6-oz. serving of goat contains 127.5 mg of cholesterol.
Protein and Carbohydrates
Goat meat contains no carbohydrates. It does contain high quality protein, though -- a 6-oz. serving provides 46 g of this macronutrient, which satisfies or nearly meets your daily requirements of 46 to 56 g.
Benefits
Goat meat serves as a good substitute for other varieties of meat. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System website note that goat has fewer calories and less fat than chicken, beef, lamb or pork. It has less saturated fat and less cholesterol. In addition, it provides a higher level of potassium than these other meats.
Considerations
A 6-oz. serving of goat meat does contain some sodium -- 146.2 mg. The Institute of Medicine suggests limiting yourself to 1,500 mg of sodium per day as ingesting too much on a regular basis can cause high blood pressure and water retention. Consider cooking goat meat at home to control the amount of sodium that goes into your meal.
Vitamins and Minerals
Goat meat is an excellent source of vitamin B2. Each 6-oz. portion contains 61 percent of the daily recommended intake of this vitamin. In addition, you'll get approximately 33 percent of the amount of vitamins B3 and B12 you need every day. Six oz. of goat meat serves as a good source of zinc, containing 59.5 percent of what your body requires daily, and approximately 34 percent of the iron and phosphorus you should consume each day.
References
- The New York Times: How I Learned to Love Goat Meat
- CalorieLab: Game meat, goat, cooked, roasted
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Health Guidelines
- American Heart Association: Cholesterol
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes
- McKinley Health Center: Macronutrients: the Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat
Member Comments