Goat Vs Lamb Meat: Which Is Healthier? Here's All You Need To Know

There is a large population today that has incorporated meat as an important ingredient in their diet.

There is a wide range of meats that are used for consumption purposes. Chicken, beef, pork, fish, and many more, you name it.

Each meat has its own benefits and perks but the most controversial of them all are lamb and goat meats. Amongst red meat, goat meat and lamb meat have always been one of the top contenders in the race for healthier meat.

Amongst meat in general, however, as of 2021, chicken is the most consumed protein in the whole world! When we lay down the comparison between the meat of goats and sheep, the answer should be obvious.

Read along to learn more about the differences between goat and lamb animals, goat and lamb meat, and which is healthier. After this, you can also read deer vs elk and can dogs eat kale here on Kidadl.

What are the differences between goat and lamb?

Let's start off by analyzing the differences between goats and sheep.

A domestic animal that has two horns that curve backward is called a goat. Along with the horns, male goats even have a beard!

Goats are usually domesticated for their milk and their meat and are usually noted to have a very lively behavior. Wild goats are usually found and bred in places such as Baluchistan and the western Sind in Asia. The internal temperature for cooking goat meat is advised to be 160 F (71.1 C).

A lamb or a sheep too is a domestic animal and also has curving horns. They also have thick, soft fur that we call wool.

The wool on a male adult sheep tends to be thicker than that on a female sheep. Sheep are usually domesticated for wool and their meat and have a tendency to follow others in herds. Domestic sheep are bred all over the world in mountainous regions such as North America, Central Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The internal temperature for sheep meat is suggested to be 145 F (62.7 C). Temperature higher than that can make the meat dry.

The main difference between goat and lamb meat lies in their fat content. Hence, the cooking methods, recipes, spices and other ingredients used for preparing goat or lamb dishes are also quite different from one another. But the meat of which animal is better, that is the question in hand.

Which is better lamb or goat?

Goat meat has a mild flavor and lacks any gaminess that you might find in other kinds of meat. It can easily acquire a variety of flavors and hence, is used in rich dishes such as curries or stews.

The taste is said to lie somewhere between pork and dark meat chicken. Goat meat is said to have a rich flavor and is used to cook Caribbean curry and Vietnamese spicy wok tossed goat meat with chilies!

It can even be used to make pepperoni!

Yet it is deemed less enjoyable than meats such as beef, pork, or lamb. Male goat meat is lighter in color and has lower fat contents while female goat meat is more desirable to be used in steaks and chops.

Goat is a surprisingly lean meat with little fat or marbling, so high temperatures will make it tough. Less tender cuts are better suited to long, covered, slow cooking or roasting over low temperatures with a small amount of liquid, to preserve the moisture and break down the collagen in the meat.

Hogget, lamb, and mutton are the various types of sheep meat that we find today. The difference is that lamb is the meat of a young sheep whereas the meat of an adult sheep is called hogget or mutton.

The taste of lamb is often described as gamey.

Due to the branched-chain fatty acids contents, lamb is said to have a stronger flavor than beef. Since the meat belongs to sheep less than a year old, lamb meat is more tender than beef yet it is more chewy than chicken.

Mutton should be boiled for at least two hours on a standard stovetop after shedding the meat.

To cook lamb chops, roasting, braising, barbecuing or grilling are the best cooking techniques. Different cuts of lamb have different fat content, but if you manage to get a hold of a piece with a good deal or marbling then this will be perfect for slow cooking or roasting.

The older the animal, the less tender the meats get. Young sheep meat is more tender and most sought after.

However, the higher the age of the animal, the richer and more flavorful the meat gets. Adult lamb meat is more preferred to cook lamb chops and steaks and young lamb meat is used to cook various Mediterranean curries and roasted baby lamb chops. The age of the meat does matter.

Flavor wise, both lamb and goat meat have their differences but are loved equally. While goat meat has a lighter and sweeter taste than mutton, due to its low fat contents, goat meat tends to be tougher to chew than lamb meat.

Whereas, lamb meat is considered tender and melts in one's mouth yet the flavor tends to be gamey which might turn some people away from it. Hence, taste-wise it is truly difficult to decide a winner between goat and lamb meat

What are the disadvantages of goat meat?

Eating red meat is often considered to be hazardous to one's body due to the high cholesterol and fat content compared to plant products.

Goat meat is said to have comparatively lower fat and less cholesterol than red meats like lamb, pork, and beef, yet still has way more cholesterol and is fatty when compared to plant based products. Goat meat also has more protein in comparison to any other red meat.

Scientists have discovered that consumption of red meat on a regular basis can increase the risks of heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, and even premature deaths. So it's probably not a good idea to eat goat meat every day.

The goat and lamb industry has not caused problems to the workers but also the animals themselves. The animals are treated horribly and then killed for their meat. Large forests have been cleared in order to make grazing lands for these animals, causing deforestation.

Other than these problems, goat meat can also cause hormonal imbalance, increase blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and also increase the risk of antibiotic resistance. Breeding of goats for meat has also caused various environmental and health problems for the workers at goat meat factories.

Workers are often met with respiratory diseases, infections, and other injuries while working. In order to increase land for grazing, forests have been cleared and can even lead to the extinction of the species.

In the Mzimba district of Malawi, goatskin is consumed on a daily basis. This is not advised! Animal skins can contain infectious and fatal diseases that cause a lot of harm to one's body. Do not consume any animal's skin.

Is lamb healthier than a goat?

Like any other meat, the meat of sheep and goats are both primary sources of protein but the difference in their nutritional values is still large.

Lamb meat has various vital vitamins and minerals such as Iron, Vitamin B12, Selenium, Niacin, Phosphorus, Zinc which are important for bone health, supporting immunity, and cholesterol management. Mutton also has monosaturated fats which when consumed in moderation, can reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood, which ultimately reduces the risk of heart diseases and strokes.

In 0.22 lb (100 g) of lamb meat, there are 0.036 lb (16.5 g) of fat content.

Goat meat has its set of important vitamins and minerals such as Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Potassium, Sodium, and Vitamins B12, B6, C, E, K, and A.

Goat meat has lower levels of sodium and higher levels of potassium than any other type of meat and is healthy for people who have hypertension, heart and kidney diseases. Goat meat has low fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, and calories than not only lamb, pork, and beef, but also chicken and turkey!

In 0.22 lb (100 g) of goat meat, there is 0.006 lb (3 g) of total fat content.

In comparison to sheep meat, goat is lower in cholesterol, saturated fats, and calories. In fact, it's lower in cholesterol than other meats, such as beef, pork, and even chicken. 

Even though lamb meat is pretty healthy on its own, in retrospect goat meat is definitely more nutritional than sheep meat. With its less fatty meat and lower cholesterol contents, goat meat becomes an excellent alternative for people with heart diseases and weight loss issues. Hence, goat meat is definitely healthier than lamb meat.