High Potassium Foods – Lamb Table

Lamb is another of the high potassium foods. As with all meats the ratio of potassium to sodium does not get as high as in some of the plant based foods, but exceeds the desirable 3 to 1 ratio. The amount of potassium in a single 3 oz serving is usually more than 200 mg, the amount often used as a cutoff for a high potassium food. Nonetheless, some of the other characteristics of lamb would indicate that it should be only a small part of your diet. It has a large percentage of calories from fat, and a large percentage of its fat calories are from saturated fat.

Potassium In Fat

As pointed out in the beef table post, fat has much less potassium and will reduce the potassium in a cut of meat. In addition to providing little potassium, it provides the “bad” fat – saturated fat.

Some of the entries show separable lean and fat so they can be compared to the lean only. The lean only cut is always preferable from the potassium aspect. But because of the detrimental aspect of the fat, even if the potassium were higher, the lean only is preferred, and the fat should be avoided. There is no reason to eat the fat unless you are truly starving (as in famine, not as in “I haven't eaten for 4 hours, I'm starving”).

Most cuts of lamb give between 200 and a little over 300 mg of potassium in 3 oz. The lean only cut that gives 5% by weight of fat gives 35% of its calories from fat. The lean and fat cut of rib gives 70% of its calories from fat.

The Table

In the table, “separable lean and fat” means the visible fat on the edge of the cut was included in the cut that was measured.

The weights for the potassium and sodium are milligrams. The potassium and sodium values given are for 100 grams (about 3 1/2 oz) of food.

As usual, K is potassium, and Na is sodium.

Except for the potassium to sodium ratio (which we calculated), the source of data is: USDA National Nutrient Database Standard Reference – Release 22.

Food K Na K:Na Ratio
Composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable lean and fat,
trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, raw
230 58 4
Composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable
lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, raw
280 66 4.2
Composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable
lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, cooked
344 76 4.5
Composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable
fat, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, cooked
194 58 3.3
Foreshank, separable lean only, trimmed to
1/4″ fat, choice, braised
267 74 3.6
Leg, whole (shank and sirloin), separable lean
only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, roasted
338 68 5
Leg, shank half, separable lean only, trimmed
to 1/4″ fat, choice, roasted
342 66 5.2
Leg, sirloin half, separable lean only,
trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, roasted
333 71 4.7
Loin, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4″
fat, choice, broiled
376 84 4.5
Loin, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4″
fat, choice, roasted
267 66 4
Rib, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat,
choice, broiled
313 85 3.7
Rib, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat,
choice, roasted
315 81 3.9
Shoulder, whole (arm and blade), separable
lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, braised
261 79 3.3
Shoulder, whole (arm and blade), separable
lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, broiled
324 83 3.9
Shoulder, whole (arm and blade), separable
lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, choice, roasted
265 68 3.9
Shoulder, arm, separable lean only, trimmed to
1/4″ fat, choice, braised
338 76 4.4
Shoulder, arm, separable lean only, trimmed to
1/4″ fat, choice, broiled
340 82 4.1
Shoulder, arm, separable lean only, trimmed to
1/4″ fat, choice, roasted
277 67 4.1
Shoulder, blade, separable lean only, trimmed
to 1/4″ fat, choice, braised
254 79 3.2
Shoulder, blade, separable lean only, trimmed
to 1/4″ fat, choice, broiled
368 88 4.2
Shoulder, blade, separable lean only, trimmed
to 1/4″ fat, choice, roasted
258 68 3.8
Cubed for stew or kabob (leg and shoulder),
separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, braised
260 70 3.7
Cubed for stew or kabob (leg and shoulder),
separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4″ fat, broiled
335 76 4.4
Leg, sirloin half, separable lean and fat,
trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, roasted
304 68 4.5
Loin, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″
fat, choice, broiled
336 78 4.3
Loin, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″
fat, choice, roasted
250 64 3.9
Rib, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″
fat, choice, broiled
277 77 3.6
Rib, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″
fat, choice, roasted
277 74 3.7
Shoulder, whole (arm and blade), separable
lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, braised
261 74 3.5
Shoulder, whole (arm and blade), separable
lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, broiled
335 82 4.1
Shoulder, whole (arm and blade), separable
lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, roasted
251 66 3.8
Shoulder, arm, separable lean and fat, trimmed
to 1/8″ fat, choice, braised
311 72 4.3
Shoulder, arm, separable lean and fat, trimmed
to 1/8″ fat, broiled
314 78 4
Shoulder, arm, separable lean and fat, trimmed
to 1/8″ fat, choice, roasted
262 65 4
Shoulder, blade, separable lean and fat,
trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, braised
244 75 3.3
Shoulder, blade, separable lean and fat,
trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, broiled
341 83 4.1
Shoulder, blade, separable lean and fat,
trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, roasted
248 67 3.7

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