Why Shrimp Is Good for a Diet
Is shrimp considered clean and healthy to eat and have as part of my diet?
Is it good to eat for weight loss? But most shrimp is farm-raised, isn’t that bad to consume? I can’t tell if the fish I got is good or not. How can I know if I got good or bad shrimp? These are the most common questions I hear about shrimp. So I thought that we should put these answers out there for everyone to know.
Yes, shrimp is considered very clean and healthy to have as part of your diet. Here is why, for 100 grams of shrimp (about 11 large shrimp) it has only 99 calories, 24 grams of protein, .02 grams of carbs, .03 grams of fat, and 111 milligrams of sodium. This being so lean makes it great to have if you are trying to shed some unwanted weight.
Shrimp is also high in iodine which makes thyroid hormones that help control the metabolism in your body.
It is also important for brain health as well. There are about 20 different vitamins and minerals in shrimp actually that are important for you. Some of them are phosphorus, B12, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and choline. Shrimp is also a great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids (which are important for heart health, increasing the good HDL cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and reducing arterial plaque).
Shrimp is actually high in antioxidants called astaxanthin.
This is important because it can reduce blood pressure and decrease the risk of brain damage if someone has a stroke. It also helps in the prevention of diabetes and cancer. It also has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties which helps keep your skin healthy. Also, it prevents wrinkles from the damage of free radicals that are roaming within your body.
Yes most shrimp we consume is actually farmed raised. Only about 10% of it is caught in the wild. Most shrimp is imported to the US and in some countries they add antibiotics to the shrimp. Well in the USA that is not permitted and they screen and test the shrimp that gets imported to us.
When choosing your shrimp to purchase make sure they are firm and translucent (kinda see-through).
When wondering why there are different colors just make sure they are either of these, grayish-green, pinkish-tan, or light pink in color. There are several kinds of shrimp. They come from different parts of the world thus giving them a different coloration. But they should have a mild salty smell like and ocean. If it has too much of “fishy” smell or has a smell of ammonia to it then it is spoiled and should not be eaten.
Now one caution. Shrimp is considered a shellfish and if you have allergies to any shellfish then shrimp should be avoided as you can have some adverse negative reactions to consuming it. But if you are not allergic then make shrimp a part of your diet for the many positive reasons listed here. Grill it, boil it, steam it, add it to salads and enjoy it. My personal favorite way to have it is on a cobob and put it on a grill with some veggies and season it.
