Nutritional Benefits of Seafood
Fish and other seafood (like crab, lobster, and mussels) can be a great way to add protein to your diet without adding too much fat or cholesterol. When you add seafood to your plate, you can eliminate some of those starchy carbohydrates that quickly become fat in your body. Filling up on seafood will help your body build muscle without adding the excessive fats that come with other forms of protein — like beef and pork.
While seafood may appear to be delicate and flakey on your plate, it is a hardy form of protein that is simple to cook and easy to digest. Seafood is an especially good choice for the elderly who sometimes struggle with chewing dense meats like beef. Just three ounces of fish can provide one-third of the protein an adult needs everyday.
Every animal protein comes with cholesterol, however, fish and seafood come with lower levels of cholesterol than most other meats. Dieticians recommend eating fewer than 300 milligrams of cholesterol in a day; fish and seafood servings generally have fewer than 100 milligrams with many of the leaner fish having fewer than 60 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.
Not all fat is bad; and not only does fish and seafood come with (healthier) unsaturated fat, but the fats are the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids that come with great health benefits. These special fats have been shown to help reduce the risk of heart attacks, depression, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.
If you don’t eat much fish or seafood now, start by eating at a seafood restaurant a few times per month. Try different kinds of fish and determine which one suit your palate. Many seafood restaurants also double as fish markets, and the staff are generally well educated on seafood. Fish and seafood are a great way to diversify your meals without adding unnecessary fats to your diet.
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