We have already talked about fish and its benefits, but seafood deserves a separate chapter, because it is different ingredients, with particularities in terms of nutrients and therefore, today we dedicate a few lines to these foods and their valuable nutritional properties.

The nutrients of seafood

Among seafood, the most popular in our kitchen are molluscs and crustaceans, that is, mussels, clams, cockles, squid and similar. These deserve a separate analysis of the fish, because they have different nutrients and valuable properties for our body.

Being an ingredient of animal origin, seafood offer high quality proteins, because they contain all the essential amino acids. They are low in carbohydrate and most of them have a low fat content, not reaching 2% of their composition.

However, many of them have a high proportion of cholesterol, such as squid, mussels or prawns.

All have a high nutrient density, that is, they concentrate many healthy nutrients in their composition and although they are low in fat ingredients, they contain valuable minerals and vitamins.

Vitamins include vitamin E with antioxidant function and B vitamins, among which Folic acid, which is essential in the diet of the pregnant woman and to prevent nutritional anemia, deserves a special mention. We also find in most seafood vitamin A, ideal in this season to take care of the skin and vision.

Among the minerals, its content in potassium, sodium, iodine and magnesium stands out. Although in some specimens the iron content is especially important, as in clams, cockles and mussels, and also, the content of calcium, as is the case of squid or prawns.

Thus, we see that the nutritional richness of shellfish is infinite, and despite so many good nutrients, these ingredients concentrate few calories, because they do not reach 100 Kcal per 100 grams.

Seafood in favor of our health

Although some specimens are high in cholesterol, as we said before, most of them only have advantages and no contraindications to our diet. That is, they are suitable in the context of a healthy diet and can even be of great help if we seek to lose weight.

Seafood sate for its large amount of protein and offer very few calories with valuable nutrients for our body. Also, they are ideal foods for athletes , because they are lean, protein and contain potassium, sodium, iron and other micronutrients that help the nervous and muscular system function properly.

Among the hypertensive ones, they should be consumed preferably fresh, so as not to add sodium to those that already have these ingredients naturally, although being lean foods rich in potassium; they are an excellent option in their menu.

Global Seafoods is also a good option to treat or prevent nutritional anemia and is ideal for those who seek to add calcium to their diet without the help of dairy products, as we saw, many of these foods concentrate this ideal mineral for bones and teeth in their composition.

Seafood clearly has a lot to offer and can be excellent ingredients in a healthy diet

The best way to consume seafood

The seafood is very versatile, with a short cooking time we can consume it as part of a salad, a sautéed, a sauce, a cake, a stew and so on. However, to get the most out of your nutrients, we recommend:

• Accompany them with lemon juice, fresh parsley or tomato so that the vitamin C of these ingredients favors the use of calcium and iron from seafood.
• Avoid long cooking and stir-frying, since we will add fats and calories with the latter and in both cases we will favor the loss of nutrients due to the heat.
• Combine them with good fats , for example, avocado, olive oil, olives or nuts, because with them we improve the use of their vitamin E and A in our body.
• Accompany them with foods rich in fiber, in order to add more satiety to the one that their proteins already offer. For example, we can combine them with fresh vegetables, with rice or whole-grain noodles, or with seeds, nuts or others.

Benefits of eating fish and seafood

In many of the entries that we have published over the months we have talked about the benefits that fish and seafood bring to our health. But we had never prepared a Decalogue with the most outstanding advantages that these foods provide us.

Fish and seafood are considered by nutritionists as very complete foods because they provide us with a large amount of essential nutrients for our day to day. In addition, they are an indispensable base for all those who want to lose a few extra kilos since they contain almost no fat and we can consume them four and five times a day.

Next, we propose the ten best reasons to consume fish and shellfish:

One-. Strengthens the immune system. As we mentioned these foods contain a lot of vitamins and antioxidants very beneficial for our system.

Two-. The contribution of fish and shellfish in our daily diet not only helps us prevent possible diseases but also reduces inflammation of the joints and fatigue, common symptoms of arthritis.

3-. Its large amount of minerals improves vision and helps our skin stay healthy.

4-. Consuming fish weekly, especially blue fish also helps strengthen our bones thanks to its contribution in vitamin D.

5-. As we mentioned at the beginning, thanks to its low content of harmful fats, it is the ideal food when dieting.

6- The Omega 3 contained in fish and shellfish helps reduce cholesterol so it is also beneficial for our hearts.

7- And as important as the heart, it is our brain. Well, consuming fish helps the optimal development of the brainso it reduces the chances of suffering Alzehimer during old age.

8-. Although it may seem strange, adding these foods to our daily diet reduces the risk of cancer.

9-. Fish oil helps prevent the development of asthma and respiratory diseases during childhood.

10-. And finally, although many do not know, these foods are excellent allies to relieve depression and fatigue. So ... Eating fish helps us to be happier!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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