No doubt, adding seafood to your diet adds more nutrition to it. Seafood is a protein-rich food and has positive effects on your health. Seafood is a necessary part of a balanced diet, but we also cannot deny the fact that excess of everything is harmful. When sitting at a seafood restaurant in Greensboro and going through the menu the benefits and risks of consuming seafood often come to mind. While on the one hand seafood is quite nutritious. On the other hand, many worry about the high consumption of mercury. In this article, we will cover both the benefits and the risks that might come along with eating seafood if you are not being careful.
Nutritional Benefits
Eating seafood provides your body with lots of essential nutrients like proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Particularly shellfish such as shrimp, clams, and salmon are comprised of high protein content along with minerals and vitamins including zinc, selenium, and vitamin B12.
For instance, an intake of 6-ounce (170 grams) of raw clams provides your body with
- 9 g Proteins
- 6% of the daily value (DV) for calcium
- 114% of the DV for iron
- 10% of the DV for potassium
- 15% of the DV for Vitamin A
- 19% of the DV for Vitamin C
- Over 7000% of DV for Vitamin B12
3.5-ounce (100 grams) of a wild-caught salmon provides your body with
- 21% of the DV for phosphorous
- 23% of the DV for thiamine
- 38% of the DV for Pantothenic Acid
- 63% of the DV for Niacin
- 85% of the DV for Selenium
- 56% of the DV for Vitamin B6
- 127% of the DV for Vitamin B12
It has been observed that many people lack sufficient nutrients like zinc, iron, selenium, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 in their regular diet, despite knowing that deficiencies of such essential nutrients may result in poor health conditions. The lack of these nutrients may result in an increased risk of depression, anemia, and other physical and mental diseases.
Therefore, seafood consumption can play a vital role in filling the nutritional gaps in people having low nutrients in their diet and blood.
Health Benefits
Seafood serves as a primary source of omega-3 fatty acids i.e., docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA), which play a crucial role in regulating the inflammation in nerve cell functioning. Research says that due to the presence of these omega-3 fatty acids in seafood, regular consumption of seafood results in improving the cardiovascular and nervous health of the human body. Specifically, they are very effective in lowering blood pressure and heart rate and minimizing other risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.
Fish consumption lowers the risk of heart disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in both women and men. Adding seafood to your diet also lowers the risk of liver cancer, depression, stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and mental deterioration with age. People having an appropriate share of seafood in their diet have dramatically lower chances of encountering these diseases. Hence the death rate from these diseases is also negligible in them.
In addition to that, a higher intake of fish can also provide protection against the risk of developing chronic heart diseases. Thus, lowering the death risk associated with it. A wall hanging in a seafood restaurant in Greensboro quoted a research statement that said “A 4% decrease in the prevalence of chronic heart disease is observed in people who added twenty more grams of seafood to their diet” and it’s definitely on point.
Fish consumption is also vital for pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, and women of childbearing age because it provides DHA, a specific omega-3 fatty acid that is excellent for newborn brain development.
Risks Associated with the Intake of Seafood
The importance of seafood is undeniable. Seafood, being highly nutritious, is an extremely crucial part of our diet. It has countless health benefits, but these benefits many face a negative impact from some factors. These include the type of seafood consumed, and in what form it is consumed. In addition to it, environmental and ethical concerns also affect its efficiency.
Type of Seafood Consumed
Though all seafood is rich in nutrition and proteins, some are rich in mercury too. Intake of mercury-rich seafood in excess can result in serious health conditions. The concentrations of mercury present in particular seafood depend upon the composition of water it lives in. other factors that matter are the age of the animal and the size of the animal.
If the human body accumulates higher levels of mercury it can result in a heart attack. As well as cognitive impairment and can have a negative effect on the immune system.
Mercury can also impact an infant’s developing neurological system. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers, women of childbearing age, pregnant women, and very young children should avoid sharks, swordfish, king mackerel, and golden bass, which contain high levels of mercury.
However, they can consume other types of fish to ensure that infants get the DHA they need for proper brain development. Mercury levels in fish and seafood, such as wild and farmed salmon and shrimp, are very low and their intake will only have a positive impact on one’s health.
Form in which Seafood is Consumed
All of us are well aware of the harmful impacts of frying. Frying any food such as potatoes, other vegetables, and chicken can lead to a loss of their nutrition. The same goes for fish. Fry fish can have a negative impact on your health. As the process of frying can result in the formation of some harmful compounds.
As mentioned before, seafood is rich in protein and any food that is rich in protein, when fried, can ultimately produce harmful chemical compounds. These include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, acrolein, and heterocyclic amines. Intake of such compounds can even lead to deadly diseases like cancer e.g., prostate and lung cancer. Besides this, at a food and science conference, it was revealed that eating fried fish also negatively affects your heart.
Bottom Line
Seafood is the tastiest source of fulfilling your nutritional requirements. It has many essential nutrients including high protein content, minerals, and vitamins including zinc, selenium, vitamin B12, and also omega-3 fatty acids. Seafood consumption has numerous positive effects on your cardiovascular and nervous health. But only if you wisely choose the fish that is sustainably farmed and fished. Avoid having those which have higher mercury levels and limit the intake of fry fish. Visit your nearest seafood restaurant in Greensboro to have the best seafood!
