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Learn more about the benefits of these seafood
Seafood relieves bad mood and depression. People who often eat seafood are less prone to office stress. Therefore, city dwellers should include seafood in their daily diet as often as possible.
The benefits of seafood
The usefulness of seafood depends on its biochemical composition. For example, shrimp are high in iron, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, and phosphorus. Octopuses are enriched with B and C vitamins.
Seafood is unique in that it contains large amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These substances have a particularly beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, protect blood vessels from thinning and plaque formation.
Seafood normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood, regulates metabolic processes in the body and affects the gastrointestinal tract. Protein, which is in any seafood, is easily digested and perfectly saturates the body with energy. Iodine and iron support the functioning of the thyroid gland and the brain.
In general, seafood is low in calories, they are often used for diet food. The average calorie content is 90 kcal per 100 grams.
Harm to seafood
Seafood may be contaminated. For example, worms or parasites (herring worm). Viral infections cause poisoning, gastrointestinal disorders. Still contaminated seafood can provoke dehydration, fever, hepatitis, Norfolk infection and Botkin’s disease. Therefore, care must be taken with unverified seafood suppliers.
Another danger: seafood may contain toxins and poisons that enter living organisms with sea water. Most of all harmful substances accumulate in mollusks, which are already fed by larger representatives of sea waters.
Toxic seafood causes stomach pain, nausea, and headaches. Convulsions, disorientation in space, and even short-term memory loss may occur.
How to choose the right seafood
Most often, seafood is sold frozen. When choosing, focus on the date of production, expiration date and appearance of seafood. There should be no unpleasant odor from the product.
If there is frost inside the frozen package, then the seafood fell under the temperature drop with re-freezing.
High-quality shrimp have an even and smooth color, bent tail. If the tail is extended, the shrimp died before freezing. Mussels should be with intact shells and pronounced notches. Good oysters are distinguished by a soft beige color, with orange or pink patches.
Another guideline when buying seafood is their price. Delicatessen products are usually exported from the Mediterranean coast, the Far East, Southeast Asia, so they simply cannot be cheap. If you are offered to buy products on the cheap, then most likely something is wrong with the product.
Expert Opinion
– It is important to eat seafood caught in ecologically clean places. Because fish, mollusks, crustaceans accumulate salts of heavy metals and mercury well. Therefore, it is better to eat fish of short-lived varieties. For a year or two, they do not have time to accumulate the concentration of mercury, which will be toxic to humans. Recent studies have shown that shark fins contain high levels of mercury. The benefits of seafood are enormous. First of all, it is omega-3, which is well absorbed. Also phosphorus, sulfur, selenium. Seafood improves the elasticity of blood vessels, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The Mediterranean diet, which uses seafood, is recognized as an achievement by WHO. Seafood contains iodine, which reduces thyroid disease. When iodine enters the body along with other trace elements, it is absorbed much better, – said nutritionist Marina Vaulina.