Fish Diet And Cholesterol in Crabs And Prawns

By | March 3, 2009

Fish Nutrition Information And Low Calorie Diet

How good are prawns and crab for health as compared to fish? Also let me know the fat and cholesterol levels in both prawns and crab

In general, not only is sea food delicious, but also very nutritious for your health. Seafood is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Some seafood is also low in cholesterol. Seafood reduces the risk of heart disease and helps to prolong life after a heart attack. It also lowers the body fat level, and helps to improve the function of the heart. Seafood may also lower your blood pressure.

Crabs

Crabs are a very tasty meal, and can be served in a variety of dishes such as salads, soups, sandwiches, starters, and main meals. When buying crabs, you have the option to choose from hard shell or soft shell crabs. Many people go for the soft shell crabs as they are said to be more delicious than the hard shell variety.

Nutritional Value of Crabs:
Crab meat is vital for health, though it must be taken in moderate quantities like all other foods. Crabs are rich in many important vitamins and minerals, including selenium, which helps in preventing cancer. Crab meat helps to raise the level of chromium (good cholesterol), and hence reduces the risk of heart or circulatory disease. It is equally vital in stabilizing glucose levels in the blood and helps patients suffering from diabetes. Crabs are rich in protein, and very low in fat. Crabs also have vital fatty acids, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium; all key ingredients in any nutritious diet.

Prawns and Shrimps Nutrition

Prawns and shrimps belong to the same family. An interesting fact about prawns is that they spend four years of their lives as male, and then become female in the final year of their existence.

Nutritional value of Prawns and Shrimps:
Prawns are also a very healthy choice for your body. They are a good source of protein, yet low in fat and calories. Prawns are low in saturated fat, which is the unhealthy fat that raises the cholesterol levels in your body. Conversely, although animal meat and dairy products are also rich in protein, they are high in saturated fat and calories as well. About 100 grams of shrimps contain the recommended daily protein needed by your body, yet contain less than 1 gram of fat.

Prawns have a lot of omega-3 fatty acids that are very good for your health. They prevent heart and circulatory diseases. Prawns are also rich in vitamin B12, iodine, potassium, selenium, phosphorus, and iron, and have traces of sodium, calcium, and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals are vital for your skin, bones, and teeth.

Apart from prawns and crabs however, there are other healthy sea foods like salmon, mackerel, and tuna.

Prawns and shrimp are among the most popular types of seafood and a curry made out of either is delicious.  However, just what is the difference between the two? Both prawns and shrimps resemble each other in appearance, but they are biologically not the same. Prawns can be small and shrimps can be big. The best way to differentiate between the two is to check the animal’s abdomen before it has been deveined or peeled. On a prawn, the second plate overlaps the third plate while on a shrimp the second plate overlaps both the first and third plates. The front pincers of the shrimp are typically the largest. The second pincers of the shrimp are the largest. Prawns also have longer legs as compared to shrimps.

Prawns cholesterol
Some foods contain cholesterol. This type of cholesterol is called dietary cholesterol. The content and levels of dietary cholesterol in prawns is higher than in other foods. However, it is also important to remember that the cholesterol one gets from food has less effect on the cholesterol in the blood than the amount of saturated fat we may eat. The key to maintain cholesterol levels is to eat in moderation. Eating prawns is considered alright as long as you eat them in moderation and balance them out with any other cholesterol foods that you might eat that day. If you are eating a balanced diet you need not leave out prawns unless recommended by your general practitioner to do so. The cholesterol found in prawns does not usually make a great contribution to the level of cholesterol in your blood. 

Prawns nutrition

Information on the nutritional value of prawns and other facts about them is given below:-

• Prawns have a very high protein content.
• They are low in fat and calories.
• Prawns may be low in saturated fat but they are also high in cholesterol. 
• Prawns contain significant amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids.
• They also contain high levels of vitamins and minerals. These include Vitamin B12 and E, iodine, zinc, phosphorous, iron and selenium.
• Prawns also contain modest amounts of sodium, magnesium and calcium.
• 28 gm or 1 oz of prawns will contain about 22 calories

Cholesterol in prawns

Many people who suffer from high cholesterol feel that prawns should be avoided as they are high in cholesterol. So, just how much cholesterol is there in prawns? Well, 100 gems of prawns (boiled) contain about 70 mg of cholesterol. Having said this, it is also important to note that the dietary cholesterol we get from certain foods like eggs, liver, kidney and prawns is not has much less effect on the cholesterol in our blood than the amount of saturated food we eat. While prawns do have a high amount of cholesterol in them, by themselves they do not raise your cholesterol levels. The extremely low fat they contain puts them at an advantage over other foods. If you have high levels of cholesterol, i.e. either high LDL levels or low HDL levels you may need to limit your intake of prawns. Remember that the only way to lower cholesterol levels is to stick to a healthy diet. Avoiding just one type of food will not help.

Prawns and cholesterol

Most people think that prawns and cholesterol go hand in hand. However, keep in mind that prawns do not raise your cholesterol levels significantly. Yes, prawns do contain some amount of pre made cholesterol but this is broken down by your body and is not converted into cholesterol in the blood. What is converted into cholesterol is the saturated fat in foods. What are more harmful for your body would be fried prawns. These prawns would be covered in batter and subsequently deep fried. Prawns by themselves are low in fat and do not contain many calories. Prepare prawns in a low fat way, either by grilling or in stir fries and you will enjoy them even more.

Crab cholesterol

Is crab meat good or bad for you? Is crab meat high in cholesterol? Although crab is a little high in cholesterol it is also essential to remember that crab meat is especially low in saturated fat. 3 ounces of crab meat contains about 85 mg of cholesterol and only 1 gram of saturated fat. So, it is alright to eat crab as long as you pay attention to the way it is cooked and any toppings that you may add to it. Also keep in mind the amount of crab that you are eating. Crab meat is also a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids which help decrease the risk of heart disease.

Prawns nutritional information

Prawns are a very healthy choice of foods for your body. They are low in fat and calories but are a good source of protein. Prawns also contain a significant amount of Omega-3 fatty acids which help to prevent circulatory and heart disease. One serving of king prawns would contain about 52 calories and 12 g of protein. 

Prawn nutrition

Here is some more information and date on prawn nutrition:
Prawns are rich in vitamins and minerals that are good for your bones, teeth and skin. These include calcium, sodium, magnesium, iodine, potassium, selenium, iron and phosphorus and vitamins B12 and E. Prawns are considered to be a healthy food. It is rich in proteins and a good source of vitamin C as well. All the other nutritional content in prawns, as mentioned above, makes it tastier and healthier than other foods.

Prawns nutrition facts

Prawns nutrition facts are as given below:-

? Iron: 2.40mg
? Zinc: 1.11 – 1.12 mg
? Sodium: 148 – 150 mg
? Carbohydrate: 0.90 – 0.91
? Potassium: 185 – 186 mg
? Calcium: 52 mg

The above are the mineral contents present in about 100 g of prawns.

Prawn cholesterol

While prawns do contain a certain amount of pre cholesterol, the content in them will not increase the level of your cholesterol. This cholesterol is broken down by your body. By simply eating prawns your cholesterol levels will not rise dramatically. What you need to keep a check on is the method used to cook the prawns. Deep fried prawns will raise your cholesterol levels as they have been dipped in a batter and then fried. The saturated fat in this case will make the levels go up.