Snapper

There are more than 180 species of snapper all over the world and all of them belong to the fish family Lutjanidae. Snapper is found in all waters worldwide, and it can be enjoyed throughout the year. It gets the name snapper from its canine like teeth in the upper jaw which can vigorously ‘snap’. Due to the high demand for red snapper there are many imposters in the market. That is you might end up buying ‘pacific red snapper’ which is actually a red rock fish and not snapper.

Thus it is important to buy snapper from a reliable fishmonger in the market.

Health and snapper

Like most of the other fishes snapper too is low in saturated fat diet, high in good quality proteins, omega 3 fatty acids (4 ounces provides 15% daily value for omega 3 fatty acid).

Omega 3 fats from snapper helps in an array of health benefits for many people. Omega 3 fats along with vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 help to keep the blood cholesterol and homocysteine levels in track thus lowering the risk of heart diseases, coronary artery disease, heart arrack and stroke in susceptible individuals. High levels of homocysteine are also associated with increased risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 take care of this part too. 4 ounce serving of snapper provides 66% daily value of vitamin B12 and 26% daily value of vitamin B6.
Snapper promises cardiovascular benefits by increasing heart rate variability that is a measure of cardiac function. By greater variability between heart beats the risk of heart arrhythmia and sudden death is lowered.
Snapper should be cooked in such a way that it should allow minimum nutrient loss. Choose cooking methods like broiling, baking, or grilling instead of deep frying. Broiled or baked fish may lower atrial fibrillation that is the most common type of heart arrhythmia.
Selenium from scallops is a necessary cofactor for one of the most important internally produced antioxidant glutathione peroxidase. It also works synergistically with vitamin E to scavenge free radicals and decrease the oxidative stress in the body.
Fish consumption is also related to other benefits like having a protective effect against deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, protect against cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, age-related cognitive decline, childhood asthma, control high blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of leukemia, multiple myeloma and kidney cancer. The omega 3 fats also improve moods, reduce depression and reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
People with purine related problems like gout, uric acid problems or kidney problems should consume scallops with caution as it has these naturally occurring purines that should be avoided in such conditions.

Submitted on January 16, 2014