Is Seafood Healthy for You?

• 8 Health Benefits of Seafood

• Disadvantages of eating seafood

• Take Away

Often, we all have a misconception that eating healthy can be focused only on vegetables and fruits. However, along with veggies and fruits, there are a lot of delicious yet nutritious foods that can transform your body into a healthy one. One such nutritious food category is seafood.

Most seafood is low in fat and cholesterol, high in protein and loaded with plenty of vitamins and minerals and thereby bestowing lots of health benefits to your body. Seafood is high in unsaturated fat which helps to reduce cholesterol levels in the body.

So which seafood is highest in protein? Well, kinds of seafood like salmon, and tuna are very high in protein and are even a good substitute for chicken, beef, and forks which contain more calories. Crab, shrimp, and fish like shellfish are loaded with vitamins like vitamin B complex and minerals like iodine, calcium, zinc, and potassium.

Incorporating seafood into your diet regularly is a great way to get your necessary dose of essential oils. Seafood is a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids that can boost energy and slow down signs of ageing and are beneficial for overall well-being.

Seafood refers to several kinds of animals, like:

• fish
• crustaceans, like lobster and shrimp
• molluscs, like clams and oysters
• echinoderms, like sea urchins

8 Health Benefits of Seafood

1. Essential nutrients

Seafood is loaded with natural vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, B-complex vitamins, and vitamin B – which impact metabolism, concentration, energy production, and your overall well-being as well. Salmon is high in vitamin A, and the fatty skin of seafood such as salmon, and tuna also consist of Vitamin D. Seafood is a good way to get those important nutrients into your diet with plenty of variety.

2. Skin health

Seafood is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids that your skin utilises to protect itself from UV rays. It’s also been suggested in research that fish oil can help minimise acne and similar skin issues.

3. Joint health

Regularly adding seafood to your diet has been proven to decrease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis which causes joints to swell up. There is also a link between omega-3 fats and osteoarthritis.

4. Boosts brain power

Research has shown that the omega-3s found in seafood may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and the DHA and EPA in omega-3 fatty acids also enhance normal brain growth in young children.  

5. Heart health

The omega-3 fatty acids present in seafood are very well known for their benefits to heart health, despite being considered good for overall health and wellbeing. They greatly minimise the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes.

6. Eyes health and vision

Omega-3 fatty acids present in seafood decrease the chance of age-related macular degeneration – which can even lead to blindness. It’s also believed that shellfish can help enhance your night vision, and consuming oil-rich fish regularly can help to keep the eyes bright and healthy.

7. Pregnancy benefits

Studies suggest that seafood has positive benefits on birth weight as it boosts proper fetal development and is necessary for the development of the central nervous system.  Having a seafood-rich diet may also help in minimising premature delivery.

8. Fights against depression

There’s also been a link between the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and the risk of depression. It’s been suggested to be a possible treatment for depression as well. If you’re looking for a natural way to help treat depression in the long term, increasing the intake of  seafood in your diet might be a good option.

Disadvantages of eating seafood

1. Due to high pollution in the oceans, seafood is often very contaminated. It could lead to mild to severe poisoning. So, you should be cautious about where to buy and eat seafood.
2. Seafood has high levels of mercury which could stop the development of a baby. Pregnant women should be very cautious with the seafood they consume. They need to be sure it is safe to eat.

On the other hand, some research even concludes seafood is really beneficial for pregnant women. The Omega-3 from seafood is a good source for your child’s brain development.

3. Seafood could also cause extreme allergic reactions in some people. If you are not sure whether you are allergic to seafood or not, get yourself tested first. Discovering you are allergic to seafood in the middle of dinner is not going to be a good experience. Allergic reactions are very dangerous, the person could stop breathing and even die. Do not think of risking your life if you think you could be allergic.
4. Not all seafood comes fresh from the water. Most of the seafood consumed by people in the restaurant usually comes from farms. Seafood from farms is highly contaminated and is very dangerous for your health.

In some places, people maintain the seafood farm in a proper way which is not much harmful to your body.

5. Some kinds of fish are not at all healthy. Fishes like the Tilapia do not even have the omega-3 that makes other fishes beneficial. Instead, tilapia has other components that are rich in fat. 99% of seafood is good but you need to be aware of the rest 1%.

Take Away

Seafood is very nutritious, which is why dietary patterns high in seafood have been associated with several benefits. 

While seafood can be a very healthy option in your diet, it’s vital to choose sustainably fished or farmed seafood, avoid high mercury fish, and try to limit your consumption of fried seafood.