Is shrimp healthy? Nutrition, calories, and more

Shrimp is one of the most commonly consumed shellfish.

It is quite nutritious and provides high amounts of certain nutrients, such as iodine, that many other foods do not have in abundance.

On the other hand, some people claim that shrimp is unhealthy because of its high cholesterol content.

Also, it is generally believed that farm-raised shrimp may have some negative health products compared to wild-caught shrimp.

This essay examines the evidence to determine whether shrimp is a healthy food to include in your diet.

Prawns are low in calories but packed with nutrients
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Shrimp has an emotional nutritional profile.

It’s relatively low in calories, providing just 84 calories in a 3-ounce serving (1Trusted Source).

Plus, the same serving size provides more than 9 different vitamins and minerals ( 1Trusted Source ).

Shrimp nutrition
An overview of the nutrition in a 3-ounce (85-gram) serving of shrimp (1 trusted source)

Calories 84.2
20.4 grams of protein
Iron 0.433 mg
Phosphorus 201 mg
Potassium 220 mg
Zinc 1.39 mg
Magnesium 33.2 mg
Sodium 94.4 mg
Shrimp is one of the best food sources of iodine, an important mineral that many people are deficient in Iodine is needed for proper thyroid function and brain health (2Trusted Source).

Shrimp is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids ( 3Trusted Source ).

summary
Shrimp is really nutritious. It is fairly low in calories and provides protein and healthy fats as well as various vitamins and minerals.

Shrimp is high in cholesterol
Shrimp often gets a bad rap for its high cholesterol content.

A 3-ounce (85-gram) serving contains 161 mg of cholesterol (1Trusted Source).

Many people sweat foods that are high in cholesterol because of the belief that they raise cholesterol in your blood and promote heart complaints.

Still, research shows that this may not be the case for most people, as only one-quarter of the population is sensitive to cholesterol. For the rest, salutary cholesterol may have little effect on blood cholesterol levels ( 4Trusted Source ).

This is because most of the cholesterol in your blood is produced by your liver, and when you eat foods high in cholesterol, your liver produces less (5).

Adipose acid
What’s more, shrimp contains several nutrients that may actually boost health, such as omega-3 fatty acids ( 3Trusted Source ).

Studies suggest that most foods high in cholesterol are also high in saturated fat, with shrimp being an exception ( 6Trusted Source ).

Although more research is needed to explore the role of shrimp in heart health, it has a variety of salutary parcels that can be attributed to its high cholesterol content.

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