Health benefits of eating Seafoods
Health Benefits of Eating Fish
Fish is among the healthiest foods on the planet. It is loaded with important nutrients, such as proteins and vitamin D. Fish is also the world’s best source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are incredibly important for your body and brain.
Fish is High in Important Nutrients
Generally speaking, all types of fish are good for you. They are high in many nutrients that most people aren’t getting enough of
This includes high-quality protein, iodine and various vitamins and minerals.
However, some fish are better than others, and the fatty types of fish are considered the healthiest. That’s because fatty fish (like salmon, trout, sardines, tuna and mackerel) are higher in fat-based nutrients.
This includes the fat-soluble vitamin D, a nutrient that most people are deficient in. It functions like a steroid hormone in the body.
Fatty fish are also much higher in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are crucial for your body and brain to function optimally, and are strongly linked to reduced risk of many diseases (1).
To meet your omega-3 requirements, eating fatty fish at least once or twice a week is recommended.
Fish is high in many important nutrients, including high-quality protein, iodine and various vitamins and minerals. Fatty types of fish are also high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.
Fish May Lower your Risk of Heart Attacks and Strokes
Heart attacks and strokes are the two most common causes of premature death in the world.
Fish is generally considered to be among the best foods you can eat for a healthy heart.
Not surprisingly, many large observational studies have shown that people who eat fish regularly seem to have a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from heart disease.
In one study of more than 40,000 male health professionals in the US, those who regularly ate 1 or more servings of fish per week had a 15% lower risk of heart disease.
Researchers believe that the fatty types of fish are even more beneficial for heart health, because of their high amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
Fish Contains Nutrients That Are Crucial During Development
Omega-3 fatty acids are absolutely essential for growth and development.
The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is especially important, because it accumulates in the developing brain and eye.
For this reason, it is often recommended that expecting and nursing mothers make sure to eat enough omega-3 fatty acids.
However, there is one caveat with recommending fish to expecting mothers. Some fish is high in mercury, which ironically is linked to brain developmental problems.
For this reason, pregnant women should only eat fish that are low in the food chain (salmon, sardines, trout, etc), and no more than 12 ounces (340 grams) per week.
Pregnant women should also avoid raw and uncooked fish (including sushi), because it may contain microorganisms that can harm the fetus.
Fish May Increase Grey Matter in the Brain & Protect it from Age related Deterioration.
One of the consequences of ageing is that brain function often deteriorates (referred to as age-related cognitive decline).
This is normal in many cases, but then there are also serious neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.
Interestingly, many observational studies have shown that people who eat more fish have slower rates of cognitive decline.
One mechanism could be related to grey matter in the brain. Grey matter is the major functional tissue in your brain, containing the neurons that process information, store memories and make you human.
Studies have shown that people who eat fish every week have more grey matter in the centers of the brain that regulate emotion and memory.
Fish May Help Prevent and Treat Depression, Making You a Happier Person
Depression is a serious and incredibly common mental disorder.
It is characterized by low mood, sadness, decreased energy and loss of interest in life and activities.
Although it isn’t talked about nearly as much as heart disease or obesity, depression is currently one of the world’s biggest health problems.
Studies have found that people who eat fish regularly are much less likely to become depressed.
Numerous controlled trials have also found that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial against depression, and significantly increase the effectiveness of antidepressant medications.
What this means is that fish can quite literally make you a happier person and improve your quality of life.
Fish and omega-3 fatty acids may also help with other mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder.
Fish is The Only Good Dietary Source of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D has received a lot of mainstream attention in recent years.
This important vitamin actually functions like a steroid hormone in the body, and a whopping 41.6% of the US population is deficient in it.
Fish and fish products are the best dietary sources of vitamin D, by far. Fatty fish like salmon and herring contain the highest amounts.
A single 4 ounce (113 gram) serving of cooked salmon contains around 100% of the recommended intake of vitamin D.
Some fish oils, such as cod liver oil, are also very high in vitamin D, providing more than 200% of the recommended intake in a single tablespoon.
If you don’t get much sun and don’t eat fatty fish regularly, then you may want to consider taking a vitamin D supplement.
Fish Consumption Is Linked to Reduce Risk Of Autoimmune Diseases, Including Type1 Diabetes.
Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissues.
A key example is type 1 diabetes, which involves the immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Several studies have found that omega-3 or fish oil consumption is linked to reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in children, as well as a form of autoimmune diabetes in adults.
The results are preliminary, but researchers believe that this may be caused by the omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D in fish and fish oils.
Some believe that fish consumption may also lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, but the current evidence is weak at best.
Fish May Help Prevent Asthma in Children
Asthma is a common disease that is characterized by chronic inflammation in the airways.
Unfortunately, rates of asthma have increased dramatically over the past few decades.
Studies show that regular fish consumption is linked to a 24% lower risk of asthma in children, but no significant effect has been found in adults.
Fish May Protect Your Vision in Old Age
A disease called macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness, and mostly affects older individuals.
There is some evidence that fish and omega-3 fatty acids may provide protection against this disease.
In one study, regular consumption of fish was linked to a 42% lower risk of macular degeneration in women.
Another study found that eating fatty fish once per week was linked to a 53% decreased risk of neovascular (“wet”) macular degeneration.
Fish May Improve Sleep Quality.
Sleep disorders have become incredibly common worldwide.
There are many different reasons for this (such as increased exposure to blue light), but some researchers believe that vitamin D deficiency can also play a role.
In a 6-month study of 95 middle-aged men, a meal with salmon three times per week led to improvements in both sleep and daily functioning.
The researchers speculated that this was caused by the vitamin D in the salmon.
Fish is Delicious & Easy to Prepare
This last one is not a health benefit, but still very important.
It is the fact that fish is delicious and easy to prepare.
For this reason, it should be relatively easy to incorporate it into the diet. Eating fish 1-2 times per week is considered sufficient to reap the benefits.
If possible, choose wild-caught fish over farmed. Wild fish tends to have more omega-3s and is less likely to be contaminated with harmful pollutants.
That being said, even if eating farmed fish, the benefits still far outweigh the risks. All types of fish are good for you.
Health Benefits of Eating Shrimps
Fish is among the healthiest foods on the planet. It is loaded with important nutrients, such as proteins and vitamin D. Fish is also the world’s best source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are incredibly important for your body and brain.
Health Benefits of Eating Shrimps
Fish is among the healthiest foods on the planet. It is loaded with important nutrients, such as proteins and vitamin D. Fish is also the world’s best source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are incredibly important for your body and brain.
Shrimp May Stop Hair Loss
Many men and women experience hair loss that should not otherwise be there, as they possess no genetic traits. In these cases, it can be summed up to poor diet and environmental exposure, which can be remedied quite easily. In particular, zinc deficiency has been found to be a strong contributor to hair loss which may promptly retreat once the deficiency is fixed. By increasing the consumption of shrimp in your diet, your zinc requirements should be met quite easily, since seafood is among the richest sources of zinc on the planet.
Can Improve Red Blood Cell Count
When people think of improving their blood count, iron is the first mineral that comes to mind. And while iron is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin, there are more important nutrients that directly enhance production of red blood cells. These include Vitamin A, and Vitamin B12. Vitamin A has a role to play in helping stem cell to differentiate into red blood cells, as stem cells can become virtually any cell. B-12 functions in conjunction with iron to form hemoglobin, promoting their oxygen carrying potential.
Improves Thyroid Function
The thyroid gland plays an extremely important role in overall metabolism, with the thyroid hormones being its primary export. Thyroid hormone requires iodine for sufficient synthesis, but still millions of people do not consume enough of this vital mineral. Suppressed thyroid hormone expression leads to slower utilization of calories as metabolism becomes retarded. This creates a scenario for weight gain, even though the diet may look much the same calorie wise. Shrimp contains more than enough Iodine, to help keep thyroid function optimized.
Shrimp Is A Bone Building Super food
When it comes to foods that enhance bone strength and rebuilding, shrimp is not the first thing to come to mind. People tend to think of dairy based foods first, but this could actually be considered a mistake. Shrimp contains almost all of the essential bone building nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and vitamin D. these nutrients prevent bone loss and promote growth of new bone tissue.
Reduce Severity Of Menstrual Cramps
While there are many factors that can dictate the severity of menstrual cramps, inflammation has been shown to play a role. Omega-6 fats are pro-inflammatory in nature, tending to make pain worse. However, shrimp contains much more omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory in nature and have a counter balancing effect on the omega-6. seafood in general are richer in omega-3 fats than terrestrial based meats, so do yourself a favor and eat more omega-3. Your body functions best when you consume more omega-3 fats.
Can Promote Prostate Health
The prostate gland is subject to numerous maladies as a man ages, ranging from the generally harmless (but still annoying) disease BPH, to even prostate cancer. Shrimp is rich in two minerals, which are important for prostate health and can arguably cut your risk of these aforementioned conditions. These minerals are zinc and selenium, which are potent anti-oxidants, while at the same time having regulatory effects of testosterone and DHT. DHT is testosterone’s more androgenic metabolite which plays a huge role in overgrowth of the prostate gland.
Though not frequently associated with improving eye health, regular consumption of shrimp has a protective effect on the eyes. The eyes are subject to degeneration and breakdown as we ago, sometimes at fast unpredictable rates. Shrimp contains various anti-oxidants, but in particular is one named astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is one of a few anti-oxidants that are of particular use to maintaining the health of the eyes, relieving fatigue and helping avoid breakdown and loss of vision.
Reduce Risk of Stroke And Heart Attacks
In a unique spin, shrimp possesses a rare fibrinolytic enzyme which promotes the busting of clots. To put this into perspective, people who suffer from a stroke have a good chance at recovery if they arrive at a hospital in decent time and are administered a sort of fibrinolytic enzyme. This is extremely useful when medication that prevent clots alone is not sufficient, as shrimp can help destroy the clots before they aggregate to a size considered dangerous.
Can Maintain Skin Health
The primary cause of premature skin aging is excessive exposure to sun. One of the best ways to deal with this? Consume foods with lots of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help to buffer the effects of free radical generation in the skin, which accelerate damage and wear to the cells. What makes shrimp special, however, is again the presence of astaxanthin. This is a unique carotenoid anti-oxidant which is able to reflect UV rays, virtually eliminating the effect that it has on your skin. There is scarcely anything better than having a barrier on your skin, which makes shrimp excellent support for your skin.
Shrimp Can Reduce cancer Risk
Shrimp is a melting pot of multiple anti-oxidants and minerals, with two potent ones being astaxanthin and the mineral selenium. Selenium has an integral role in multiple detox enzyme pathways, and can reduce tumor growth or proliferation. This allows dual fronts in cancer prevention to be tackled at the same time.
Promotes Weight Loss
Shrimp promotes weight loss via multiple mechanisms, ranging from the presence of iodine; which boosts metabolic rate, to zinc which optimizes leptin levels. Leptin regulates hunger and helps in the partition of nutrients into muscle cells as opposed to fat. Many people develop leptin resistance, in similar fashion to insulin, and experience a sort of “appetite” diabetes, whereby the hormone is unable to do its function and tell you when to stop eating. Shrimp is a worthwhile staple to include in your diet if you desire real weight loss.
Promotes Muscle Protein Synthesis
In order for the body to synthesis more muscle, you need to increase your intake of protein rich foods. While protein can be obtained from multiple meats and other foods, shrimp is superior because it is relatively lean and also packs a nutritional punch for support. Top it up with zinc and other testosterone friendly nutrients and you have a powerful muscle building meal.
Can Preserve Brain Health
Neuroendocrine diseases are rampant, untreatable and occur largely as a result of inflammatory stimuli. The anti-oxidants in shrimp preserve brain dells, shield them from excessive inflammation, and can even improve memory! When you’re studying for a new qualification or for school, have some brain boosting shrimp.