10 Health Benefits of Eating Crab
What are the nutrients in crab meat that can keep you healthy and strong? Learn the health benefits of eating crab in this guide.
Do you ever find yourself worrying that you don't get enough vitamins? Do you stare at the supermarket shelves and wonder if you have to buy one of every food type just to get enough? Spinach for iron, bananas for potassium, and cheese for calcium.
Of course, a varied and balanced diet is the best way to eat healthily but some foods pack in many more nutrients and vitamins than others. Eating crab is not too different from eating a multivitamin tablet. Except crab is delicious.
These amazing sea creatures have so many vitamins they make pharmacies look under-stocked and crabmeat is easy to prepare and add into recipes. When you choose foods that pack in the nutrients, it's much easier to get all the vitamins and minerals you need.
Vitamins aren't just something our mothers told us we need either, they're essential to keeping ourselves strong, healthy, and fully functional. Read on to discover why eating crab is so good for your health.
- Brain Boosting
High in vitamin B12, selenium, and omega-3, these vitamins and minerals provide essential nutrients to keep your brain in top health. The brain needs selenium to function correctly and the combination of vitamin B12 and omega-3 is thought to slow mental decline.
Vitamin B12 may also help your memory so it'll be easier to remember to eat it! B12 is an essential vitamin for overall health and it's usually only found in animal sources.
The recommended daily allowance of B12 is 2.4 micrograms (mcg) and 100g of cooked king crab contains around 10mcg. You don't need to worry about consuming more B12 than the recommended allowance as excess amounts are stored in the liver for use later.
Crab is one of the best sources of B12, selenium, and omega-3, making it an ideal food choice to get all three in one go.
- Heart Health
You've probably heard a lot of experts talking about the importance of getting enough omega-3 fatty acids and one of the reasons for this is its excellent effect on heart health.
Omega-3 supports and improves heart health in a variety of ways including balancing cholesterol levels by raising the levels of 'good' HDL cholesterol. It's also known to lower blood pressure in those with high blood pressure.
In addition, omega-3 helps reduce the risk of plaque forming in arteries, one of the risks of heart disease and stroke. Reducing the risk of blood clots forming too, omega-3 is an all-around heart helper.
This fatty acid can be found in many types of oily fish and other foods such as walnuts, flax seeds, and edamame beans. The recommended adequate intake is around 1.1-1.6 grams of omega-3 for adults and 3 ounces (85 grams) of crab meat can contain 0.2-0.5 grams.
Ensuring you get enough omega-3 can be tough for some people but by adding in crab to your diet, you can boost your intake with ease.
Not sure where to get your crabmeat? Check out the Crab Dynasty seafood specials and have it delivered to your door!
- Aids Circulation
Did you know that you need copper in your diet? Most of us think copper is something used in water pipes but it's also necessary for our health.
Copper is vital to enable your body to absorb iron and by getting enough copper, it means the iron you consume can do its job. And what's iron's job? It helps produce red blood cells and keeps your cells oxygenated.
This not only increases circulation but properly oxygenated cells heal faster and keep you in the best health.
3 ounces (85 grams) of crab contains almost 600 mcg of copper and you need around 900mcg daily. Add in leafy greens and seeds and you'll reach your recommended allowance with ease.
- Strong Bones
We all know that calcium is important for healthy teeth and bones but did you know that phosphorus is too? In fact, phosphorus is one of the most common minerals in the body and is found in every single cell!
The right intake of phosphorus is essential for strong bones and teeth and crab meat is rich in this mineral. Adults need around 700 milligrams (mg) per day and it's found in all sorts of foods from dairy and seafood to nuts and beans.
Crab is a great source of phosphorus with 100g containing around 280mg of phosphorus. Not bad eh? And it's not just phosphorus in crab meat that helps bones, crab contains calcium too.
Many other nutrients are required to support bone health and several others are present in crabs. Copper and protein are both critical for processes that support strong, healthy bones and are found in crab meat.
- Excellent Source of Protein
Exceptionally high in protein yet low in saturated fat, crab is a fantastic source of protein. 3oz of crab meat has 20g of protein and just 1g of fat with only 100 calories.
To compare, a 3oz pork chop has around 213 calories with 24g protein but 12.4g of fat. That's a big difference.
Protein is a fundamental nutrient for the body and plays a huge part in being healthy. Protein builds and repairs cells as well as keeping your skin, hair, and nails in good condition.
Your body doesn't store protein so you need to eat the right amount every day. Too much doesn't help you and won't give you extra muscle but the right amount will ensure you're in good condition.
The problem with eating protein is that many high protein meats contain a lot of saturated fat too. Crab is a great source as it's full of protein but doesn't contain much saturated fat compared to other meats.
- Strong Immune System
Packed with selenium, one of the big crab health benefits is its ability to improve your immune system. Selenium acts as an antioxidant and you've probably heard that antioxidants are key for fighting inflammation and boosting your immune system.
Antioxidants help to prevent cell damage caused by free radicals and selenium has a big part in this process. Selenium has also been found to reduce your risk of certain cancers and can even support a healthy heart.
Crab is particularly rich in selenium, as is shellfish in general. Just 2 1/2oz of crab contains over half your RDA of selenium, making it one of the best sources. Did we mention it's tasty too?
- Healthy Skin
Eating crab not only makes your body strong and healthy but it helps your skin look great as well. Along with protein, crab contains riboflavin (vitamin B2) which plays an important role in maintaining skin cells.
Riboflavin helps to maintain good collagen levels so you don't need to go to a collagen beautician, you just need to eat crab!
Water-soluble, your body cannot store riboflavin so you need to eat it as part of a balanced diet. You can get riboflavin from a wide variety of foods like eggs, leafy greens, and of course, crab.
- Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation in the body is a serious risk to health and eating a varied, healthy diet is essential to keep inflammation at bay. While eating healthily in general will help your body fight it, certain foods proactively decrease existing inflammation.
Want to guess what one of those foods is? You got it, crab. Crab contains selenium, copper, and omega-3 in substantial quantities and all three have roles in reducing and eliminating inflammation.
- Supports Eye Health
Containing zinc and omega-3, crab provides key nutrients that the eyes need to stay in top condition and reduce the risk of developing eye diseases. Zinc reduces the risk of macular degeneration and protects the lens.
Omega-3 is thought to keep the pressure in the eye at a normal level and reduce the risk of glaucoma, a condition that can cause vision loss. When you eat crab meat, you're boosting your levels of vital nutrients that your eyes need to stay healthy, all the better for choosing crabs at the market.
- Low in Fat
Low in saturated fat, crab meat is a healthy animal product that provides an excellent alternative to high-fat meats.
Eating saturated fat increases your risk of heart disease and weight gain. Unhealthy weight gain is linked to many diseases and is a growing issue for us all. By making healthier food choices, especially healthier animal products, you can still enjoy great tasting foods while keeping your saturated fat intake low.
Crab is a great choice, especially as it combines low saturated fat with high protein and is packed with vitamins and minerals.
Eating Crab Supports a Healthy Brain and Body
The supplement industry is huge but experts agree that most people should get their nutrients from healthy food rather than from pills. It's hard to know what to eat with so many choices so choosing nutrient-rich foods makes it easy to get a variety of vitamins and minerals in one go.
Eating crab offers a huge range of health benefits as we've seen. From strong bones to a healthy heart, this simple sea creature makes a great addition to your weekly meal planner.
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