Top 5 Most Nutritious Seafood and Health Benefits

What do you think of when you hear “you must eat healthy”!?! Do you see yourself surrounded by vegetables and fruits!?! If so, you should know that having a healthy life in terms of eating habits does not involve a focus only on vegetables and fruits. There are a lot of other interesting food categories and mixes that have a positive impact on your health and, therefore, should definitely be tried on a regular basis.

One of these categories is SEAFOOD. Although some of you might consider this as only an “exotic” food, proper only for special occasions, you should know that seafood could be a very good ingredient if introduced in your daily diet.

Seafood, besides the fact that is delicious, is a very good source of minerals, vitamins and proteins. Many seafood categories are low in cholesterol and sodium, low in fat (most of this fat is unsaturated – like omega -3 fatty acids – which is a good type of fat), rich in vitamins like A, B6 and B12 and minerals like phosphorus, iron, zinc and potassium.

Just to get you attention, I will next point out the 10 MAIN EXTRAORDINARY BENEFITS that seafood can have on our health:

1. Lower Blood Pressure
2. Reduce the Risk of Heart Diseases and Improve Heart Functions
3. Support Optimal Brain, Eyes and Nerves Development for Children
4. Provide Protection Against Bronchitis
5. Provide Protection Against Emphysema (associated with smoking)
6. Help People in Depression
7. Boost Immune System
8. Prevent Cancer
9. Prevent Osteoporosis and Arthritis
10. Lose Weight

As we can see, the influence seafood can have on our health is extraordinary. However, as for vegetables and fruits, some categories of seafood are better than others. This is why I made a selection of 5 of the most nutritious seafood out there:

1. Salmon

Salmon is a great source of the popular omega-3 fatty acids. This helps reduce risk of heart disease and prevents cancer. These types of acids also have anti-inflammatory functions, help the immune system and the brain. Half a fillet of cooked salmon (175 grams) has about 350 calories and 10 grams of fat. Other cold-water fish like mackerel and tuna are also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.

However, when buying your salmon, keep in mind to choose the eco-friendly and sustainable option. Avoid the Atlantic farmed one and go for the wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

2. Shellfish (mussels and oysters)

Shellfish are rich in Vitamin B12 which helps the nervous system. They also provide the body with iron and important minerals like potassium and magnesium. Three ounces (about 90 grams) of mussels give you 700 mg of omega-3 fatty acids. The same amount of oysters gives you 44% of the daily recommended value of iron. Three ounces of shellfish also contain about 130 calories and 3 grams of fat.

3. Pink Shrimps

Shrimp are rich in tryptophan and selenium. They are also a great source of protein, having a much better ratio of proteins gained with fats and calories than most foods. Four ounces of shrimp have 23 grams of protein, 112 calories and less than a gram of fat. Shrimps also provide the body with vitamins D and B12. All of these benefit the cardiovascular system and, believe or not, help reduce anxiety and depression.

4. Crabs

Besides the omega-3 fatty acids, protein, selenium and natural sodium, crabs are a great source of vitamin B12 and Zinc, which helps the immune system. Crabs are also low in calories and fat.

5. Sardines

The plain sardines just had to be in our top 5 list. They are the perfect example that your food doesn’t have to be expensive in order to be nutritious.

Sardines have more omega-3 acids per serving than any other food! 3 ounces (approximately 90 grams) of sardines are packed with almost 2 grams of these miracle-acids. These make them great for brain memory and performance. Also, sardines have a high level of vitamin D, which is essential in making your bones stronger.

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Effects of Pasteurized Milk on Human Body

Throughout the world, people have different opinions regarding milk consumption.

Africans and Orientals have traditionally avoided milk, while Europeans and Americans encourage milk consumption. Besides proteins, milk also contains fats, meaning that it does not combine well with other foods except itself.

Still, nowadays cold milk is often consumed with other products, affecting negatively the digestion process. Milk curds immediately upon entering the stomach, so if other foods are present, the curds coagulate around food particles, insulating them from gastric juices and delaying the digestion process (sometimes long enough to permit the onset of putrefaction).

The pasteurisation process destroys milk’s natural enzymes and its delicate proteins. The active enzymes of milk, lactose and lipose, permit milk to digest itself. When enzymes are destroyed, milk becomes hard to digest by adults. Also, the lack of enzymes and proteins reduces the absorption of calcium and other mineral elements from milk.

In 1930, Dr. Fracis M. Pottenger conducted a 10 years study on the effects of pasteurized and raw milk diets on 900 cats. The cats were divided in 2 separate groups. One group received only raw milk, while the other one received pasteurized milk from the same source.

The first group of cats (consuming raw milk) remained healthy and active throughout their lives, while the second group (consuming pasteurized milk) became confused and ill (heat diseases, loss of teeth, liver inflammation, etc.).
The second and third generation of cats from the second group encountered even more health problems. The cats were born with weak bones and poor teeth (a clear sign of calcium deficiency) and were all sterile. The cats from the first group remained healthy from generation to generation, without been affected by any illnesses. The experiment ended because there was no fourth generation of cats belonging to the second group of cats feed with pasteurized milk.

Besides pasteurization, milk is now “homogenized” to stop cream separating from milk. As a result of this process, fat molecules are pulverized and fragmented in order to stay with the rest of milk components.

But, in this way, fragments of fat molecules can easily pass through the small intestine, increasing the amount of fat and cholesterol absorbed by the body.

Sometimes you can absorb more fat in this way than from eating pure cream from milk. Women consuming large quantities of pasteurized milk suffer the world’s highest incidence of osteoporosis.

Recent studies of the Human Research Centre in Grand Folks, North Dakota, indicated that BORON is another essential element for calcium absorption and bones building. Boron can be found in apples, pears, grapes, cabbage, nuts and other leafy vegetables.

So, adults and children all together, should eliminate pasteurized dairy products from their diets, because human body can not assimilate the nutrients contained by these products.

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