Nutritional Information For Snow Crab Legs

The meat in the leg of a snow crab, a catch-all term for any crab in the Chionoecetes genus, imparts a sweet taste. Often seen on restaurant menus and for sale in seafood shops in clusters, this delicately-fleshed seafood is commonly eaten plain with melted butter or cocktail sauce as the only accompaniment. In addition to being tasty, snow crab legs are nutritious, low-calorie and low-fat.

Calories and Fat

A 3-oz. portion of snow crab leg meat contains 95 calories and 1 g of fat, according to MyFitnessPal. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, this accounts for 4.7 percent of the calories you may include in your eating plan and 1.2 to 2.2 percent of the fat you should eat consume daily.

Protein

Snow crab legs are a good source of protein, which your body needs to help repair and generate cells. MyFitnessPal states that a 3-oz. portion of snow crab legs provides 20 g of protein -- 35.7 to 43.4 percent of the 46 to 56 g recommended daily. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service reports that your body breaks down the protein in seafood more easily than the protein in red meat and poultry, making it a healthier choice for your protein needs.

Nutrients

A 3-oz. portion of snow crab leg meat provides 2 percent of the recommended daily intake of iron.

All seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The omega-3 fatty acids in snow crab legs may provide a variety of health benefits, from helping to maintain your brain function to reducing your risk of heart disease.

Considerations

A 3-oz. portion of snow crab leg meat has 572 mg of sodium, which may not allow you to include this seafood in your diet if you are concerned about your sodium intake. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day -- consuming more than this regularly may lead to a variety of health problems, including high blood pressure.

Warning

Save Our Shores warns that some snow crab populations are in recovery as of 2010. These populations have sustained damage from fisherman and commercial fishing operations harvesting snow crabs too heavily as well as pollution like mercury and other contaminants, particularly along the West Coast. Consider consuming snow crab legs in moderation until the recovery is complete.