When cooked with minimal added fat, shrimp can be a healthy addition to your diet. Shrimp is low in calories and high in protein. Despite its cholesterol content, a study in a 1996 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" concluded that moderate amounts of shrimp can play a role in a heart-healthy diet because it does not markedly affect the ratio of "good" HDL to "bad" LDL cholesterol. Enjoy shrimp on occasion to benefit from more than 18 vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins A, C and E
A 3-oz. serving of shrimp provides 4 percent of the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for vitamin A, 6 percent for vitamin E and 3 percent for vitamin C. Vitamin A is important to vision health, while vitamin C helps with tissue growth and repair. Vitamin E acts as a disease-fighting antioxidant and helps with the formation of red blood cells.
B Vitamins
Eight vitamins make up the B vitamin group. A 3-oz. serving of shrimp provides 2 percent of the RDA for thiamine and riboflavin, 1 percent for folate and 3 percent for pantothenic acid. Shrimp also provides 21 percent of the RDA for vitamin B12 and 11 percent for vitamin B6. A deficiency in these two vitamins may lead to anemia.
Macrominerals
Your body need minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and sodium in large amounts so they are referred to as macrominerals. A 3-oz. serving of shrimp provides 3 percent of the RDA for calcium, 7 percent for magnesium, 12 percent for phosphorus, 4 percent for potassium and 8 percent for sodium. Among their numerous functions, macrominerals help regulate fluid balance, enzyme production and bone health.
Trace Minerals
Your body needs small amounts of certain minerals to help with essential functions such as red blood cell production and function. Shrimp provides 9 percent of the RDA for zinc, 8 percent for copper, 15 percent for iron and 1 percent for manganese. Shrimp also has 48 percent of the RDA for selenium, which can help prevent cell damage.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin E
- MedLine Plus: Minerals
- MedLine Plus: B Vitamins
- MedLine Plus: Selenium in Diet
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition;" Effects of Shrimp Consumption on Plasma Lipoproteins; ER De Oliveira e Silva, CE Seidman, JJ Tian, LC Hudgins, FM Sacks and JL Breslow; 1996
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