Shrimp is the second-most popular fish in the American diet, according to the National Fisheries Institute, which ranks only tuna higher on its list of most-consumed seafood. Because shrimp is so popular, it's helpful to know the nutrition information so you can get its maximum health benefits in your diet.
Facts
A 3-ounce serving of shrimp has 113 calories, 22 grams of protein and 1.8 grams of fat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Information Service Handbook. Three ounces of shrimp contains about 152 grams of cholesterol.
Significance
A 3-ounce serving of shrimp contains about half the daily recommended intake of protein, making it one of the best low-fat, high-protein food choices. It's also low in calories, making it a good substitution for higher-fat meats like beef and pork in a healthy diet.
Benefits
Shrimp contain omega-3 fatty acids, a type of good fat that may play a protective role against inflammation that causes heart disease and arthritis. According to the "American Family Physician" journal, you need to eat about 11 shrimp to get 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids. Because shrimp is low in fat, it may also increase longevity: the California Seafood Council reports that a diet high in fat is a contributing factor for five of the top 10 health conditions that lead to death in the United States.
Misconceptions
Though shrimp contains significant amounts of dietary cholesterol, a study by researchers at Rockefeller University and the Harvard School of Public Health, published in 1996 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," found that because shrimp are low in fat, they do not contribute to increased levels of bad cholesterol. In fact, the study suggested that consumption of shrimp could actually lower triglycerides---a type of fat in the blood---and increase the body's production of good cholesterol, or HDL.
Considerations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration recommend shrimp as one of the five types of seafood with lowest mercury levels, making shrimp a good choice for pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as for other people concerned about mercury in fish.
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