Harvested from the wild or cultivated on farms, fresh oysters are available year-round, but they are best in the fall and winter, according to FoodNetwork.com. You can eat oysters raw, fried, sautéed and grilled, or you can put them into soups and dressings. No matter how you like to eat them, they provide iron and protein, together with essential minerals such as zinc and B vitamins.
Oysters are bivalve mollusks with a gray shell and meat inside that can vary from beige to light gray. Purchase fresh oysters that have tightly closed shells, or that close when they’re tapped because this means the oyster is alive. They can be refrigerated up to three days, but they have more flavor the sooner they’re eaten.
Basic Nutrition
Six medium raw oysters, weighing 84 g, have 43 calories and 2.3 g of total carbohydrates, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. They have a total fat content of 1.4 g, which includes 0.4 g of saturated fat and 34 mg of cholesterol. Oysters have 5 g of complete protein. Based on Institute of Medicine recommendations, this means you’ll get about 9 percent of the daily intake for protein from this serving of oysters.
Vitamins
Oysters are a great source of vitamin B-12. Six medium oysters have 7.4 mcg, or more than 300 percent of the daily intake for B-12. The same serving size provides 5 percent of the recommended daily intake of riboflavin, niacin and vitamin E. You’ll also get 2 percent of thiamin and vitamin B-6. Riboflavin and niacin are needed for energy production. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects vitamin A and other lipids from damage. Vitamins B-12 and B-6 reduce levels of homocysteine, and lower homocysteine in the blood is associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, according to Harvard Health Publications.
Minerals
Eating just six oysters provides 4 mg of oxygen-carrying iron, which is 50 percent of the recommended dietary intake for men and 22 percent for women. They’re a great source of zinc, containing 33 mg, or 300 percent of the daily intake. Zinc is essential for normal growth, neurological development and a healthy immune system. Oysters deliver 50 mg, or 5 percent, of calcium; 15 mg, or 4 percent, of magnesium; and 81 mg, or 11 percent, of phosphorus. All three of these minerals must be present to build strong bones. You’ll also gain 131 mg of potassium, which is needed to ensure muscle contraction and nerve conduction. Oysters are high in salt, having 71 mg, or 5 percent of the daily intake, of sodium.
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