The Nutritional Content Of Steamed Snow Crab Legs

Many types of seafood are low in fat and calories, and snow crab legs are among them. Snow crab legs are native to salt-water environments, but even if you don't live near an ocean, you can typically find snow crab legs in your supermarket's frozen-foods section. If you're dieting, you may wish to add snow crab legs to your nutritional plan because of their lean nutrition profile.

Calories

Snow crab legs are low in calories. A 1/2-lb. serving of snow crab legs has just 90 calories, which is 4.5 percent of a 2,000-calorie daily diet. Snow crab legs can be good for dieting, as you could burn the calories in 1/2 lb. of snow crab legs by jogging for nine minutes or rollerblading for six minutes.

Protein

As with other types of seafood, protein provides most of the calories in steamed snow crab legs. Each 1/2-lb. serving has 19 g of protein, which is 1 g more than what three eggs offer. Protein provides your body with amino acids, the building blocks of cells and tissues.

Fat

Steaming doesn't involve the addition of butter or oil, so it keeps the crab legs low in fat. A 1/2-lb. serving of steamed snow crab legs has just 1 g of fat, with no saturated or trans fats. Those types of fat can raise your cholesterol levels, so the American Heart Association recommends limiting your saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of your total calories and trans fat to less than 1 percent.

Carbohydrates

Steamed snow crab legs can be a good choice if you're on a low-carbohydrate diet, as they are devoid of carbohydrates.

Sodium

One drawback of steamed snow crab legs is that they are high in sodium. A 1/2-lb. serving has 790 mg of sodium, which is 34 percent of the daily recommended intake of 2,300 mg. Consuming too much sodium can prompt fluid retention and high blood pressure.