The Nutritional Values Of Live Brine Shrimp

Brine shrimp live in water so salty that predators and competitor species cannot survive — areas like the Great Salt Lake in the United States. Live brine shrimp are usually used as an animal food but you can find it as a traditional Japanese delicacy called "dancing shrimp."

Serving Size and Calories

The United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, defines 3 ozs. as a typical serving for meat and seafood like live brine shrimp. According to the USDA's database for standard reference, 3 ozs. of brine shrimp contain about 90 calories. Thirteen of these calories are from fat, 3 are from carbohydrates and 74 are from protein.

Carbohydrate Profile

A serving of live brine shrimp contains about 1 g of carbohydrates. This is not a significant amount and it contains no sugars nor dietary fiber.

Fat Content

One serving of live brine shrimp contains about 1 1/2 g of total fat. This is divided between about 1/2 g of unhealthy saturated fat and 1 g of healthy unsaturated fat. It's the ratio of good to bad fats, not the total fat content, that's of greatest importance when considering the fat content of a food. At 2 g of beneficial unsaturated fat for every g of harmful saturated, live brine shrimp can be a safe choice for people concerned about their cholesterol.

Protein Information

A serving of live brine shrimp contains about 17.5 g of protein or 35 percent of the USDA-recommended daily value. These are complete proteins. Because they come from an animal source, they contain all the amino acids your body is incapable of manufacturing from raw materials on its own.

Vitamins and Minerals

Three ozs. of live brine shrimp contain 32 percent of your daily vitamin D and 46 percent of your selenium. It contains 10 to 20 percent of your niacin, vitamin B-12, iron, phosphorus and copper, and about 5 percent of your vitamins E and B-6, calcium, potassium and zinc. The serving contains 5 percent of your daily allowance of sodium. The pregnant and breast-feeding should note that shrimp and other seafoods may contain levels of mercury that could be harmful to their children.

Availability Caution

The majority of brine shrimp produced in the United States is frozen shrimp manufactured as food for aquarium animals. Though the shrimp sometimes thaw live, this is not regarded as suitable for human consumption. In most parts of America, you will need to get your live brine shrimp from a Japanese restaurant or specialty store.