Seafood, crabs included, is a good way to increase your intake of zinc, a nutrient that plays a role in several aspects of your health. Crabs are versatile and appear in many dishes. Ordering crab in restaurants offers you the benefits of zinc without all of the preparation, but if you like to cook at home, crab is available at most supermarkets.
Zinc in Crab
A serving of crab is 3 ounces, and the amount of zinc varies slightly depending on the type of crab you eat. Alaska king crab contains about 6.5 milligrams per serving, blue crab contains just over 3 milligrams per serving, Dungeness crab has nearly 5 milligrams per serving and queen crab has about 3 milligrams per serving.
Daily Intake Recommendations
The amount of zinc needed each day depends on age and gender. Between birth and 6 months, the daily requirement is 2 milligrams, children ages 7 months to 3 years need 3 milligrams per day, children between the ages of 4 and 8 need 5 milligrams each day and children ages 9 to 13 need 8 milligrams. At age 14, the daily intake recommendations for zinc differ between boys and girls. Males between the ages 14 and up need 11 milligrams per day. Females between the ages of 14 and 18 need 9 milligrams of zinc per day and beyond age 18 the recommendation drops to 8 milligrams daily. Adding crabs to your family's meal plan contributes to your zinc intake and also increases your intake of several other nutrients.
Function of Zinc
Zinc is found in all your cells, making it important to meet your daily intake recommendations. It supports your immune system by fighting bacteria and viruses that could make you sick and aids in the production of protein and DNA in your cells. Zinc plays a role in taste and smell and aids in wound healing. During pregnancy and childhood, zinc helps with normal growth and development. A deficiency is rare in America but may produce slow growth and delayed sexual maturity in children, hair loss, diarrhea, slow wound healing, problems tasting and appetite loss.
Serving
The most common way to serve crab is to eat the legs dipped in drawn butter, a dish served in many seafood restaurants. Minced crab mixed with bread crumbs, eggs and spices and fried to create crab cakes is another popular dish. Crab is also a good addition to soup or salad and pairs well with eggs and avocado as well. Use crab to make dips, add it to pasta dishes or use in place of tuna in sandwiches.
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