Health Food from Mexico
Lean, low-calorie, carb-free and wholesome, authentic Mexican shrimp is good for you
If you’re confused about the role of shrimp in a healthy diet, you’re not alone. Recent developments in the evaluation of dietary cholesterol, in particular, have led to a number of widespread misunderstandings about shrimp’s nutritional profile.
Let it be stated here and now that authentic Mexican shrimp, wild-harvested or farm-raised, is very much a part of a healthy diet. It’s a lean, low-calorie protein that’s also carbohydrate- and contaminant-free and versatile enough to fit with virtually any dietary regimen.
“As a registered dietitian, I hope that everyone gets this message: Shrimp is good for you,’’ says Milton Stokes, RD, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital and Nursing Home in the Bronx and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). “I tell all my patients, even the ones with high blood cholesterol, that shrimp is a healthy and nutritious food.’’
Some of the misinformation circling about shrimp is left over from old information about how cholesterol in food impacts cholesterol in the body. With just over 150 milligrams of cholesterol per 3.5-ounce portion, a serving of shrimp contains less than half of the daily cholesterol value established for a 2,000-calorie reference diet, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While this is higher than the content for lean fish such as haddock (63 milligrams) or sole (58 milligrams) — or even salmon for that matter, with 74 mg of cholesterol per 3-ounce serving — nutritionists caution against a literal interpretation of such numbers.
“The science has shown us that we need to care more about trans-fatty acids and saturated fat, which have a much more direct impact on blood cholesterol, than about eating foods that have cholesterol in them,’’ says Stokes.
Genetics and exercise also play just as important a role as diet in cholesterol management, and the science of dietary cholesterol itself has been refined considerably in recent years.
The old concept of “high cholesterol,’’ in fact, is so broadly stated as to be misleading. There are actually two kinds of cholesterol in the blood: “good’’ and “bad.’’ A person’s relative levels of these cholesterols are heavily determined by genetics, although one can lower bad cholesterol and raise the good through certain dietary measures. Dietary cholesterol, on the other hand — the cholesterol in food — is neither good nor bad; in food, it’s all the same. So-called “good’’ cholesterol (HDL, or high-density lipoprotein) and “bad’’ (LDL, or low-density lipoprotein) refers only to cholesterol in the body, not to cholesterol in food.
“LDL, or bad cholesterol, is like a one-way bus,’’ reads an ADA position paper on cholesterol. “It carries cholesterol from the liver, where cholesterol is made and recycled, and deposits it in the arteries, where it can cause blockage that leads to heart disease.
The good HDL cholesterol is like a bus going in the other direction. It picks up cholesterol from the arteries and brings it back to the liver so that the cholesterol doesn’t harm the arteries.’’
The reason shrimp seem relatively high in cholesterol is because there’s so little fat in them, says Joyce A. Nettleton, DSc, RD, a nutrition scientist and communications professional specializing in seafood nutrition and omega-3 fatty acids. She is the founder of ScienceVoice Consulting in Denver and the editor of the “PUFA Newsletter,’’ which covers the subject of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).
“All foods are made up of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and water. If you take out one substance — fat, in the case of shrimp — you’re left with a proportionately higher concentration of cholesterol. That is true of most nutrient-dense foods,’’ says Nettleton.
Back in the 1960s, she adds, when the first alarms linking cholesterol and heart disease were being sounded, the medical community may have erred on the side of caution and, assuming consumers could not understand the somewhat complicated technical concepts, declared cholesterol the enemy.
“They used to say cholesterol was a fat, because ‘fat’ seemed relatively easy to understand,’’ Nettleton explains. “So if fat is linked to heart disease, then fat is bad, and that meant cholesterol was bad, too. They’ve been backpedaling ever since, though, because cholesterol is not a fat.’’
The only people who should avoid high concentrations of dietary cholesterol are those whose bodies don’t regulate cholesterol well — people who are genetically disposed to very high blood cholesterol (with LDL levels of 200 to 400 milligrams per deciliter or higher) because of a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia. And even then, it’s not necessary to completely eliminate cholesterol, including shrimp, from the diet.
According to the American Heart Association, foods that are believed to lower LDL include such soluble-fiber plant foods as oats, beans, barley, grapefruit, apples and oranges.
In addition, healthy fats such as olive and canola oil may increase the good HDL levels. Eating lean protein — fish, poultry without skin and leaner cuts of meat, along with fat-free or 1 percent-fat dairy products — can also help.
Nutrient dense and packed with protein (at more than 20 grams per serving), seafood is also generally low in calories and fat but uniquely rich in polyunsaturates and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
The National Fisheries Institute reports that the omega-3s found in fish “relax’’ the arteries and improve blood circulation to the heart. They inhibit blood clotting and improve the heartbeat, and they also lower blood fats and blood pressure, which makes heart attacks less likely. By discouraging the buildup of plaque in blood vessels, they keep the arteries open.
Omega-3 oils also act as an anti-inflammatory and may have a positive effect on a wide range of health problems, including asthma, pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.
With 0.3 grams per 3-ounce portion, shrimp boasts beneficial omega-3s that more than offset their cholesterol content.
Nutritionists and scientists have long advised eating seafood at least twice a week for better health, and the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans — the basis for the iconic Food Pyramid — validate these recommendations.
“These guidelines are unequivocal about the role of seafood in a healthy diet,’’ says Nettleton, “and one of the reasons is to furnish those all-important long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.’’
In addition to omega-3s, shrimp contains significant concentrations (more than 50 percent of the minimum RDA) of selenium, which is thought to provide cancer protection, as well as vitamins D, B12 and B3 and iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper and magnesium.
Also consider what’s not in shrimp, like a lot of fat or calories, for one thing. No carbohydrates, for another. In the case of authentic Mexican shrimp, you won’t find a lot of chemicals, either.
Additionally, the Mexican government follows the same strict standards as the FDA for the use of antibiotics in aquaculture operations.
Given its healthful nutritional profile, it’s no wonder shrimp led the record gain in seafood consumption in 2003, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, at 4 pounds per capita.
“People should eat seafood, that much is true,’’ says Stokes. “But not everyone likes fish, even salmon. Shrimp, on the other hand, is America’s favorite seafood.’’
In addition to being healthful, authentic Mexican farm-raised shrimp is produced using the most sustainable methods possible. What’s not to like?
The following text appeared in the October 2005 issue of Shrimp Business, published by SeaFood Business magazine for the Mexican Shrimp Council and Ocean Garden Products
Chef2Chef News Desk