It is known that the Japanese, whose life expectancy is longer than that of all other peoples, eat fish and seafood daily. This diet allows them to constantly stay in good shape and maintain excellent immunity.

Seafood usually includes all invertebrates living in the seas and oceans-crabs, lobsters, shrimps, mussels, squid, octopus, oysters, etc.

Protein

Sea meat is a unique product. Sea delicacies are characterized by a high protein content with a fairly low caloric content (4-5 times lower than other meat). Thanks to this valuable property, seafood can be eaten in almost any amount without fear of getting better. Protein that has entered the body from fish or “gifts of the sea”, the benefits and harms of seafood are much easier to digest compared to the protein of beef, pork or other “land” meat.

Our body digests sea meat much easier and faster, because it is very tender and soft.

Minerals and trace elements

All seafood saturates our body with useful minerals and trace elements. For example, crabs will give you iron and phosphorus, squid-potassium, shellfish-nickel and copper, mussels-cobalt. Sea fish contains a lot of vitamins A, B and D. In addition, fish meat is rich in iodine, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, and manganese.

If you constantly include fish and seafood dishes in your menu, you can perfectly support the heart , because for its good work, the polyunsaturated acids contained in these amazing products are necessary.

Whichever seafood you prefer, you can be sure that you have received a sufficient dose of calcium and iodine, which are absolutely indispensable for the human body.

You can’t be too careful

For all its usefulness, seafood can cause considerable harm to health if you do not know the basic safety rules.

Marine fish, especially predatory fish, can contain mercury in their composition. As for shellfish and other seafood, they can contain heavy metals that are dangerous to humans.
Shrimp, squid and mussels sometimes become a real warehouse of arsenic, which can cause severe poisoning.

Some people are very sensitive to seafood – they are allergic.

This is a very unpleasant disease, accompanied by itching, redness of the skin and a rash. In particularly severe cases, there is swelling of the larynx, severe headaches and even loss of consciousness.

Another serious problem is the presence of microscopic parasites in fish and seafood. If the products are not processed properly, the parasites enter the human body and cause serious diseases.

What to do?

In order not to become a victim of such healthy and delicious seafood, you just need to follow simple rules.
First, freshness, freshness and once again freshness! Do not forget that in Japan (and in other countries), seafood, including fish, is prepared almost immediately after it is caught.

For example, all over the world, oysters are usually served exclusively freshly caught. And this rule applies to any establishments – both to fashionable restaurants and to cheap eateries.benefits and harms of seafood

We also get the seafood to the kitchen for the most part frozen. This means that you should never eat them raw – even if you really want to.

It is necessary that such products undergo high-quality heat treatment, only then can we be sure that all harmful components are destroyed.

Experts advise to refrain from eating large marine predators, such as mackerel, swordfish, shark. It is in these varieties of fish that mercury is most often found.

In a week it is better to eat no more than 400 g of various sea fish and seafood. Seafood is very important for pregnant women – they should consume at least 360 g of seafood per week. Useful substances contained in fish and” sea meat ” provide the future baby with a high level of IQ, good visual, spatial and motor skills.

Remember that the safest fish in terms of the presence of parasites is considered to be salmon and whitefish. However, any fish should be well the benefits and harms of seafood to fry, boil or bake in the oven.

Shrimp are able to absorb harmful radioactive substances. To avoid such shrimps on your table, be interested in the region in which they were caught. Whether they will benefit or harm your body depends entirely on what reservoir they lived in before they got to the supermarket. You also need to pay attention to the appearance of shrimp – if they have black heads, then they have been stored unfrozen for a long time and are most likely spoiled.

Mussels are safe when caught in the cold season. It is believed that you can eat mussels only in those months whose name contains the letter ” P ” – that is, from September to April.

Squid, which are called “heart balm”, can have mercury in their composition. Therefore, it is important to prepare them correctly. Defrost squid should be in cold water – it will take the “main blow”, most of the mercury, if any, will remain in the water. Cook the squid, dropping it into boiling water, do not hurt for 3-5 minutes, then leave it in the water until they cool down.

Be careful when treating children to seafood. Up to 3 years old, they can not be eaten at all, and for older children, the use of such delicacies is undesirable.

A more useful product for children is fish, it is much safer.

Many people’s favorite sushi can be very dangerous for their health. The fact is that for the preparation of this dish, raw fish is often used, which can be inhabited by parasites. In addition, excessive consumption of raw fish can lead to the development of liver diseases.

The conclusion from all this is very simple. Fish and seafood are an invaluable source of nutrients, and if properly prepared dishes from fresh “gifts of the sea” are present on your table, you will not get anything but benefits.