Shellfish – The Different Types Of Shellfish and Its Health Benefits

These are the various types of shellfish and their benefits to health.

SHELLFISH – Here are some things to know about shellfish including its different types, its health benefits, and many more.

Most people are literally seafood lovers. They can eat anything from the ocean especially crabs, lobsters, shrimp, prawns, oysters, scallops, abalones, and many others. And among them is the shellfish.

Shellfish
Photo lifted from Camanchaca

Shellfish is not literally referring to a kind of fish but rather a category to determine the spineless invertebrate types of animals that live in the water. This category of sea creature actually has two main types: crustaceans and mollusks.

See below:

CRUSTACEANS:

  • Crabs
  • Lobsters
  • Shrimps
  • Prawns
  • Crayfishes
  • Barnacles

MOLLUSKS:

  • Octopus
  • Squid
  • Cuttlefish
  • Oysters
  • Clams
  • Mussels
  • Scallops
  • Abalone
  • Snails

Check out the data obtained to know the contents of some of the famous kinds of seafood:

TYPES CALORIESPROTEINFATS
Shrimp7217 grams0.43 grams
Crayfish6514 grams0.81 grams
Crab7415 grams0.92 grams
Lobster6414 grams0.64 grams
Clams7312 grams0.82 grams
Scallops5910 grams0.42 grams
Oysters698 grams2 grams
Mussels7310 grams1.9 grams
Data from USDA Food Data Central

Among the good things about eating them is that their fat is mostly in the form of omega-3 fatty acids and as much as we all know, omega-3 fatty acids are well known for their benefits to heart health.

Here are some other benefits according to the Healthline article:

  • may aid weight loss because they are low in calories but high in lean protein and healthy fats
  • they are good for the heart because apart from the omega-3 fatty acids, they also have vitamins B-12 and the foods good for the heart are also good for the brain
  • it is loaded with zinc, an immune-boosting nutrient

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