Shrimp Calories and Nutrition Facts

No one can argue that shrimp is a tasty treat. The numbers confirm shrimp's popularity since it is the second most eaten seafood in the USA. There are various ways that it can be used in a recipe such as grilled, boiled or fried and to be honest no matter how it is cooked it is delicious. Although a lot of people don't consider shrimp as a healthy food we will see below that they are wrong. This misconception started mainly because of the fact that shrimp is high in cholesterol as we will discuss later on this hub.

As I have already hinted, shrimp is a nutritious food choice but what about the calories in shrimp? According to shrimp calories 100grams of raw shrimp provide only 71 calories. That amount of calories is really low if you consider the fact that an equivalent quantity of uncooked chicken breast without the skin that is considered to be one of the best low calorie low carbohydrate food choices has almost 50% more calories. The reason that shrimp has so few calories is that it has almost no fat, just 1 gram of fat per 100grams of raw shrimp. This may sound surprising but please remember that high cholesterol doesn't necessarily mean high fat content. Of course, like with every food, the way it is cooked and consumed is important. If we fry the shrimp or use high fat dressings then we will turn them into a calories rich food.

Shrimp is not just a low calorie food, it is also a nutrient dense food. It provides a number of essential minerals and vitamins in substantial quantities. It is an excellent source of Vitamin B12 and selenium. A 200gr portion can almost cover our daily Selenium and Vitamin B12 needs. Besides that, it provides substantial amounts of zinc, phosphorus, Vitamin D and niacin.

Shrimp is also a decent source of n-3 fatty acids, the heart healthy fatty acids that have been thoroughly examined and proven to have antiinflammatory effects and have several benefits for the cardiovascular system.

Like most things in life shrimp besides all its benefits, it has one disadvantage, It is a high cholesterol food. Two hundred grams of shrimp provide almost 250mgr of cholesterol which is about the Recommended Daily intake (300mgr). However, that doesn't mean that it can't be consumed by people with high cholesterol since some experts even recommend adding shrimp consumption as part of a heart healthy diet. This is because unlike what was originally believed the main culprit behind high cholesterol isn't dietary cholesterol but saturated fats. In addition to that as I mentioned shrimp provides heart healthy n-3 fatty acids. However, if you are going to make any significant changes in your diet it is always advised to consult with your physician or dietitian.