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Why seafood is a functional food

27 March 2009 938 views No Comment

It is generally thought that seafood is a ‘functional food’ – it has the ability to prevent disease or in some cases reduce existing conditions to the point of making them manageable. This could be the opinion of some people who had related personal experience or those who read about it.
Most of the nutrients, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids -that our bodies need to develop through childhood and remain healthy throughout life – are present in seafood. Many people laud the virtues of seafood, though some individuals dispute this. Seafood is a natural functional food; with no need to be fortified with other functional food ingredients to make it healthier for you. In fact, some of the health benefits of seafood will be lost, if you bread and deep-fry it. So it is best to grill, bake, steam, broil, boil, microwave, or lightly sauté your seafood. This could be the opinion of some people who had related personal experience or those who read about it at chinesefoodsrecipes.com.

Without getting too technical, you realize why seafood is such a great functional food. For development and maintenance of musculature throughout our lifetime, our bodies need amino acids – proteins that make body muscle and more information at chinesefoodsrecipes.blogspot.com. Good health is the result of nine amino acids that our bodies need on a daily – and all seafood contains all nine of these amino acids. No more, no less!
Another reason why seafood is a functional food is it contains ‘omega-3 fatty acids’ needed to remain healthy. Along wit homega3’s, seafood contains an abundance of this polyunsaturated fatty acid. In some fish species – like sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria – the omega-3 literally oozes from its flesh. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the bad LDL blood cholesterol levels and increasing the good HDL cholesterol levels. This reduces your chances of cardiovascular disease – reduced chance of strokes and heart attacks.

On the Sea Grant, University of Delaware web site is a statement that: ‘Asthma, arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, migraine headaches, cancer, and kidney diseases are some health problems that may be controlled or alleviated by the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids from fish’ at italianfood-recipes.com. With that claim from one of our nations leading institutions, prescription drugs actually inhabit our oceans, estuaries, and bays! In fact, some of the health benefits of seafood will be lost, if you bread and deep-fry it. So it is best to grill, bake, steam, broil, boil, microwave, or lightly sauté your seafood.

Another notable fact that makes seafood functional food is that it contains ‘Selenium’ – something our bodies need for maintaining our immunity against disease. Every cell in our body needs Selenium to function properly. Research studies link selenium deficiencies with a higher risk of cancer by italianfood-recipes.blogspot.com. Crab and lobster species contain a high amount of Selenium, though seafood in general contains at least some of this vital element. Thus, two of the most delectable crustaceans of the sea are such a rich source of something that our bodies need to fight diseases. That is the benefit being true omnivores, something that true vegans miss out on entirely!

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