Shrimp Calories

Our busy lifestyle seldom gives us time to exercise, and hence, we are left with no option, but to depend on proper diet to maintain our health to a great extent. When we say proper healthy diet, the first thing that comes to anybody's mind is food low in calories, fats and carbohydrates, and high in proteins, vitamins and essential fatty acids. One such constituent of a healthy diet, that is low in calories and fats, but high in proteins, are shrimp. Calories in shrimp are quite low compared to beef and other such fatty foods. At the same time, they add much-needed proteins and other nutrients, albeit with very few calories to our daily diet. This makes shrimp ideal substitutes for the fatty foods which tend to cause harm to our body.

Shrimp Nutrition Facts

A 4 ounce shrimp serving has the capacity to provide you with 23.7 grams of protein, 64.2% of the daily value of selenium and 28.2% of the daily value for vitamin B12. That's a substantial amount in lieu of 120 calories which the serving contains. Shrimp are also rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids which are essential to maintain a healthy heart and normal blood pressure. This seafood also contains significant amount of selenium, which helps us to fight diseases like cancer. Other than these nutrients, shrimp also contain vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, niacin, zinc and iron. These nutrients in shrimp are quite beneficial in keeping various health problems at bay. However, one of the most important aspects of diets containing shrimp is their low calorie and fat content.

Shrimp Calorie Count

Many people are skeptical about eating shrimp owing to their high cholesterol content. What they fail to understand is that unlike other high cholesterol foods, shrimp are quite low in calories and saturated fat and total fat. Generally, 1 pound of raw shrimp contains about 480 calories, which means shrimp calories per ounce is only 28 to 30. However, like any other low calorie food, the calorie content of shrimp goes through a drastic change depending on the way it is cooked. The calorie count for shrimp which is 30 calories per ounce in raw state, shoots up to 65 calories per ounce when fried. This rise in calories is attributed to use of oil for frying them. Boiled, steamed or grilled shrimp are quite low in calories when compared with their fried counterparts. Other than the method of cooking, the ingredients used in cooking also play a vital role in altering the calories in shrimp. Using sauce or butter to prepare shrimp recipes is bound to double the calorie content, thus, reducing the nutritional value of shrimp. Other than being low in calories, shrimp are also low in saturated fats and carbohydrates. The protective properties of omega-3 essential fatty acids present in them ensure that the damage induced by cholesterol is low compared to the damage induced by foods with high cholesterol as well as high fats.

Owing to their low calories and high proteins, shrimp have gained wide popularity among health conscious people. You can burn 100 calories you consume by running or swimming for 10 minutes, or engaging in a brisk walk for 30 minutes. The bottom line therefore is, that even though shrimp are a bit high in cholesterol, they can be included in your daily diet as they contain several other nutrients in significant amounts, which easily overshadow the cholesterol related dilemma.