Is shrimp a good quality protein source?

[HARDCORE]

Just trying to spice up the diet a bit. any info is appreciated, thanks.

[Billy Boy]

Not sure about protein values but seafood does tend to contain a lot of sodium.Pete is the best guy to answer this

[Pete235]

I enjoy using shrimp as part of my bodybuilding menu. 4oz of shrimp has 112cals 23.7g protein 0 carbs and 1.2g fat.

Billy is right. Some types of shrimp are higher in sodium. Cooked salad shrimp (pandalus borealis, pandalus jordani) or small shrimp, are cooked and then saturated in a brine to add flavor. If your diet is relativly low in sodium, it shouldn't be a problem. I eat shrimp everyday, but as I get closer to contest time I will take it out of my diet.

Tiger shrimp (paneus monodon) and other large species are generally sold raw/frozen and therfore have no sodium added.

For some great shrimp recipes, sheckout Tobeys recipe section.

[TNT]

Yes, shrimp is an outstanding protein source. It's low in calories, very low in fat, and has zero carbs.

Most people buy them raw, but you should be aware that all shrimp come into the supermarket frozen. (Most shrimp in the U.S. and Canada come from Thailand or Peru.) Therefore, if you buy them already thawed, you shouldn't re-freeze them.

I buy the CPD shrimp - cooked, peeled, and deveined. They are more expensive (usually about $25 USD for a 2 to 2-1/2 lb. bag, frozen). They can be thawed within minutes by putting them into a strainer or small collander and running hot water over them, then switching to cold water to re-chill them. (You can start with cold water, but it will take a few minutes longer to defrost them.)

One way or the other, allow the cold water to continue running over them for a couple of minutes after they are defrosted - it gets rid of the excess sodium.

Incidentally, shrimp (and otehr shellfish) have always been considered high in cholesterol, but that's nothing to worry about. Over the past few years, research has shown that your cholesterol levels do not rise from eating foods rich in cholesterol, but by eating foods that are heavy in saturated fat.

Overall, then, shrimp is one of the best ways to get protein without a lot of calories, fat, and carbs.

[HARDCORE]

Cool-thanks for the info guys, I'll definitely pick some up next time I'm at the store. Should be a nice change from the same old stuff I've been eating.

[Pete235]

Be careful when buying from a grocery store. As TNT said if you buy larger species of shrimp that are cooked, peeled and deviened you should be ok. Most likely they are coming from the afr east. If you chose small cooked salad shrimp (which is what I use) make sure your buying product of Canada or the U.S.A. (the aforementioned pandalus Borealis, or pandalus jordani). These are both coldwater species. You will also see salad shrimp from India (paneus indicus) which is not the best quality. These are a warm water species. They are usually PUDS (peeled un-deviened), soaked in sodium tri-polyphosphate to add water and size, and dyed with paprika to match the nice red color of the Canadian and U.S. species. This shrimp is usually cheap, so stay away. And as TNT said, pay a little more and you will be much happier.

[MarkyMark]

Shrimp Sucks ..... J/K Pete ,,, I have to still get you back somewheres ..... hehe

Shrimp is a very good source as well as much of the seafood ....

Although currently I am on a light eaters diet ,,, when it gets Light I start eating .....