If you love eating crab legs but are unsure whether they are good or bad for you, know that crab is one of the healthiest foods available, ideal for essentially any diet. As a high protein, low fat and low calorie food it offers great advantages for anyone looking to lose weight, build muscle and enjoy cardiovascular health. Eating crab legs is good for bone density, muscle health, memory and learning, boosts mood, reduces brain fog and preserves cognitive functions as a result of a varied and dense nutritional content.
Here are the top 5 nutrition facts and health benefits of eating crab legs:
1) High protein food. 100 g of crab legs provides 18 g of protein. One cup of crab legs meat (135 g) supplies almost half of the recommended daily intake of protein for the average 2000 kcal diet. This means crab legs are one of the best protein sources available. Unlike other high-protein foods like beef, pork or cheeses, crab legs have a low fat content and low energetic value.
Moreover, unlike otherwise healthy fish such as salmon, tuna or mackerel, crab legs generally have a low mercury content, adding to their benefits and further recommending them as part of a balanced diet. Protein is essential for good physical and mental health. The amino acids that make protein help build cells and tissue, most notably muscle tissue. This is why bodybuilders look for high-protein foods to boost muscle growth and help repair damaged muscle fibers. And crab legs are one of the best choices for building muscle.
Amino acids further impact mental and emotional health because they help synthesize neurotransmitters which regulate mood, appetite, sleep. Eating crab legs can help clear thinking and reduce brain fog, regulate sleep, combat mood swings and improve disposition thanks to a good content of the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan.
2) Rich in vitamin B12. The vitamin B12 content of crab legs is 9 micrograms/100 g. Compare this to the RDA of vitamin B12, which is 2.4 micrograms, and you will realize how healthy of a food crab legs really are. Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient you need in your diet to be healthy. Research reveals its crucial importance for brain and nervous system health: vitamin B12 helps preserve the protective coating around the tail of nerve cells, called a myelin sheath. The myelin sheath essentially helps electrical impulses travel more efficiently and the information be transmitted effectively from the brain to the body and back.
A severe, prolonged vitamin B12 deficiency causes the myelin sheath to deteriorate, often irreversibly, and electrical impulses to somewhat stray, resulting in a defective brain-body communication. What this causes at a larger scale is the onset of dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and other degenerative disease of the nervous system.
3) Source of Omega-3. What makes crab legs and fish, fish oils and seafood in general healthy is the fact they contain important amounts of a particular form of Omega-3 called DHA. This form of Omega-3 is different from that in plants or vegetable oils, but vital because it nourishes the brain and helps it perform optimally. DHA Omega-3 fatty acids are physically part of the brain.
Healthy fats such as these have amazing benefits on memory, learning and other cognitive functions. Eating crab legs helps preserve cognitive functions in adults and prevent memory decline and brain fog. The Omega-3 fats it contains contribute to the development of the brain while still in the womb and of nervous functions after birth.
4) Good phosphorus content. 100 g of crab legs provides a 200-235 mg of phosphorus, a dietary mineral whose main role is to make up bone. Phosphorus is important because it triggers the process of new bone formation, so old bone mas is deconstructed and reabsorbed so that new bone can be made, stronger and better. And crab legs are a good source of the mineral, contributing to better bone density and stronger bones and teeth.
5) Low fat content, low energetic value. Crab legs have about 1 g of fat/100, a low content that recommends them for anyone looking to lose weight. And foods typically low in fats and high in protein have a low energetic value as well. Crab legs calorie content is around 80-90 kcal/100 g, further adding to the benefits. However, the crustacean has 50-100 mg of cholesterol (depending on species), which represents 1/6 to 1/3 of the recommended intake of 300 mg.
Cholesterol is a nutrient too, essential even. Our brain is the one in most need of cholesterol and this fat molecule helps preserve nerve cell integrity, nourishes the brain and maintains an overall good nervous system function. Only in excessive amounts does it pose health risks and, over time, affects the cardiovascular system, potentially leading to plaque buildup, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and stroke. Other than this, could you imagine eating crab legs could have so many benefits?