The benefits of mussels to the body have been known since ancient times.
Low calorie mussels, as an excellent alternative to meat products, are used to make menus for ill-health patients, pregnant women and the elderly.
Mussels from the family of bivalve mollusks are a nutritious and low-calorie product that people eat.
The beneficial properties of mussels are used in cooking for preparing a variety of dishes. Delicious seafood meat can bring both good and harm to the body, depending on the observance of cooking rules.
Caloric content of mussels, their composition
The mussel is a bivalve shell inside which a live mollusk is fixed. The food comes exclusively from edible parts of mussels, it is the muscle and mantle of a mollusk hidden behind the shells. Shellfish meat is almost free of fats and carbohydrates, but it contains a lot of animal protein and amino acids.
Dietary mussel meat contains an average amount of minerals in concentrated form. It is not only sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron and iodine, but also rare minerals boron and cobalt, which are vital for the implementation of blood formation processes. The delicacy contains a full range of vitamins, including groups B, A, C, riboflavin. Mussels are rich in stocks of animal glycogen starch, which regulates blood glucose balance.
Low calorie content allows you to use the benefits of mussels in weight loss diets. Portioned 100 g of product contain only 76-77 kcal. The excellent taste of mollusk meat can successfully replace it with chicken or beef meat to make a low-calorie diet.
Diet for slimming with mussels
The low calorie content of mussels allows you to eat them even with a very strict diet. They are less calorie than chicken, however the percentage of protein in them is much higher. These seafood do not contain cholesterol and fat, therefore, the body brings substantial benefits of mussels.
The inclusion of mussels in the diet of people who want to lose weight helps to speed up the metabolism. To achieve better digestibility of seafood it is recommended to water with olive oilserving with boiled vegetables. Health benefits of mussels are felt after a few days, when the body begins to get rid of excess body fat.
The harm of mussels with a low-calorie diet is not observed. If you follow the doctor’s recommendations for effective weight loss, you can adhere to such a diet for an unlimited period of time.
Data: The health benefits of mussels are widely used in cosmetology. Vitamin-rich mussel hydrolyzate is added to moisturizing serums and skin masks.
The benefits of mussels for the body
In addition to the high nutritional qualities, mussels saturate the human body with the polyunsaturated acids omega-3 and omega-6, which are necessary to maintain immunity. The benefits of mussels are also in their rich mineral composition. With regular consumption of mussel meat in food, there is never a problem with brittle nails and hair loss. In addition, the benefits of mussels for the body are expressed in the following:
• prevention of joint arthritis
• improving the quality of blood
• elimination of harmful substances
• prevention of oncology
• strengthening bones and teeth
• normalization of the heart and blood vessels
• general health improvement
• fight against radioactive elements
• improved digestion
The benefits of mussels in the processes of stimulation of sexual desire of women and men have been identified. The composition of mussel meat includes zinc, which positively affects male potency. Vitamins and minerals charge the body with energy and vigor, prolonging the duration of sexual intercourse. In addition to the above, the amino acids in mollusks stimulate the production of sex hormones in women, which generally heals the female body, enhancing sexual desire.
The benefits of mussels to various categories of people
Since mussels are a strong allergen, they are not recommended for people with a tendency to allergies. Also it is not advisable to eat mussels for lactating women. But the inclusion of mussels in the diet of pregnant women will bring invaluable benefits. With a relatively low fat content, mussels contain a record amount of vitamins, proteins and mineral salts necessary for the health of the pregnant woman and the full development of the fetus. The meat of mussels in nutrition and digestibility is significantly superior to lamb and pork.
A saturated concentration of protein in the meat brings exceptional benefits to the body of mussels athlete. During intense training, the body rapidly loses energy, which must be replenished in a timely manner. The calorie content of mussels is not high, but their meat has a high nutritional value.
Since eating shellfish meat significantly reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, they are useful to include in the diet of the elderly and people with poor health. The proteins and amino acids that make up the mussel regulate the level of triglycerides in the blood system of the body.
Mussel harm to human health
Data: Mussel meat is contraindicated in those who have poor blood coagulation. This is due to the ability of this product to thin the blood.
Like any product with nutritional value, mussels have some contraindications and restrictions on eating. This is due to the peculiarity of the functioning of living mollusk organisms. In nature, sea mussels filter water, passing it through themselves, saving it from harmful impurities.
Thus, the mollusk's meat concertizes harmful impurities and chemical compounds that may be contained in seawater. In addition, some species of mollusks are able to secrete poisons that are dangerous to the human body, for example, saxitoxin, which has a nerve-paralytic effect.
For sale, mussels are washed in running water so that their meat can be eaten. Freshly caught mollusks are strictly forbidden to eat, their meat can be toxic. To minimize the risk of poisoning, you need to be able to choose the right mussels. You should not buy mussels, the beneficial properties of which are doubtful. It is necessary to pay attention to the integrity of the mollusk shells and the smell that they exude. The shells of the shells of edible mussels should be tightly closed. It is not recommended to buy mussels with broken shells and a surface covered with a whitish coating.
Data: A source of easily digestible protein, mussels are not recommended for people with kidney diseases. Excessive amounts of protein can trigger an exacerbation of kidney disease.
How to cook mussels?
To ensure that a nutritious and low-calorie product does not harm, mussels must be properly cooked. Freshly peeled mussels cannot be stored in the refrigerator for more than a day. It is recommended to defrost frozen mussels bought at the store only once. If thawed mussels stick together, their meat looks pale, which means that the mollusks were subjected to secondary freezing. Eating such mussels is dangerous to health.
Unpeeled mussels are freed from the shell by heat treatment. Shellfish with damaged and open shells are not suitable for consumption. To open the shell flaps, you need to hold the clams in boiling water for at least 2 minutesThen rinse them with cold water and bring to a boil again. This will help free the product from toxins and at the same time preserve nutrients and vitamins.
Frozen mussels can simply be boiled in salted water. As soon as the water is covered with foam, you need to remove them from the fire, otherwise the meat will be tough.
The benefits and harms of mussels to children
Seafood is a strong allergen, and therefore it is not recommended to give mussels to children under three years of age. Starting from the age of three, this product can be included in the diet of a child only with the permission of a pediatrician.
Mussels can bring significant health benefits to a child, unless the baby is allergic to this product. Seafood contains high-quality and easily digestible protein, necessary for the growing body of the child. In addition, mussels are rich in vitamins and minerals, the most necessary of which are phosphorus and calcium. These microelements in the composition of mussels are enough to make up for their deficiency in the children's body.
The beneficial properties of mussels for children are due to the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids in them, the most important of which are omega 3 and omega 6. The lack of these acids leads to disruption of the physical and mental development of children.
Mussels in the diet of a child
The beneficial properties of mussels in children's nutrition will help diversify the daily diet, enriching it with nutrients. It is only important to follow the dietary rules for seafood for the child's body. Mussels should be introduced into the baby’s diet gradually. For a child not older than five years, the daily norm of seafood is not more than 50 gr. For a variety of baby food, it is enough to include mussels in a lunch or afternoon snack no more than once a week.
In doing so, the following rules should be observed:
• mussels should be fresh
• do not give your child raw mussels
• children are forbidden to give mussels
It is preferable to make a baby’s diet from boiled or stewed shellfish, in which you can add a little boiled milk or cream. With this heat treatment of mussels, the body will benefit tremendously.
