Carbohydrates in Fish & Shellfish
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Fishing for Weight Loss
I smell fish - and although it's a wild scent, it's a totally boss choice for anyone that is attempting to lose fat because it's so low in caloric content. And if you're monitoring your carbohydrate intake - you won't find any in fish.
For that matter, you won't find any dietary fiber grams, either - and that's not a really great thing.
However, we can add quite a few to our meal by adding one food that is commonly served with fish - cole slaw.
|
|
Shredded cabbage is also naturally low in energy values at about 18 kcals per shredded cup. Did we say 18? We did indeedy! That's hard to imagine, isn't it?
And in that less-than-20 serving we'll also gain about 2 dietary fiber grams.
Cabbage makes up the bulk of slaw ingredients and although it's skinny in caloric values - as well as carbohydrates at 4.06 grams per shredded cup, it's the additional ingredients that we add to our slaw which spike those values.
If we add a Tablespoon or two of full-blown Mayo - then we could be adding over 100 kcals to that cup. Mayo is the most offending additive in this recipe - so why not make a unique slaw?
Rather than the traditional full-blown stuff, what about adding your favorite salad dressing that is of the reduced fat variety?
What about low fat raspberry walnut? Reduced fat poppy seed dressing? We can open up several gates here to exciting paths - all of which lead to delicious flavor combinations as well as fat loss.
|
|
As to the fish - you'll also need to be cautious as to how it's prepared. Frying is delicious as oil adds flavor and texture, along with those kicky breadings.
And let's not forget those delicious dips! But frying also adds fat calories to our fish - and we can't have that while we're trying to lose weight.
Therefore, lets use one of the following cooking methods instead of all that frying: steaming, baking, grilling, pan or oven roasting.
Allergic Reactions to Shellfish, Symptoms
I once had a boss who was high allergic to shellfish - and it wasn't pretty. He told me of one time when he went to a restaurant and ordered lobster.
Soon afterwards, he had difficultly breathing and his face started swelling. He had to seek emergency treatment. Oddly enough, he had eaten shellfish for most of his life and had never experienced a reaction.
In addition, to complicate matters he had recently discovered that he had heart disease. He had just relocated to a new town and the move along was added stress to his life. Now he had a new job to deal with. One week into his new job as CEO, he experienced what doctors refer to as 'the widow maker' - a serious heart attack.
Sadly, he smoked and could never break the habit. Although he tried to embrace a healthy daily diet by adding fish and exercise to his schedule, he couldn't resist fried chicken and cheeseburgers. And he wasn't really that overweight - perhaps twenty pounds at the maximum.
|
|
Even more sadly, about seven years after I worked for him, he experienced a fatal heart attack while driving on the freeway.
He had been fired from his job about a week before - and all that stress was simply too much on his heart, combined with a poor diet and his inability to quit smoking.
It's a very sad and unfortunate story but one that we can learn from.
In Summary
On a more positive note, let's take a look at the carbohydrate values found in fish as well as shellfish that we have listed in our data table below. As a side note, most contain about 100 calories per three ounces of cooked fish.
Carbohydrate Grams in Fish
Most fish contain zero or negligible carbs except for the following. Data based on three ounce serving size.
Catfish - 7 g
Atlantic Croaker breaded & fried - 6.5 g
Pickled Herring - 9 g
Octopus, raw, 2 g
Squid - 7 g when fried
Surimi - 6 g
Carbs in Shellfish
Per 3 Ounces, Fried Unless Noted Otherwise
Abalone - 10 g
Clams - 20 g
Steamed Alaskan King Crab - 0 g
Steamed Soft-Shell Crab - 32 g
Steamed Lobster - 1 g
Steamed Mussels - 6 g
Oysters - 10 g
Scallops - 3 g
Shrimp - 10 g
Steamed Whelks - 13 g
Related Articles
For a leaner you....
As fish go, they are overall very low in dietary fat where some species are concerned - and even in the fattier fish, they are mined with Omega 3's which can assist in improved health...
Dieting Tips for Fish, Omega 3's
How many times per week should you include fish and shellfish on your meal plate as the main protein? If you answered two times per week, good for you!
Diet Bites is a Trademark