# Shrimp: Benifits & Risks



## mugsy27 (Dec 4, 2005)

I was told that shrimp is VERY high in cholesterol.  Is it the shrimp itself, or the way it is cooked (i.e. fried).

Does anyone know if there are benifits to eating shrimp?


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## Constance (Dec 4, 2005)

Mugsy, take a look at this site...it has lots of good info about shrimp. 

http://www.foodmarketexchange.com/datacenter/industry/article/idf_shrimp_drains.htm


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## AllenOK (Dec 4, 2005)

Shrimp store fat in two locations.  There is a big nugget of orangish fat in the head of the shrimp.  If you get heads-on shrimp, you'll see it.  Otherwise, don't worry about that.  The other spot shrimp store fat is in one or two "veins" that run down the back alongside the intestinal tract.  It's been my experience that shrimp only store fat there when they get really big, around 16/20 or slightly bigger.

The only other way I can see shrimp being high in cholesterol is if they are deep-fried.

If you're really worried, try sauteing your shrimp in a little bit of olive oil, or grilling them.  Poached is another classic preparation, for Cocktail Shrimp.


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## buckytom (Dec 4, 2005)

shrimp have about 1 1/2 to 2 times the amount of cholesterol as dark meat chicken (depending on the species of shrimp), but far less than the amount in foods like eggs and liver.

so, if you are on a cholesterol restricted diet (300 mg of cholesterol/day or less), you could have about 4 ozs. of shrimp safely in a day to stay withn your diet.


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## Andy M. (Dec 4, 2005)

According to the USDA's nutrition database, 3 ounces of raw shrimp (edible portion) has 129 mg of cholesterol.  

If you have a cholesterol problem, you should be limiting your cholesterol intake to 300 mg per day.  If your condition is serious, your intake should be 200 mg per day (per American Heart Association guidelines).  

Given those numbers, shrimp is high in cholesterol and leaves you little lea way for the rest of your food intake for the day.  Not to mention that 3 ounces of shrimp doesn't go very far in filling your stomach.

On the plus side, shrimp is very low in saturated fats.


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