Good protein is hard to come by around here in China as I can’t speak to the meat vendors to determine the cut of meat I’m buying which makes it difficult to plan a diet. So I eat a lot of shrimp.
What I hate about shrimp is the whole damn shelling process–it takes so damn long and the results are very quickly consumed. So I decided I’d be lazy and boil and eat them shells, legs, and all. Then I started to wonder–is it healthy to eat the shells?
It states, in short, that present research suggests that eating shrimp shells (actually a chemical that is in them called ‘chitosan’) actually could reduce cholesterol and obesity. I’ve never had much of a problem with that, but I’m all for it if it is available. However, reading further, they never mention if it needs to be extracted through a special process or if just eating it, so I don’t know if I’m getting anything or just shitting it out later. The line that concerned me though, was this:
“Adequate anti-oxidants should be added to chitosan-enriched supplements in order to minimize the degree of oxidative stress to the liver. Further studies are certainly needed to clarify these aspects of chitosan.”
Now I’ve never had a problem with my liver either, but I don’t want to cause too much trouble down there if I can avoid it. So…does anyone else know about the health benefits and/or problems with eating shrimp shells? Is it something that I should concern myself with or should I just proceed as usual?
You’d need a hell of a stomach to digest the shells. It’s not that bad I suppose. As good a colon cleanser as any. But if you live off shrimp, it’s another story…
The one thing China is NOT lacking is food. There is food everywhere. Not only is their strange style of food everywhere, I was able to find buckets of American whey protein for a decent price at the gym I trained at in Changzhou, which is not exactly a bustling metropolis by China’s standards. And in the Shanghai & Beijing areas there is so much western food that it’s ridiculous!
I regularly bought and used the whey and a couple of the Chinese guys I trained with laughed at me saying “Why don’t you just eat FOOD?” And these guys were BIG. One guy was a lot bigger than me. He was probably close to a lean 300 lbs.
In short, I find your statement that good protein is hard to find in China to be inaccurate and misrepresentative.
[quote]lixy wrote:
What’s wrong with poultry over there?[/quote]
Nothing, I eat chicken breasts as well, but variety is good, yes?
[quote]beebuddy wrote:
In short, I find your statement that good protein is hard to find in China to be inaccurate and misrepresentative.[/quote]
[quote]fiction wrote:
Good protein is hard to come by around here in China as I can’t speak to the meat vendors to determine the cut of meat I’m buying which makes it difficult to plan a diet.[/quote]
I find your interpretation of my sentence inaccurate and misrepresentative.
Also, I live in Chongqing which is…well lets just say NOT Shanghai.
[quote]Kailash wrote:
Chitin, from the exoskeletons, is a source of chitosan and glucosamine, with which more people are familiar as a joint supplement.
I’ve eaten the tails on fried shrimp many a time, and never pooped them out whole. So apparently, they are not that difficult to digest.
It seems to me a very healthful thing to do. Consider that our ancestors likely ate quite a few insects, including their exoskeleton.
We could very well have a need for the exoskeleton of arthropods in our diet, especially to ensure optimal health.[/quote]
I’m with you, eaten a few shells and most things were fine.
However - one time, I got a very small piece of shell sitting on the back of my throat from eating shrimp and it was so annoying because it hurt to swallow all day. Not hurt bad, just a very, very, annoying scratch.
I find your interpretation of my sentence inaccurate and misrepresentative.
Also, I live in Chongqing which is…well lets just say NOT Shanghai.[/quote]
lol, fair enough. I still think if you try harder you’ll be fine. Someone else alluded to the fact that eating tons of shellfish is potentially problematic. Not to mention that the shrimp in Asia was banned from US markets not long ago because of I think heavy metal levels were considered toxic. I could be wrong about that but there was, reportedly, something impure about it though.