Carbs in shellfish

(Darlene Horsley) #1

When is a carb is a carb is a carb? I was going to snack on some smoked oysters yesterday but then had to change my mind as it would have thrown me completely out of my carb macro.

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Crab legs
(CharleyD) #2

Oh no! I used to love a dozen raw oysters, Tabasco and extra horseradish please…

Seriously 5 to 5.5g of carbs? Is there a silver lining or is it just glucose/glycogen in those phlegmy little boogers?

(Sophie) #3

@Dipper_Actual

So nasty. Oysters aren’t proper unless they are steamed until they pop open or deep fried. Puuulease!

And what’s up with the shrimp numbers? I’ll take the shrimp, cooked, at the bottom and pass on the shrimp, steamed, that’s listed just under the Dungeness crab (which would be mighty friggin awesome actually, only because I haven’t had them in many a year)!

(Darlene Horsley) #4

I love oysters on the half shell with lemon, cocktail sauce and Tabasco! At any rate here’s the skinny:
The fuel that supplies rigor mortis is stored muscle glycogen, and once this fuel is expended, rigor mortis resides and muscle meats contain virtually zero glycogen and hence zero carbohydrate.

An interesting sidelight of this observation is that only a very few animal foods contain carbohydrate after death. Liver in mammals escapes rigor mortis and typically contains about 5% carbohydrate. Fish flesh contains virtually no carbohydrate. Not so for shellfish. The table below shows the carbohydrate content of various shellfish long after their death.1 Note that a number of shellfish contain a significant percentage of calories (10 – 25%) as carbohydrate including oysters, mussels, abalone, whelk, clams, octopus and scallops.1

Shellfish | The Paleo Diet

Does this information mean that you should restrict shellfish consumption on a contemporary Paleo Diet? Absolutely not! Overall, their carbohydrate content is minimal and occurs with a high protein and omega 3 fatty acid intake – both factors which improve your carbohydrate metabolism. Shellfish are one of the most healthful, high protein foods you can consume to improve your glucose and insulin metabolism and reduce your risk for chronic disease. Additionally shellfish are nutrient dense foods rich in zinc, B vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids which improve immune function and resistance to the diseases of western civilization.

Cordially,

Loren Cordain, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus

(CharleyD) #5

We have them in all kinds of ways down here in the South, but lately I’ve grown accustomed to getting them them whichever way is fastest. May need to recalculate that route! Baked with garlic and parmesan was my fallback position.

I dunno, at my stage I could likely handle a half dozen without too much trouble :thinking:

(CharleyD) #6

I could say something about how she should mind the qualitative judgment type statements. Also mind the permissiveness if the above is directed at any T2DM paleo audience.

I guess what I’ve learned most over the course of this year of keto WOE is to be mindful of what I eat. Now that I know why shellfish retain glucose I know to limit them. Easy peasy.

(Darlene Horsley) #7

Agreed! I’ll gladly ditch a few leafy carbs on any given day to have some oysters. :smile:

(Doug) #8

Okay - I get Sophie’s share of raw oysters then. :sunglasses:

(Sophie) #9

Oh no you don’t! I was born 'n raised in Savannah, Ga. and I’ve been to my fair share of oyster roasts over the years. I’ll just keep those raw oysters and make my dad’s killer oyster stew TYVM! :yum:

(Darlene Horsley) #10

I love Savannah!! I’m in the mountains of North Georgia up in Blairsville. My favorite aunt lived in Savannah for years and she was always my summer vacation. LOL

(Sophie) #11

Now y’all know why I’m JustPeachy! :wink:
And I’ve been in Chattanooga for about 6yrs now. We used to always come up here for our vacations! lol Savannah is too blasted hot in the summertime. We leave it to the touristas. The game is to go downtown and watch them drop like flies. :hushed:

(Darlene Horsley) #12

Yup Savannah in the summer is brutal that’s for sure!Lol Still chuckling over watching them “drop like flies”.

(Regina Page) #13

I knew the carbs were low with shellfish, thankfully my very large and supportive family in addition to cooking a traditional thanksgiving dinner gave me a seafood boil with snow crab shrimp mushrooms cauliflower and sausages. I could not have been happier.