What a Dietitian Wants You to Know Before Your Next Seafood Boil

What to order at Seafood Boil | MyFitnessPal

This dish is all over the internet. How do you make a healthy seafood boil?

The post What a Dietitian Wants You to Know Before Your Next Seafood Boil appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.

What to order at Seafood Boil | MyFitnessPal

You’ve seen it all over social media this summer: seafood boils are one of the hottest food trends online right now. Imagine a covered table with a couple plates on the perimeter and an enormous pile of seafood, corn, potatoes, and sausage in the middle. The food is smothered in a flavorful sauce, and just the sight of the food makes your mouth water. Sounds delicious, right?

Seafood boil is often viewed as a special occasion meal—but with a couple of ingredient tweaks, it can actually be a nutrient-rich meal that supports your goals. So, what little tweaks can you make to create a seafood boil a dietitian would approve of? Well, we asked one. Here’s what MyFitnessPal registered dietitian Lauren Cuda has to say about it.

Picking Your Protein

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that you eat at least 8 ounces of seafood per week (1). There’s a host of different seafood options that restaurants and grocery stores offer to go into your seafood boil—but what is considered the best, nutritionally?

Lobster

With its chewy texture and coveted flavor, lobster is a lean protein that is low in saturated fat and high in minerals like calcium and potassium (2). However, a 100 g serving of lobster (equivalent to one tail) contains 535 mg of sodium (2), which is about 23% of the daily recommended sodium limit. “It’s best to monitor sodium intake throughout the rest of the day,” says Cuda.

Crab

Crab is a sweet, slightly buttery, and tender seafood that is another great lean protein source. Its nutritional benefits are very similar to lobster, but crab has slightly fewer calories and less sodium (3). A 100 g serving of crab provides 17% of the daily recommended sodium intake.

Crawfish

While lobster and crab are more popular on America’s coasts, crawfish are a Southern staple, particularly in Louisiana. Crawfish are another lean protein, but have the added benefit of containing high amounts of vitamin B-12 (4). Crawfish contain a lower sodium content than lobster and crab, so Cuda says they’re a good choice if you’re watching your salt intake.