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Is Seafood Good For Weight Loss?

Should you be eating fish to try and lose weight?

Seafood is known for its nutritional richness and the health benefits it brings. It is very satiating and, if you know what you are doing, very satisfying too. Seafood is a frequent item of many healthy menus, but is seafood good for weight loss? 

In the following paragraphs, I will explain whether or not seafood is good for weight loss, as well as give you some pointers on using it. 

Why Is Seafood Good for Weight Loss?

Seafood is excellent for losing weight as well as maintaining a healthy weight. Seafood is rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which provide the body with energy making you feel full for a long time after your meal. 

Seafood combined with regular exercise is the expressway to losing weight. Regular and consistent seafood consumption paired with an active lifestyle is very effective in losing weight. 

why you cannot lose stubborn fatSource: Anna Tarazevich on Pexels

Since seafood is packed with protein, it means you don’t need large amounts to keep you moving and maintain your energy levels. Therefore seafood is a great meal idea for both before and after working out. 

Before your workout, your seafood meal will keep you energized and allow you to have a practical workout session. After your workout, it is a great way to restore your energy levels. 

What You Need to Know About Seafood if Trying to Lose Weight?

You must practice caution when consuming seafood, especially fish, as it is high in mercury. So, have seafood for three to four meals a week maximum. Also, avoid having seafood for breakfast and late dinner, as it can be hard on the digestive system if you have it at these times. 

You need to do your protein calculations to know how big your seafood meals should be. An average person needs about 60 grams of protein. Considering that 100 grams of seafood have about 26 grams of protein, you would need to eat about 400 grams of seafood to get your daily protein intake.

Add 0.8 grams of protein for every two pounds, i.e., one kg. The needed daily protein amount increases with weight. So the above calculations apply to a person who weighs 165 pounds or 75 kg. 

is seafood good for weight loss?Source: David Fedulov / Unsplash

This means that you may need to eat over 500 gr. seafood to reach your daily protein intake. As this isn’t practical, and there is such thing as too much seafood, supplement the lacking proteins from chicken or a protein shake.

Introducing a seafood meal three to four times a week for weight loss is a very effective way to cut a few pounds, as those three or four meals will be an excellent substitute for another five to six meals you would regularly have. 

Therefore, on a monthly basis, you will be eating approximately 20 meals less, boosting your energy levels and keeping your body satiated which is why seafood is good for weight loss. Being hungry is never a suitable method for losing weight. 

Read More: 3 Tips on How to Stop Hunger Cravings

Fatty fish are exceptionally good for you, as they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that help increase and maintain your muscle mass and improve your bone health and overall skeletal condition. Consuming omega-3 fatty acids gives you a stronger body and, subsequently, a more enduring stamina so that you can have more effective workout sessions. 

Is All Seafood Good for Weight Loss?

Not all seafood is good for weight loss. You need to eat lean fish to lose weight, meaning that you need fish rich in protein in low in fat (not fatty acids). Also, how you cook your fish is very important, as frying it and getting it soaked in grease will cause weight gain, not weight loss, no matter how lean the fish is.

Another important thing to remember when cutting weight with seafood is how you combine it. Smearing it with butter and slapping it on a bread slice won’t do anything for you. However, pairing it with rice for carbs and salads for fibre will give you a well-balanced meal. 

And lastly, nothing works if you don’t apply. Therefore, a seafood meal every now and then is equal to a no-seafood meal. You need to have three or four seafood meals and keep working out to see results after some time. 

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