Meat is a very popular food, and one type of meat popular for people is red meat.
Many types of meat fall into the category of red meat, but not all do. A food people might wonder if it’s a red meat or not is seafood.
In this article, we will discuss if seafood is red meat, the benefits and risks, and finally, how much you should eat.
By the end, you will know everything you need to know about seafood. We promise you that much.
Contents
Does Seafood Count as Red Meat?
There are a lot of meats that fall into the red meat category, but to be one, it has to come from a four-legged mammal and be red in raw form.
Seafood is neither of these things. It’s not from a four-legged mammal, and you will not find any of them to be red when raw.
Some may consider seafood to be meat, while others don’t. It just depends on whom you ask.
However, even if it isn’t red meat, seafood is still very delicious. Once you learn of the benefits, you’ll see why seafood is all the rage.
Benefits of Eating Seafood
Seafood can give your body a lot of benefits overall, and they include:
- There are a lot of essential nutrients found in seafood, such as vitamin A, vitamin B, and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Believe it or not, seafood can help with that annoying joint pain! The reason for this is because of the omega-3 fatty acids. It has inflammatory effects, which is one reason joints may ache.
- Seafood can give you an extra dose of brain power and just improve the health of your brain overall. Omega-3s are to thank for this.
- The nutrients in seafood can help your eyesight. To be specific, it’s vitamin A that can help improve your eyesight.
- Certain types of seafood can help your heart health and lower the chance of strokes and/or heart attacks.
- Finally, seafood can help make your skin and hair healthier. Not the most important thing in the world, but it is a nice added benefit to eating seafood!
However, where there come benefits, there are risks, which we will cover next.
Risks of Eating Seafood
Sadly, some risks come with eating food despite how delicious it might be.
- One big issue with seafood is that it has organic toxins. One such toxin is PBTs, and they can cause immune damage and cancers, among other problems.
- There can be a lot of different bacteria living in seafood. Usually, the result is some kind of GI issue, such as cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Viral infections can be caused by eating seafood. The infections include hepatitis A and Norovirus. Both can cause serious health issues.
- Another thing in seafood is heavy metals. This includes mercury and cadmium. Most of the time, there is just a small amount of seafood, but there is always a chance of getting sick from this.
- One last thing that seafood might give you is a parasite like a tapeworm. Depending on the type of parasite you get, you might end up getting seriously ill.
Seafood is a great type of food to eat, but you should be aware of all the risks that do come with eating seafood. This way, you’ll be prepared!
How Much Seafood Should You Consume?
There is a certain amount of seafood you should consume in a week. For pregnant and breastfeeding individuals as well as children, the weekly amount is smaller than a regular/healthy adult would eat.
If you are a regular healthy adult, then you should be eating about 8 ounces of seafood per week.
Can you eat more? Of course, you can indulge in more now and then, but you don’t want to make a habit of it.
The reason for this is that food needs to be eaten in moderation so you don’t end up getting any of the risks we listed above.
Final Thoughts
And there you go, all you seafood lovers out there! Now you know if seafood counts as red meat, what the benefits and risks there are, and finally, how much you should eat.
There are so many different types of seafood to eat, so you have a wide variety to choose from.
One thing to keep in mind is that you always want to use safe cooking practices. If you do that, then you’ll have no problems!
You might also be interested in the following:
- Is Egg Considered Meat?
- Is Shrimp Considered Red Meat?
- Is Pork Considered Red Meat?
- Is Lamb Considered Red Meat?
- Is Ham Considered Red Meat?
- Is Fish Considered Red Meat?
- Is Chicken Considered Red Meat?
- What Is Considered White Meat?
- What Is Considered Processed Meat?
- What Is Considered Lean Meat?
- What Is Considered Red Meat?
I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.