Wild American Shrimp Pack Nutritional Punch (NAPSA)—Americans are wild about shrimp—steamed, boiled, fried, baked, grilled, poached and barbecued—and now there’s a nutritious new option—Wild American shrimp. Wild American shrimp now have their own certification mark, guaranteeing a product that is caught in the wild and certified to meet consistent quality standards. This sweet, premium-quality seafood is caught in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. “We want to inform consumers so they can make educated decisions about the seafood they’re eating,” said Elaine Knight, president of Wild American Shrimp, Inc., a newly formed nonprofit corporation. As a good source of cardio-protective omega-3 fatty acids, wildcaught shrimp are a nutritious choice for discriminating diners. A three-ounce serving supplies nearly 18 gramsof protein, almost a third of the adult daily requirement. Wild-caught shrimp have just 84 calories, less than one gram of fat and less than one gram of carbohydrates. While the cholesterol count is similar to lean red meat—166 milligrams in three ounces—a study at Rockefeller University found that steamed shrimp do not adversely affect the lipoprotein profile in people with normal cholesterol levels. In the study, shrimp’s high levels of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids raised the HDL (goodcholesterol) levels more than it Shrimp are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, niacin, iron and selenium. increased the levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), and the resulting HDL to LDL ratio was favorable. “In fact,” said Dr. Elizabeth De Oliveira e Silva, one study author, ‘if shrimp are substituted for beef or other high fat foods, we predict even morefavorable effects.” Studies have found that shrimp are an excellent source of vitamin D as well as niacin and iron. Shrimp are also an excellent sourceof: * selenium, which exhibits anti-cancer properties * vitamins B12 and B6, which are needed to maintain low levels of homocysteine, a molecule that can damageblood vessel walls All in all shrimpdeliver a powerful nutritional punch and discerning consumers now have a way to certify where these nutritional powerhousesoriginate.
