YOU ALREADY i know you should be eating more seafood to improve your health.
The USDA Current dietary guidelines set a goal of at least 8 oz of seafood per week to reap the nutritional benefits.
And, like a registered dietitian, I know these benefits well because I preach them to my clients. Seafood offers lean protein, for a reasonable amount of calories, and many varieties are loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, as well as other vitamins and minerals.
But when it comes to seafood, I’m so tired of hearing about salmon and tuna, salmon and tuna. With shrimp, that trio makes up the most popular seafood in North America.
There’s nothing wrong with salmon and tuna from a nutritional perspective, it’s just that there is a class of seafood that is underrated and forgotten.
I’m talking about mussels, oysters, clams, scallops and shellfish—bivalves.
Bivalves are loaded with nutrients and protein, offer tons of flavor, and are incredibly sustainable.
“I see canned bivalves as a win-win situation,” says the registered dietitian, kate geagan. “Canned mussels, clams and even oysters are for consumers looking for convenient, versatile and healthy proteins that are also sustainable. Each one is further down the food chain, helping to clean our waterways and creating more diverse and resilient coastal ecosystems. Bite for bite, none of the farmed bivalves require inputs and each offers a host of beneficial nutrients like omega 3, vitamin B12, zinc and iron.”
But it’s not just the nutrient density of bivalves that makes them winners. Bivalves are like filters for the ocean, cleaning the water, adding oxygen to the bottom waters and building proteins with the nutrients they take in, while sequestering carbon to build their own shells without needing a single input.
What’s more, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they also help control algae blooms, provide habitats for other marine life, and filter excess nitrogen, biotoxins, and pathogenic microorganisms from the waters.
They are like the supermen of the waterways.
It’s true that bivalves can be a bit intimidating if you didn’t grow up eating them. And you might think that they are expensive, fancy or difficult to prepare.
So here’s a solution to all that: Try them jarred or canned.
Tossing canned clams into a pasta dish or eating smoked mussels with crackers can be easy ways to start incorporating these foods into your diet. (Even our 12-year-old daughter surprised us all when she, after trying canned mussels, now regularly orders them for an after-school snack.)
melissa tse
This is also likely thanks to the high-quality, tasty options created by some artisanal seafood canneries, one of which is To explorea company that changes the game by crafting chef-inspired, artisan recipes inside every can.
Adam Bent, company co-founder and CEO, talks about how SCOUT is making a splash with canned seafood: “Built on the heritage of the seafood industry, where canneries were a staple in communities North American coastal fisheries and local fishermen bring their catch in for preservation, much like a fine charcuterie.”
Or, should we say, SEAcuterie. (Sorry.)
Bivalves offer a protein that is overlooked by consumers and are one of my top picks from a health and sustainability standpoint. If you’re looking for portable, sustainable, and delicious whole food proteins that can be made into a great dining experience or an easy on-the-go snack, do as my daughter does and turn to the sea.
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