Scallops: One of the World’s Healthiest Foods

Delicious Scallops with Benefits

Scallops are family members with snails, sea slugs, clams, mussels, octopuses and squid. These marine animals are bivalves, living within two fan-shaped, hinged shells with easily recognizable ridges. Unlike other bivalves, they are free-swimming, opening and closing their shells as they go, using their powerful adductor muscle. That’s the round, fleshy muscle you are eating when you order scallops in a restaurant.

Scallops are delightfully delicious, tender and juicy, and can be grilled, baked, deep fried, broiled, or pan seared. However, did you also know they are one of the world’s super foods beneficial to health?

Studies indicate that including scallops in your diet, thrice a month, battles against ischemic stroke caused by lack of blood supply to the brain. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, in combination with potassium and magnesium, scallops prove to be a heart-friendly food as they lower triglyceride levels and reduce the risk of blood clots, which can cause heart attacks or strokes. Including them to your diet helps you lose weight, by stimulating the rates of metabolism. To make the most of this benefit, do not consume scallops in the fried form or covered with a rich sauce.

The magnesium and potassium in scallops normalize blood pressure. They are also a rich source of vitamin B12, which converts a harmful chemical that can directly damage blood vessel walls, associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. If your diet is high in vitamin B12, you can have low risks for these diseases. Scallops are a powerhouse of omega-3 fatty acids, important for promoting cardiovascular health, easing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, preventing arthritis, combating skin disorders and delaying the growth of cancerous tumours.

According to a study, eating scallops that are broiled or baked, but not fried, may reduce risk of atrial fibrillation, the most common type of heart arrhythmia. The condition is an irregular heartbeat that can be life-threatening, leading to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, or sudden death.

Another study says that a scallop diet (or a fish diet) offers protection against three types of cancer: leukemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma due to its vitamin B12. In a brain cell research, it was found that the DHA in scallops boosts production of a protein which destroys the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. What’s not to love about scallops?

Power Food at our Sushi restaurant in Bothell

Dine on scallops and get protected in many ways. One of the world’s healthiest foods is served at your Japanese restaurant, the Sushi Hana in Bothell.