Two of my favorite proteins are octopus and squid. I rarely ever read or hear anything about their nutritional profiles.
Can you enlighten me?
– Paul (last name withheld) San Clemente, CA
The United States consumes a lot less seafood than many other countries, and that is especially the case with these two mollusks. In Japan, Portugal, and Spain, however, octopus is as common as canned tuna.
A 3-ounce serving of cooked octopus delivers:
139 calories
2 grams of fat (of which none are saturated)
240 milligrams of sodium
25 grams protein
510% of the Daily Value of vitamin B12
45% of the Daily Value of iron
11% of the Daily Value of vitamin C
Just so you get an idea, a 3-ounce serving of chicken breast delivers five percent of the Daily Value of B12 and iron! In fact, on an ounce-by-ounce basis, octopus packs in four times as much iron as — and 20 times the B12 of — beef.
When simply grilled, squid has similar caloric and fat values to octopus. However, squid offers less sodium and protein. Squid is also void of any vitamin C and contains a substantially lower amount of iron and vitamin B12, but is home to 90% of a day’s worth of copper.
The main issue with squid is that most people consume it in a breaded and deep fried form (calamari), which they then dip into sauces high in fat and sodium.
Can you enlighten me?
– Paul (last name withheld)
San Clemente, CA
The United States consumes a lot less seafood than many other countries, and that is especially the case with these two mollusks. In Japan, Portugal, and Spain, however, octopus is as common as canned tuna.
A 3-ounce serving of cooked octopus delivers:
Just so you get an idea, a 3-ounce serving of chicken breast delivers five percent of the Daily Value of B12 and iron! In fact, on an ounce-by-ounce basis, octopus packs in four times as much iron as — and 20 times the B12 of — beef.
When simply grilled, squid has similar caloric and fat values to octopus. However, squid offers less sodium and protein. Squid is also void of any vitamin C and contains a substantially lower amount of iron and vitamin B12, but is home to 90% of a day’s worth of copper.
The main issue with squid is that most people consume it in a breaded and deep fried form (calamari), which they then dip into sauces high in fat and sodium.
No CommentsVitamin B12, You Ask/I Answer, calories, iron, octopus, protein, saturated fat, sodium, squid, vitamin C