Abalone

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

A shellfish loaded with vitamin B12 and iodine, two nutrients that are genuinely hard to get enough of.

Stage by stage

Intake (Chewing begins): Chewing breaks down the dense muscle of the abalone foot.
Stomach (B12 released): Stomach acid frees B12 from its protein binding and pairs it with intrinsic factor.
Small intestine (B12 & iodine absorbed): B12 is absorbed in the lower small intestine; iodine absorbs alongside other minerals.
Nerves & thyroid (Nerve & hormone support): B12 maintains the protective coating around nerves; iodine is used to build thyroid hormone.

Timing

Any meal — B12 and iodine absorption don’t depend on dietary fat.

Time to effect

Weeks: Iodine has almost no storage in the body, so thyroid hormone production depends on regular intake rather than a single serve.

Allergens

Contains: Molluscs. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Pescatarian, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Halal, Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

216 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

13.6 kg CO2e and 3691 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Fish (farmed)" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Pricey — roughly £28 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Vitamin B12
Iodine
Complete protein

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 86.8
Protein: 18.7g
Carbohydrate: 1.6g
of which sugars: 0.4g
Fat: 0.5g
of which saturated: 0.1g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 255mg

Food vs. supplement

A 100g serve provides around 15mcg B12 (over six times the adult RDA) and roughly 190mcg iodine, more than a full day’s requirement — both delivered alongside 18.7g of protein rather than as an isolated dose.

Kitchen tip

Cook it very fast and very hot, or very low and slow — anything in between toughens the flesh.

Common myth

“All shellfish are nutritionally similar.” In reality: Abalone is an outlier among shellfish — its B12 and iodine content runs well above what prawns, lobster, or most fish provide.