Octopus
Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps
Octopus is a lean, protein-packed seafood loaded with vitamin B12 and minerals — despite its odd reputation, it's easy on saturated fat.
Stage by stage
- Chewing & Breakdown (Mouth & Stomach): Chewing breaks the firm octopus flesh into smaller pieces for digestion.
- Protein Digestion (Stomach): Stomach acid and pepsin unfold the muscle proteins into peptides and free amino acids.
- Nutrient Absorption (Small Intestine): The small intestine absorbs amino acids along with vitamin B12, selenium, copper, and iron.
- Tissue Use (Muscles & Nerves): These nutrients travel to muscles, nerves, and blood cells, supporting protein repair, oxygen transport, and antioxidant defenses.
Timing
There's no special timing requirement — octopus's protein, B12, selenium, and copper are absorbed efficiently as part of a normal meal.
Time to effect
- Weeks to months: Amino acids from octopus start supporting muscle repair within a couple of hours of eating, but correcting a vitamin B12 or selenium shortfall through diet generally takes several weeks of consistent intake to show up in blood markers.
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
213 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
Mid — roughly £11 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 77.4
- Protein: 16.6g
- Carbohydrate: 0g
- of which sugars: 0g
- Fat: 1.2g
- of which saturated: 0.3g
- Fibre: 0g
- Sodium: 204mg
Food vs. supplement
Octopus supplies vitamin B12 bundled with selenium, copper, iron, and complete protein, offering a nutrient package that a single-ingredient B12 supplement can't replicate.
Kitchen tip
Braise or pressure-cook octopus low and slow (or sous-vide around 85°C) rather than flash-searing it raw, since fast high heat toughens its collagen-rich muscle before it has time to gelatinize.
Common myth
"Octopus is bad for your heart because it's so high in cholesterol." In reality: A 100 g cooked serving contains roughly 90 mg of cholesterol, but octopus is very low in saturated fat (under 1 g per 100 g), and current dietary guidance emphasizes that saturated fat — not dietary cholesterol — is the primary driver of blood LDL cholesterol for most people.
Recipes that use it
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In the glossary
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