Shrimp

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

High in cholesterol on paper, with far less effect on your blood than once believed.

Stage by stage

Intake (Lean protein structure): Chewing breaks down its lean, dense protein structure.
Stomach (Protein digestion begins): Protein digestion begins quickly given its low fat content.
Small intestine (Selenium & B12 absorbed): Selenium, B12, and amino acids are absorbed.
Immune & thyroid tissue (Antioxidant enzyme support): Absorbed selenium supports antioxidant enzymes and thyroid-related function.

Timing

Any meal, standard serving.

Time to effect

Hours: Selenium and B12 are absorbed within hours of eating.

Allergens

Contains: Crustaceans. May contain: Sulphites. 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

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

Environmental footprint

26.9 kg CO2e and 3515 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Prawns (farmed)" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

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

Key nutrients

Selenium
Vitamin B12
Lean protein
Iodine

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 59
Protein: 13.2g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 0.6g
of which saturated: 0.1g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 509mg

Food vs. supplement

Shrimp is high in dietary cholesterol, but for most people dietary cholesterol has a much smaller effect on blood cholesterol than saturated fat does — shrimp itself is very low in saturated fat.

Kitchen tip

It cooks in just 2 to 3 minutes per side - overcooking is the most common reason it turns rubbery.

Common myth

“Shrimp is bad for your cholesterol because it’s high in cholesterol.” In reality: Research has shifted toward saturated fat being the bigger dietary driver of blood cholesterol for most people — shrimp is naturally low in saturated fat.