WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM FOOTBALL?

Today's blog was originally going to wrap up the seafood topic; but I'm at my in-laws' house and I don't have my notes, so we're going to take off on a tangent. After all, it's Sunday, and that means it's a day full of wonderful NFL games.

Before you immediately bail on this blog, let me just say:

1. You don't have to be a football fan to learn something useful today.

2. I really like watching football, and basketball for that matter, but I'm by no means a fanatic fan and I'm not going to bore you with a long tribute to sports.

3. Even if you hate NFL football, you can learn something relevant to your health by watching a football game. Or at least by reading today's blog.

FOOTBALL INJURIES: A WONDER OF NATURE

If you watch a football game, it's obvious that people get hurt quite a bit. But given the size of the players, the speed at which they travel, and the body-to-body impact that occurs, it's not how often players DO get injured that's surprising. I think, and my practice partners agree, that what's surprising is how often players DO NOT get injured in these high-impact, intense games. Let's look into 3 types of injuries that don't occur as often as they should, and why.

HEAD INJURIES

Actually, head injuries occur constantly in football. You hear about them sometimes, but the true number of head injuries is hard to estimate, because players are sent back into the game even with relatively major concussions. That's part of football. I'm not even sure a concussion is considered an injury in football. In any case, why aren't there more serious head injuries?

Answer: HELMETS. Helmet technology has improved drastically over the years, and will continue to do so. Any doctor who treats athletes will see people who have sustained severe concussions, even with helmets on. But the feared head injuries (skull fractures, intracranial bleeds, ruptured blood vessels in the brain) are much more common in athletes that are not wearing helmets. Most of you probably don't play full-contact football. But if you bike, ski, snowboard, skateboard, or rollerblade, please do yourself a favor: Wear a helmet. It's the easiest way to avoid the most dreaded type of sports-related injury.

BY THE WAY, THANK YOU: To motorcycle riders who don't wear helmets. They are are largest contributor of brain-dead bodies (namely, themselves); and brain-dead bodies are our largest source of organs for transplant. I fully support motorcycle riders not wearing helmets, as long as their organ-donation cards are filled out.

KNEE INJURIES

The serious knee injuries that are common in football are also common in recreational weekend sports that we all do from time to time. This injuries include tears of the ACL or PCL ligaments, meniscal tears, fractures, and tears of the ligaments on the sides of the knees, known as the collateral ligaments. When I watch NFL football, I'm amazed that ligament and meniscus tears don't occur in huge numbers. How is it that a lineman can dive helmet-first into your favorite quarterback's knee, and not cause a tear?

Answer: KNEE STABILITY. You can stabilize your knee with a brace (especially the expensive, hinged kind), your you can build your knee stability internally. Knee stability is largely a function of the pure strength of the muscles around the knee, especially the muscles of the thigh. Keeping your quadriceps and hamstring muscles strong means that the ligaments and cartilage in the knee joint have extra support, and can take more abuse. Want some specific exercises? Try the following next time you're at a gym:

1. Quad extensions (on a weight machine)

2. Hamstring curls (on the machine where you lie on your stomach and pull your feet up toward your butt)

3. Seated leg presses

4. Standing hamstring curls (on the cable machine)

If you need more exercises or info on how to build strong thighs, ask one of those incredibly fit, handsome trainers most gyms have walking around these days.

BACK INJURIES

Surprisingly, football players get back injuries less commonly than the average Joe who shovels snow, lifts boxes, helps a friend move, or does any of the other activities of life that stress the low back. If you've ever had a "slipped disk" or "low back strain," you know it can be fairly disabling, and you also know that it may come back to visit- frequently. Some studies suggest that back pain absorbs more time and money than any other condition in the American health care system. With all the impact to the spine, pile-ups, hyperextensions, falls, and collisions, why don't football players constantly injure their backs?

Answer: CORE STRENGTH.

You've probably heard about building or strengthening your "core" these days, even if you don't do Pilates, yoga, martial arts, or boxing. Strengthening your "core" simply means keeping your abdominal and low-back muscles strong. The reason to do this is essentially the same reason you want to stabilize your knees: your core muscles add layers of stability and strength to your otherwise vulnerable spine, spinal nerves, disks, and other ligaments in the back. It's never too late to build up core strength. In fact, it's the foundation of treating back pain and even the most severe back injuries. Core strength also protects the spine from injuries, by supporting the vulnerable structures and absorbing forces on the spine.

Football players spend a ton of time working on their abdominal and low-back muscles- a fact that is evident if you've ever seen a picture of a running back with his shirt off. Even those 350-pound offensive lineman have a dense wall of abdominal musculature underneath all that spare tire. That's a big part of why the backs of football players can take a ton of abuse without causing disabling pain.

So how do you strengthen your core? Most gyms have machines to help you do this, and the exercises in Pilates, yoga, and martial arts also have numerous moves designed to keep the core strong. Crunches and sit-ups are the most well-known abdominal exercises, and these work great. I recommend also doing low-back exercises, such as forward bends and back extensions (you need a piece of equipment called a "Roman chair" to do these right, but most gyms have these).

Obviously there are far more parts of the body to injure, and many more techniques to avoid injury, than we've covered here. But this is enough to help you get started, and maybe enough to help you appreciate the resilience of NFL players.

RESPONSIBLE SEAFOOD PART 2

ANNOUNCEMENT: I never quite knew where to put my responses to reader comments, my updates on past topics, and my corrections and explanations to various items I'd neglected, so time and again I've been in the habit of doing a whole blog entry to attend to those matters. From now on, to keep new topics coming, I'm creating a section at the end of the blog called "LEFTOVERS," where I'll address those items, unless a topic is large enough that I can do a substantial blog entry devoted to it.

Hopefully by now some of my readers are eating more seafood, and perhaps finding the sustainably caught or farmed finfish in stores near them. I know it's not always easy. I thought it would be easier to find responsible shellfish, until I read about them and checked out my local supermarket. It was "slim pickins," but then again I was at a major chain grocery store.

As with the other fish, you can get more information about good seafood choices on the web site www.seafoodwatch.org, from which I boosted most of the below information.

RESPONSIBLE SHELLFISH TO EAT:

1. CLAMS, farmed (apparently farmed anywhere is OK according to seafoodwatch.org)

2. CRAB, stone and Dungeness crabs (this seems too good to be true, as local Bay Area sources tell me that Dungeness crab is fast becoming overfished on the West Coast- hopefully seafoodwatch will have an update on this at some point)

3. LOBSTER, U.S. Spiny lobster(wild)

4. MUSSELS, farmed

5. OYSTERS, farmed

6. SCALLOPS, farmed (Bay scallops only)

7. OYSTERS, wild (unfortunately, there is a "mercury warning" on this one)

8. SHRIMP, U.S. ONLY (farmed or wild, but these are considered OK choices, not "Best Choices"). Alas, it seems that no shrimp are great choices.

YOU'RE MOST LIKELY to find U.S. shrimp, or farmed Bay scallops, at a typical grocery store. Fortunately, these are healthy food choices and at least the farmed Bay scallops are considered a "Best Choice" by seafoodwatch.org. If you're lucky enough to live near the coast, you may commonly find such delicacies as Spiny lobster, wild oysters, and stone crabs. In fact, stone crabs are easy to catch yourself if you live near a pier. And they are simply delicious!

NEXT BLOG: we're going to get more into some more exotic fish, mollusks such as squid, and more about fish you can catch yourself.

LEFTOVERS

1. Tilapia: apparently not all farmed U.S. Tilapia are without problems- check the reader comments on my last seafood blog, a reader has a great link to a site that "fleshes out" the facts about Tilapia.

2. Drug questions? Some of my own patients have brought up some amazing questions about pharmaceuticals lately; questions that have sent me off to hit the textbooks and to hit up my pharmacists for more info. If you're on any drugs, prescribed or otherwise, feel free to ask any questions here.

3. Finally, my favorite: What ILLNESS does Kenley from the show "Project Runway" have?

I spent all day thinking about this one. But I need to restrain myself, because of the following disclaimer, which you must read before reading any further:

-I don't know Kenley at all and have never met her.

-I'm not a psychiatrist.

-She may be acting. After all, she should have been fired at least 3 episodes ago. Why do they keep her on? Because a "crazy person" stirring up drama makes a show more exciting. She may be getting paid under the table to act nuts.

-If she does have a mental illness that she's struggling with, it would be harsh to rip on her about it. Unlike her, I'm actually nice to most people and feel guilty making fun of them, unless they are myself.

SO, I'm simply going to list the diagnoses that I've been WONDERING about, when I see her behavior on television. You'll have to find out more about them on your own.

1. (Most likely, in my limited opinion): Narcisisstic personality disorder, quite possibly with antisocial features.

2. Borderline personality disorder with psychotic features.

3. Bipolar depression (currently in bipolar mania part of the cycle).

How she behaves in future episodes may help narrow down this entirely speculative list.

THANKS, PROPS, AND ADMISSIONS BY DR. TOFUHEAD

Short but sweet: that will be today's blog. As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded how much I have to be thankful for.

THANKS:

1. V., for pointing out that Adeline penguins get pink eye. The question of why disparate species can get the same diseases is complicated, and, I believe, has critical clues as to the nature of disease and immunity. Why, for example, do humans, monkeys, birds, mice, and lizards get malaria, while many other species don't? Why do penguins get pink eye, when other mammals closer to humans don't? These issues continue to perplex and amaze me.

2. Mrs. Church for kind comments about my seafood blog. Her blog, The Leather District Gourmet, is amazing, and several quantum leaps in quality above this one. Check it out.

3. Anonymous, for the comments about bird flu. He or she points out that bird flu can be cured by early administration of a medication called osteltamivir (Tamiflu) in specialized hospital. I do agree that early hospitalization of patients with bird flu, who need intensive supportive care, can save lives. But unfortunately there is no scientific evidence that osteltamevir, steroids, or any of the other medications impact the clinical course of this disease. I stand my my assertion that prevention and avoidance are the best approach to bird flu. But I welcome, thank, and listen to people who disagree with me because that's how I learn new things.

PROPS:

To my brother who puts all the images in this blog and helps me learn how to blog in general. I'm not good with most things technological and computer-related, and I could never have gotten this blog off the ground without him.

ADMISSIONS:

1. It's becoming more clear by the day that I'm pretty much the only person I know who thinks camo clothing is fashionable. I stand by that assertion, much like some folks stand by the assertion that the Earth is still flat.

2. I love Crocs and think they look great. But you should know that most people disagree. You should also know that the history and management of that company is so thoroughly dysfunctional that the story of Crocs reads like a bad soap opera. The Crocs company got greedy, and too big for their britches, and as a result there are literally millions of pairs of Crocs in warehouses across the globe gathering dust. That's a lot of plastic, and a lot of waste, and a lot of investors in Crocs lost their shirts. So a message to the Crocs company: GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER. I won't support your company much longer.

3. Want some good clogs? Skip Crocs for now, and invest in some Danskos. I think they look great, for whatever that's worth.

4. I'm addicted to the show "Project Runway."

5. Despite my encyclopedic knowledge of food, nutrition, and health, I have calculated that I am approximately 23 pounds overweight and have started a new diet. I'll let you know how it works. When I tell you that you should eat something, you should probably eat less of that thing than I would in one sitting.

XXXOOO

Dr. Tofuhead

RESPONSIBLE SEAFOOD: PART 1

All day long I find myself looking at bad cholesterol numbers, and high blood pressures, and singing a similar song to my patients: Eat More Seafood. Eat More Vegetables. Exercise More.

It's pretty simple to live a healthy lifestyle, when you really think about it. But some of these things need elucidation, especially if you're thinking about more than just a healthy "you." What if you're thinking about a healthy planet? I know I am. I want to keep my own body, my family, my community, and my patients healthy. But JUST AS importantly: I want my planet to be healthy. Perhaps that's even more important. After all, if we don't have a healthy planet to support us, what use is our own health?

As you know from my recent blog, when a doctor tells you to "eat more seafood," you can include shellfish on your shopping list. But as you may also know, seafood, including shellfish, is a complicated issue. Which seafood items are fished or farmed in a manner that respects the environment? Which fish are overfished? Which fish are farmed in a manner that destroys ocean and watershed ecosystems? Which fish are loaded with mercury and other harmful contaminants?

RESPONSIBLE SEAFOOD THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU

If you read no further, read this: the web site that will tell you everything you need to know about seafood: www.seafoodwatch.org. This site was created by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, and it's updated frequently. Rather than just telling you what NOT to eat, this site gives you lists of seafood products that ARE safe to eat, that ARE readily available, and that ARE fished or farmed in a sustainable manner. Yes, the lists do get long and complicated, but that's just because there are many organisms that can be described as "seafood."

SEAFOOD TO EAT: FINFISH

Here are the best choices. Keep in mind the SAME fish can be a sustainable choice or a TERRIBLE choice, depending on how it was raised or caught. If you don't know, ask the person at the seafood counter of your store. If they don't know, leave the store and go somewhere else.

People have NO BUSINESS selling stuff they don't know about, especially if it's food.

EAT THESE:

1. FARMED U.S. Catfish (easy to find)

2. PACIFIC wild Halibut (moderately easy to find)

3. ALASKA WILD Salmon (sometimes hard to find)

4. ALASKA WILD Pollock (hard to find)

5. U.S. FARMED Tilapia (easy to find)

6. FARMED Rainbow trout (easy to find)

7. U.S. or BRITISH COLUMBIA, trolled or pole-caught Albacore Tuna (hard to find)

8. Trolled or pole-caught Skipjack (I've never heard of it)

9. LAKE, TRAP-NET caught Whitefish (moderately easy to find)

10. U.S. FARMED Barramundi (I don't know where to find it)

THE EASY BOTTOM LINE

If the above is too complex for you, let me recommend my favorite 3, easy-to-find, very healthy and large finfish. There are lots of little healthy fish, but today I'm talking about fish that are nice as fat fillets and steaks, when you want a big slab of yummy fish:

1. U.S. Farmed Tilapia: it's hard NOT to find this fish in food stores. Can be used in any recipe that calls for Halibut, trout, sole, flounder, catfish, or other "whitefish."

2. Wild Alaskan Salmon: you might need to go to a specialized meat or seafood store for this, or a Whole Paycheck Market. I rarely see this in the normal chain supermarkets, which are awash with Atlantic Salmon and farmed salmon, both of which are BAD CHOICES for the planet. If you don't know how to cook salmon, post a comment. I've got recipes.

3. Farmed Rainbow Trout: this is still my favorite fish to pan-fry with a bit of butter, lemon, and salt and pepper. I consider it the "flank steak" of fish: lean, tasty, and delicious without a lot of spices or sauces needed. I see it in most of the grocery stores I go to.

NEXT BLOG: SEAFOOD TO EAT- THE SHELLFISH

PINK EYE IS NOT THAT BAD

It's "Pink Eye" season, as well as flu season. Like most terms for diseases, "Pink Eye" is a term that gets batted around freely, and usually inaccurately. Let's clear up this concept a bit.

WHAT IS PINK EYE?
Pink eye is better known as "infectious conjunctivitis," a contagious infection of the eye which is fortunately very benign. There are strange varieties of this in the developing world, but here in the U.S. there are just 2 main types. Both cause the eye or eyes to be red, painful, itchy, sensitive to light, and sometimes full of mucus and pus. Pink eye lasts weeks. If your eyes are itchy, watery, or bothersome intermittently for months or years, you don't have pink eye, you have eye allergies.
THE 2 TYPES OF PINK EYE:
1. Viral conjunctivitis- this accounts for more than 90% of cases of pink eye. There is no cure, you just have to suffer for 2-4 weeks until it goes away. Most people, including doctors, incorrectly think that you need antibiotic eye drops to treat this. You don't. Antibiotic eye drops for viral pink eye will either do nothing, or make your eyes burn more.
2. Bacterial conjunctivitis- this causes about 5-10% of cases of pink eye. It usually affects just one eye, and is not quite as contagious to others. This type of pink eye gets gradually worse without treatment with antibiotic drops, and it DOES NOT go away on its own.
HOW DO YOU TELL VIRAL PINK EYE FROM BACTERIAL PINK EYE?
Fortunately, it's not that hard. Bacterial pink eye (the one that requires antibiotic drops) produces large amounts of white or yellow pus in the eye, so that in the morning the eye is crusty and initially hard to open. It's quite painful, and while it can be in both eyes, it's usually just in one eye. It also progresses; each day it gets more red, more painful, and there is more pus. So if you think you have bacterial pink eye, see your doctor!
By contrast, the common viral pink eye is very annoying, but does not get worse day by day. It can be painful and irritating, and it easily spreads to the other eye. It can also produce a lot of mucus in the eye, but this is usually clear mucus that is sticky in the morning and more "runny" the rest of the day. It's not white or yellow mucus. NO eye drops will shorten the duration of viral pink eye.
HOW DOES PINK EYE SPREAD?
1. Bacterial: infected body secretions have to actually get into your eye to give you bacterial pink eye. Babies can get it just from being born, via contact with vaginal bacteria (all babies are usually given a dose of eye ointment at birth to prevent this). But you can probably get it from the saliva, snot, or eye secretions of your child, spouse, or friend. So if someone you're in close contact with probably has bacterial pink eye, see your doctor if your eye starts bothering you.
2. Viral: viral pink eye is very contagious. It almost seems to spread via "ESP" or perhaps through the "fabric of the universe." It's possible that it can travel on water vapor in the air, and just "land on" your eye. It certainly can be spread by close contact with infected people, especially if you happen to rub your eye. If your child has viral pink eye, I suggest you simply get some sunglasses and assume you'll have it within the week.
HOW DO YOU TREAT PINK EYE?
1. Bacterial: get some antibiotic drops from your doctor; most eye doctors and optometrists can write a prescription for these as well. Put a cold, wet towel over your closed eye for 10 minutes periodically- it can be very soothing. Take ibuprofen or naproxen for the pain. You'll be better soon.
2. Viral: you can try anti-inflammatory drops such as Naphcon, Zaditor, Ophcon, or Visine; they usually don't help much. A lubricating drop such as "Artificial Tears" is probably more helpful. Use a cool compress on your eye or eyes when you have time. Wear sunglasses. Try some ibuprofen or naproxen. Rest. You won't be better that soon, but there are worse diseases to have.
WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE PINK EYE, BACTERIAL OR VIRAL:
-Don't wear contact lenses
-Don't swim in chlorinated pools (not dangerous to do, just painful)
-Don't handle other people's small children
-Don't get eye surgery
-Don't ask your doctor for narcotics (we know it doesn't hurt that bad)

THE FLU SHOT: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes, it's almost flu season again. That means it's the season when many people will start spreading various myths, inaccuracies, untrue stories, and other nonsense about the flu shot and why they don't get it. I don't care that much- people are free to skip out on getting flu shots if they want to. I just want you to know the facts about it, so that you can make an INTELLIGENT choice as to whether or not you want the flu shot. I'll give you the facts via a format I like, the common "Frequently Asked Questions" or FAQs.

THE FLU SHOT: FAQs

Q: Can the flu shot give you the flu?

A: NO. The flu shot is a dead, killed, completely inactive virus. You cannot get an actual flu from the flu shot, even if your immune system is weak or nonexistent. There ARE some live flu vaccines that are given as a nasal spray, but I don't trust these; they haven't been around long enough. They can't give you the flu either if your immune system is normal. Your doctor probably has the good 'ol flu shot for you anyway.

Q: I got the flu and it was just like a bad cold, and I got over it. Why bother getting a shot to prevent this?

A: You didn't have the flu. You had a bad cold. Did you have shaking chills, a fever over 102, severe diarrhea, and body aches that were so bad you couldn't get off the couch for almost 2 weeks? I didn't think so. You had a cold. Stop telling people you had the flu. If you had the flu you'd be begging for the flu shot this year.

Q: Does the flu shot make you feel sick afterwards?

A: Sometimes. It may give you a low-grade fever, MILD body aches, fatigue, and nausea for 1 (one) day. If it gave you these symptoms for longer than that, you either had a cold coming your way already, or you are a hypochondriac (see earlier post about hypochondriasis).

Q: Can't the flu shot give my child autism?

A: No. This question has been addressed in studies that are some of the largest clinical trials in medical history, and time and again, it's been shown that there is NO provable link between ANY vaccine given to children, and autism. But there are much bigger, fancier blogs and web sites than mine that will tell you the opposite. I go with the science, and I believe the scientific studies on this issue (which, by the way, are NOT funded by the drug companies) are conclusive.

The flu shot is safe for kids, and kids don't like having the flu.

Q: Who should get the flu shot?

A: Everyone. I'd say everyone "should" get the flu shot, but I don't push the issue in young, healthy people. Why? Because the flu sucks, but it won't kill those people. I do push the issue in some patients (see next question).

Q: Who REALLY SHOULD get the flu shot?

A: Senior citizens (people over 65), people with diabetes, people with lung diseases such as emphysema or pulmonary fibrosis, people with cancer, heavy smokers, people with heart failure and other chronic heart conditions, and young children (under 5 is "young" in my book but ask your pediatrician since I don't treat kids). Why is it so important? Because for these folks, the flu is a life-threatening illness.

Q: Does the flu shot protect you from the dreaded "bird flu?"

A: No. Unfortunately, modern medicine has absolutely nothing that can prevent or cure the "bird flu." Your best bet is still to avoid frolicking in Asian live poultry markets.

Q: I've heard that the flu vaccine doesn't protect you from all normal flu viruses. Is this true?

A: Yes. Flu viruses mutate every year, which is why the flu vaccine has to be made from scratch every season. Sometimes the flu viruses circulate in greater variety. For example, in 2006 the vaccine was quite good, protecting against over 75% of common flu viruses. Last year, the vaccine was relatively mediocre (60% protection or so at best). Unfortunately, we don't know how effective a given flu vaccine will be until we are well into the flu season.

Q: When should I get the flu vaccine?

A: As soon as your doctor, office, pharmacy, or local clinic has it available.

Q: When is it "too late" to get the flu shot?

A: When there are none left. It's amazing how long flu season lasts- while fall and winter are the worst times, we still see cases well into spring. So if you haven't made it in for a checkup until January and your doctor offers you a flu shot, I recommend you take it.

THE VARIETIES OF THE SHELLFISH EXPERIENCE

Many people are allergic to shellfish; most of those people, however, can eat regular fish, or "finfish" as they are called in the nutritional literature. One of my dear friends, however, is allergic to "finfish" but not to shellfish, prompting me to look into the health benefits of eating these animals. After all, they sure are tasty!
It turns out that the data are somewhat mixed, but on the whole I can thankfully say: SHELLFISH ARE GOOD FOR YOU, with a few qualifications. In fact, many shellfish are EXTREMELY GOOD FOR YOU! Let's break them down by pros and cons:

1. SCALLOPS: in my literature review, it turned out that scallops were probably the healthiest shellfish out there. While they are not as high in the beneficial omega-fatty acids as some of the other shellfish, they are very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and relatively low in cholesterol. I would say with no reservations that if you want to eat shellfish frequently, scallops are the way to go. They are easy to grill, which is another benefit, and they freeze well.
2. CRABS AND LOBSTERS: these are a mixed bag. Believe it or not, these spiny crustaceans actually have the most beneficial omega-fatty acids of all the shellfish. So in terms of their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, crabs and lobsters are the best shellfish choice. Some problems: First, they are overfished and numbers are declining. Second, they are high in cholesterol, which itself can contribute to heart disease. Balancing out the risk/benefits however, these are still healthier food choices than most animal meats.
3. CLAMS: not a bad food by any means. They are loaded with protein, B vitamins (who knew?) and lots of minerals. They are moderately high in cholesterol, but not as much as most animal meats. They can also be farmed, and for reasons I don't understand farmed shellfish do not seem to cause environmental degredation (the way some farmed finfish do). Of course, all filter feeding shellfish such as clams, mussels, and oysters can cause outbreaks of disease when they feed on toxic algae. But this can be avoided by cooking them.
4. MUSSELS: similar to clams, with a bit more cholesterol but also more minerals.
5. OYSTERS: similar to mussels. Naturally, they are delicious raw. They have a modest amount of cholesterol but also a modest amount of healthy omega-fatty acids. I say: eat them all you want. Yes, you could get food poisoning from them when you eat them raw, but in recent years there have been VERY few reports of food poisoning from oysters. It's fast-food beef and commercial vegetables you need to watch out for in this regard.
6. CRAWFISH (otherwise known as crayfish, crawdads, and mudbugs): nutritionally these are similar to lobsters and crabs, but lack much of the beneficial omega fatty-acids. So they are not as good for you as crabs and lobsters, and they have quite a bit of cholesterol. They are a treat when fresh, but hard to find, so most of you probably don't eat a ton of these anyway. I order them from Louisiana once a year and pig out on them for about a week, and it's fun. But I wouldn't recommend doing that every weekend.
7. SHRIMP: unfortunately, our beloved shrimp round out the bottom of the list, nutritionally. They are a great source of protein and minerals, but they are also the highest in cholesterol of all the shellfish. They do have some anti-inflammatory fatty acids in them, which might offset this a bit. But they don't have much. They are also filling, and filling foods can help reduce calorie intake for people who need to lose weight. I don't think they are a bad choice overall, and the prevalence of shrimp farming has led to less overharvesting of shrimp from the sea. My concern is that if you eat shrimp more than once every 1-2 weeks, they can increase your cholesterol numbers. Personally, I'm going to start eating less shrimp and a lot more scallops.
NOTE: I did not investigate thoroughly the "sustainability" of the above shellfish foods. However, people in the know have told me that "farmed" shellfish are both healthy and neutral to the environment. So unless you know something I don't, go for farmed shellfish and learn how to like scallops if you can.