Squids: health benefits and harms

The benefits of seafood to human health are undeniable. They have a high concentration of minerals, they are also rich in iodine, the lack of which leads to serious health problems. And clam squid is one of the easiest to prepare, tasty and affordable seafood.

What is squid and how does it look

Squids belong to the order of cephalopods, the length varies from 20 to 50 cm. They are caught in any climate zone, but most often they occur in the subtropics. Squids of the northern seas are often not very large in size and do not have a characteristic color in comparison with the "relatives" from the southern zones.

Due to the streamlined shape of the body, they are able to move at a very high speed, with the tail forward. Almost all of the existing species of these mollusks are suitable for consumption, which contributes to their active extraction, put on production rails. Tentacles of squid and its carcass are suitable for food. The skin is removed.

What is the difference between squid and octopus and cuttlefish

Squid differs from octopus in the number of limbs. The octopus has eight of them, while the squid has two more tentacles with flat ends added to the same number. The head of the squid is separated from the body, the octopus is completely merged with the body. To a greater extent, the latter settle to the bottom and prefer to crawl, while squids swim very quickly.

The cuttlefish, like the octopus, has 8 tentacles, its body is oval and bordered by a circular fin. The squid's body is torpedo-like, with two rows of suction cups on the tentacles.

Composition and calorie content

The most important value of squid meat is a high concentration of protein: in 100 g of product per protein is up to 18 g. This is equivalent to beef and fish. Proteins are the building material for all cells and tissues of the body, they are necessary for the conversion of amino acids, including essential ones. Without them, the normal work of any organ is impossible.

Calorie calories are as follows: about 100 kcal per 100 g. Carbohydrates account for no more than 3 g, fats - 1.4 g.

Squids, like many other seafood, are distinguished by the fact that they include almost all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the body. These are B vitamins (B1, B2, B6), ascorbic acid, vitamin E, manganese, iodine, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, selenium and calcium.

Why squids are useful

General benefit

Unique properties of squid:

1. In total, 80 grams of squid contains up to 90% of the daily rate of copper. This is a mineral, without which the normal absorption of iron is impossible, therefore, the formation of red blood cells. One of the common causes of anemia is copper deficiency.
2. Selenium is one of the best antioxidants that successfully fights free radicals. It is able to significantly reduce the manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, including to relieve pain. In 100 grams of squid - 60% of the daily rate of selenium.
3. Due to the high concentration of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), squid supplementation in the diet can reduce the manifestation of migraine.
4. The product contains calcium and phosphorus, reinforcing each other and responsible for the formation of bone and dental tissue.
5. Seafood is also rich in vitamin B12, one of the tasks of which is to reduce the level of homocysteine ​​in the body. If its concentration in the blood exceeds the permissible value, this can lead to a heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
6. Magnesium present in squids is responsible for relieving muscle cramps and relaxing the nervous system.

For women

For women, squid is primarily useful in that it is a natural source of easily digestible protein. It provides healthy skin, hair and nails. Also, a high concentration of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which play a huge role in maintaining women's health, is noted in the mollusk. In addition to supporting natural beauty, promoting longevity, these substances are also responsible for the production of the hormone serotonin and enhance immunity.

For men

For men, squid can be valuable in another way - to promote fast and safe muscle growth and strengthen the body. Therefore, it is definitely worth paying attention to athletes. In addition, the mollusk favorably affects men's health, enhancing potency. Men who regularly use this seafood, note the stabilization of the genitourinary system and an increase in testosterone in the blood, feel full of strength and energy.

When breastfeeding

When breastfeeding, it is also worth abandoning it because of the risk of allergies in the newborn. It is manifested by a rash and diathesis. If a woman did not notice squid intolerance before pregnancy, then you can try to introduce it into your diet. But it is necessary to wait at least 6 months, or better, to postpone it for a year.

During pregnancy

During pregnancy, squid may also be present in the diet, but the region in which it was caught is of fundamental importance. Most water bodies are contaminated with industrial waste, and they, in turn, accumulate in seafood. Therefore, one must either be 100% sure of the environmental safety of the product or not take risks.

For kids

Children can eat squids only after three years and in the absence of individual intolerance. Its meat will serve as an excellent source of minerals and amino acids. This has a positive effect on the state of memory and mental development. Protein stimulates the growth of the child, and calcium provides an ideal condition for teeth and bones. But before entering the product in the children's menu, it is better to consult a doctor.

The benefits and harms of dried squid

Dried squids are classified as “snacks”, therefore, they are incredibly popular among young people and as a complement to beer. But their excessive consumption can provoke the deposition of salts, which in turn leads to fluid stagnation.

The benefits and harms of them directly depend on manufacturing technology. Most manufacturers do not comply with elementary procurement standards. For example, during defrosting, the mollusk should not remain in the water for long: if it is pulled out quickly, this will help preserve all the essential nutrients and vitamins. After the squid is washed in cold water, cooled, cut and sorted. The final step is sodium glutamate treatment. It is a flavor enhancer that, in large quantities, can trigger food poisoning. With its constant use, exacerbation of chronic diseases is possible, including the appearance of oncology.

Moreover, many companies involved in the manufacture of dried squid, recently began to process them with oil, which increases the concentration of carcinogens.

Nevertheless, it is not worth completely abandoning dried squid. You only need to read the label. If sorbic acid is indicated among the ingredients, then such a product will not harm the body, since it is a safe and globally recognized preservative.

Is it possible to eat squid while losing weight

Since squid contains a lot of protein, it perfectly satisfies hunger. Moreover, it is almost completely free of fats, which makes it an excellent dietary product. Extractive components present in the mollusk affect the production of gastric juice, which contributes to the full functioning of the entire digestive system. When dealing with extra pounds, this seafood also helps:

• remove cholesterol from the body;
• remove tissue swelling;
• improve metabolic processes, which leads to weight loss.

But when switching to proper nutrition, it is possible to use squid only in boiled form or steamed.

Squids in medicine

Due to the huge amount of micro and macro elements, vitamins that make up the squid, it is often recommended for use in many chronic diseases.

With diabetes

The product will be extremely useful for diabetes. This is due to the fact that it has vitamin B3, one of the properties of which is to normalize sugar levels. The glycemic index of squid is only 5 units, i.e. absolutely safe in terms of the likelihood of an increase in sugar. Seafood protein is digested much better than meat or fish, this is one of its main advantages. But completely switch to squid is not worth it. It is enough to add them to the diet 1-2 times a week. This will allow the patient to fully saturate the body with vitamin PP and E.

With pancreatitis

But in the case of acute pancreatitis, squids should be completely excluded from the diet, even despite an insignificant percentage of fats in their composition. The ban is due to the content of substances that enhance the secretory function of the pancreas. Since squids are recognized as allergens, they can also enhance the course of pathological processes, which will provoke a general deterioration.

In chronic pancreatitis in remission, they can be added to the menu, but only in boiled form. The allowed cooking method is to bake, stew, add to vegetables or salads.

With gastritis

People suffering from gastritis, in the absence of individual intolerance, should definitely diversify their diet with this delicacy. This is a soft meat that cannot damage the inflamed walls of the stomach, while it acts as a more effective replacement for animal protein and eggs. But you can only eat boiled or stewed meat. Dried, fried or pickled squids will have to be abandoned.

With gout

If gout is not in the acute stage, then squid will be an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, and will help in the fight against the disease. The acids that make up Omega-3 are effective for inflammation of any location. Iodine will fight the same problem. It is better to bake the carcass, cook for a couple or stew, but do not fry. The broth in which the squid was cooked cannot be eaten, since all the purines remain in it.

With colitis

With colitis (pathological inflammation of the mucous membrane of the large intestine), strict diet is required. But it allows inclusion in the menu and seafood, including squid. Again, due to its rich composition and at the same time easy digestibility, it will not bring any potential harm to health and will not aggravate the course of the disease. It can be added to the diet in any form of preparation, except frying.

With cholecystitis

Cholecystitis also implies certain dietary restrictions, but seafood is allowed for consumption. Squids will not provoke a choleretic effect, thereby increasing the load on the inflamed bubble. They should be steamed, boiled or baked, but not fried with a crust.

Harm and contraindications

Recently, more and more official studies have appeared that confirm the high concentration of mercury and other heavy metals in fish and seafood.They accumulate in water due to industrial emissions, which only increase every year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, squid is one of the few foods with minimal mercury storage.

But the mollusk belongs to the category of the largest allergens. In many people, squid intolerance, which manifests itself as an allergic reaction, has been clinically established.

How to choose and store squid

It’s best to buy frozen squid. Defrosted, especially if the technology is not followed, are bitter and do not hold their shape. In fact, it is a marriage that has no nutritional or taste value. The carcasses should not be stuck together, because this also indicates that you have a defrosted product.

The body is always covered by a film, which, depending on the mollusk's habitat, can have a different shade - from gray to saturated violet. And the meat of all varieties has a snow-white tint. Any other color is a signal confirming poor quality. Theoretically, you can buy peeled squid, but this will immediately spoil the taste of the final dish, since such meat is absolutely tasteless.

There is a small secret that can guide you in choosing these seafood: the smaller the size, the tastier the meat.

Keep squids only in the freezer. Unnecessarily, they cannot be thawed and frozen again.

How to quickly clean squid from film

To quickly clear them of the film, no special tools are required. It is enough to put the frozen clam in a bowl and pour it with boiling water. Due to the temperature difference, almost the entire film on its surface is folded and easily detached. The one that has not departed can be easily removed by hand.

Then you need to drain all the water and rinse the carcass under running water. You also need to remove all the inside of the squid, including the transparent spine, and rinse it again. If after all these processes the meat does not have time to completely defrost, it must be poured with hot water (but not boiling water) and left for several minutes.

How to cook squid deliciously

Today there are a huge number of squid recipes. They are suitable for compiling both a daily and a festive menu.

How to fry

If there are no problems with the gastrointestinal tract, then you can periodically indulge yourself with fried squid. This will require:

• frozen squid - 300 grams;
• soy sauce - 5 tbsp .;
• salt to taste;
• dry white wine - 120 ml;
• grated ginger to taste;
• dill - 2-3 branches;
• olive or sunflower oil - 3 tbsp;
• sugar - 1 tsp;
• juice of half a lemon.

First of all, we defrost squids, carefully rinse and remove the film from them. We cut the carcass into 4-6 parts, depending on its size. In a separate bowl, mix the wine, soy sauce, lemon juice, grated ginger, sugar, add finely chopped dill. Mix everything until sugar is completely dissolved. Squids are immersed in the resulting marinade and left in the refrigerator for 60 minutes. After warming up the pan, pour the oil and spread the squid on it. Roast over moderate heat for 10 minutes.

How to boil

The best way to cook squids is to boil them. To do this, chopped meat or a whole carcass should be put in salted water with the addition of black pepper and bay leaf. You need to cook it for no more than three minutes, otherwise it will be rubber. Again, softness can only be returned to him if cooked for 30 minutes. But so its amount will decrease exactly by half. After that, you can do anything with a clam - chop for salads or stuff.

How to dry

From squid at home, you can make a good snack. Unlike the storefront, there will be no flavors and flavor enhancers hazardous to health. All that is required for its preparation: squid carcass, salt, pepper and oven.

The sequence of actions should be as follows:

1. We put the frozen carcass of the mollusk in a bowl of water and leave it to defrost. We pour out the water and rinse thoroughly under running water. If you need to cook fresh squid, then you just need to rinse it in water.
2. We cut the carcass. Separate the tentacles from the loin, pull out the chord and all the insides and wash everything again. Remove the film (for this you need to pour squid with boiling water).
3. Before drying, soak the product in salt water. There are several ways to do this. In the first case, immerse the carcass in a weak saline solution and leave it overnight. If there is no extra time, then you will have to make a solution, which in the North is used for salting caviar. The proportions are as follows: 1 glass of salt will be required per 1 liter of water. Dissolve the salt and immerse in the resulting brine of the mollusk. Dip small pieces of squid into it for a few minutes.
4. Dry in any way. In Asia, air drying technology is widespread. This is a good solution for owners of a summer house or a country house. In this case, the carcass does not need to be cut into pieces, but completely dipped in a solution and then hung on hooks. In summer, the squid will dry for several days. A more practical option is to dry the meat in the oven. Small pieces should be dried on a towel, which will absorb the remaining brine, and put on a baking sheet in one layer. Clean in the oven for 3 hours at a constant temperature within 50 degrees.

How to pickle

Since squids can be prepared in various ways, including grilling, consider the universal method of pickling them. In addition, such squids themselves will be a great snack.

Ingredients:

• squid - 2-3 pcs.;
• vegetable oil (preferably olive) - 1 tbsp;
• lemon juice - 3 tbsp;
• bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
• water - 1 l;
• sugar - 1 tsp;
• salt - 1 tsp

Prepare the clam - remove the film, clean from the insides. Cut the carcass into strips or rings. To obtain a brine, add bay leaf, sugar, salt, lemon juice, vegetable oil to the water, any spices to taste are possible. Boil the brine and lower the meat into it. Turn off the fire, cover and let it brew under the lid. Ideally, squid should be refrigerated for 18 hours. But if necessary, they can be served on the table a few hours after cooling.

Squid salad

A simple squid salad recipe that does not require much preliminary effort.

Would need:

• squid - 1 carcass;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• fresh cucumber - 1 pc.;
• leek - 1 stalk.

Hard-boiled egg, cut into small cubes. Cut the squid and cucumber into strips, chop the onion finely. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season with low-fat yogurt. Decorate the dish with boiled shrimps. Such a salad can be a full breakfast. It is worth paying attention to those who are overweight and want to switch to a healthier diet.

Squid cutlets

Another original way to cook the meat of this amazing clam is to make delicious cutlets from it. This will require:

• squid - 4 pcs.;
• Dutch cheese - 200 grams;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• dill - 4 branches;
• rosemary - 2 branches;
• butter - 120 grams;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil - 3 tbsp;
• breadcrumbs - 200 grams;
• salt, pepper - to taste.

Step by step recipe:

1. We carefully chop the dill and rosemary, transfer it to a bowl and fill it with vegetable oil (olive or sunflower). We mix and put the resulting mixture into molds for ice and put it in the freezer.
2. Pre-washed and brushed squid, cut into small pieces and twist in a meat grinder with onions. Add the eggs and chopped garlic cloves to the minced meat.Grind the cheese on a fine grater and transfer to the resulting mincemeat. Salt, pepper and mix.
3. Roll up a small amount of minced meat in our hands to make cutlets. In their center we put one cube of a pre-prepared mixture of greens and oil and roll in breadcrumbs. We fry cutlets in a well-heated skillet in sunflower oil for 2 minutes on each side.

Why squids are bitter after cooking

Many housewives are faced with the fact that squids are bitter after cooking. This is due to improper cooking technology. In particular, if it is bad to clean its insides and not to rinse. It can also be bitter if cooked for too long. Initially, poor product quality (repeated thawing or poor packaging) can also negatively affect the taste of meat.

One way to remove bitterness is to cut the carcass into small slices and fry them in a small amount of oil. You can add some salt.

Giant squid meat can also be bitter. This is a specific variety of seafood, so you can not completely remove it.

Is it possible to eat squid caviar

Mollusks, like many fish, also have caviar. And squid is one of them. Most often they don’t use it at all, but this is mainly due to the fact that people don’t know how to cook it properly. To prepare, you will need the caviar of one or several squids, which must be washed under the tap and then sprinkled with the juice of one lemon. After leaving for a couple of minutes for impregnation, then grate with a mixture of salt, pepper and oil. Then shift the resulting product into a baking dish. Caviar is cooked quickly enough - for 20 minutes at a moderate temperature (approximately 150 degrees). Before serving, it is desirable to cool it.

Using the same technology, you can fry caviar. You need to do the same thing, but just do not bake in the oven, but form small neat balls and fry them in a frying pan in butter or olive oil. To get a beautiful crust, the pan should be initially as hot as possible, and after putting the product out, the fire must be removed to medium.

Fresh squid caviar has a rather specific taste, but if desired, it can be presented as an independent snack. Strengthen its taste with salt and pepper. Such caviar can also be used to decorate salads or add to them as one of the ingredients.

Is it possible to eat squid in Lent

If you observe the post in all its severity, then squid, like any other seafood, can be consumed only on days when fish is allowed. And this is Palm Sunday and the Annunciation. But in the Greek Orthodox Church, all seafood is allowed everywhere. This is due to the fact that in the Greek canon they are equated with marine plants, and they are allowed to eat on Saturday and Sunday, when oil is also allowed.

The charter of the Russian Orthodox Church does not explicitly prohibit their use, so this issue is best discussed with your confessor. Some priests allow their parishioners seafood on days of major church holidays, if they do not fall on Holy Week.

Can squids be given to animals

Many pet owners are wondering if the pet will benefit if you give it squid meat. Cats are undoubtedly considered to be great connoisseurs of seafood. But here you need to remember that for 100 grams of squid, there are 250 mg of phosphorus. Excessive amounts in the cat's diet can provoke urolithiasis. Therefore, some veterinarians categorically prohibit any seafood. In addition, an excessive amount of them is likely to cause allergies.

But in small quantities and not more than 1 time per week, this mollusk will still be useful to the animal.Ideally, it should only be boiled, no other form of preparation is acceptable. Smoked or salted squids are especially harmful.

Since squids are not inferior to beef in the content of protein and amino acids, this is a worthy alternative, which can be in the diet of dogs. First you need to check if the animal is allergic to the product. If it has not been confirmed, you can gradually introduce it into the diet, starting from 50–250 g per day (depending on the breed and size of the dog). It is impossible to overfeed with seafood, therefore the rule “less is better, is better” is relevant in this matter.

Interesting facts about squid

Seafood lovers will be interested in the following information:

1. Squids are the most poorly known inhabitants of the seas, more than 300 varieties of squids are officially confirmed, but more than 200 species remain unidentified.
2. Among all cephalopods, including cuttlefish and octopus, squid is the most beloved of marine predators.
3. It is squid that accounts for most of the diet of many representatives of the underwater world.
4. Squids themselves feed on crustaceans and small fish. For lack of those, they can switch to small representatives of their own species.
5. If the squid stumbles on its way to danger, it ejects a pigment very similar to ink.
6. Some squids have amazing ability - they can fly.
7. Only dolphins, sharks and whales are ahead in speed of squid movement.
8. The blood of the mollusk is blue, for the circulation of which not one, but three hearts are responsible.

Squid photo