Is Shrimp Good or Bad for You? A Dietitian Breaks It Down.

Shrimp is the most popular seafood consumed in the U.S., and for good reason — it’s delicious and nutritious. Filled with protein, vitamins, and minerals, shrimp is versatile and quick to prepare. 

Before you dive into that stir-fry or scampi, you may have some questions about shrimp. You may wonder about the high cholesterol content or be curious about the benefits of farmed versus wild-caught shrimp. Let’s examine the facts about shrimp. 

Is shrimp good for you?

Yes, shrimp can be a very nutritious part of a balanced diet. It’s relatively low in calories but high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Shrimp provides many nutrients but without high amounts of calories, saturated fat, or salt. 

Shrimp is often recommended within the seafood category because it’s lower in mercury than other fish and seafood, such as swordfish, shark, and tilefish. 

What about cholesterol?

One serving of shrimp (3 oz, or just under ½ cup) contains 161 mg of cholesterol, which is about the same amount of cholesterol in one egg. 

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, experts warned that eating foods containing cholesterol could raise your blood cholesterol levels and increase heart disease risk. It turns out that this advice was mostly incorrect. 

Experts soon learned that a high intake of saturated fat — not a high intake of dietary cholesterol — contributes to high blood cholesterol levels. Research failed to show a connection between dietary cholesterol and heart disease risk. Eggs and shrimp were back in favor, and back onto our plates. 

In fact, the 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed the advice to restrict dietary cholesterol to 300 mg/day. There just wasn’t enough evidence to support it. 

A serving of shrimp has 0.2 g fat, which is a trace amount. Since shrimp doesn’t contain saturated fat, it won’t affect blood cholesterol levels. 

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Note: About 15% to 25% of people are hyper-responders to dietary cholesterol. This means eating cholesterol-rich foods may affect their blood cholesterol levels more than it would affect other people. Whether this impacts heart disease risk isn’t clear. It’s best to check with your healthcare professional to see if shrimp is a nutritious choice for you.

What are the health benefits of shrimp?

Here are some of shrimp’s standout nutrients: 

• Protein: Shrimp is an excellent source of protein, a vital macronutrient that’s needed for building enzymes, hormones, and vitamins in the body. Protein is also necessary for maintaining muscles and bones, and supporting a healthy immune system. 

• Selenium: Shrimp contains the mineral selenium, which plays an essential role in making thyroid hormone and DNA. As an antioxidant, selenium also helps protect the body against harmful oxidation.

• Astaxanthin: Shrimp contains the antioxidant astaxanthin, which has anti-inflammatory benefits and may help protect against neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. 

• Iodine: Shrimp provides iodine, a mineral that helps make thyroid hormones. These hormones control metabolism, growth, and several other functions in your body. 

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Shrimp nutritional facts

Shrimp is very high in protein, but low in carbs and fat. That’s different from most meat, poultry, and fish, which contain more fat (and sometimes saturated fat). 

Below is some more nutritional information for shrimp.

Shrimp also contains the following vitamins and minerals:

Vitamins include: 

• Vitamin B12 

• Choline

• Niacin (vitamin B3)

• Folate

Minerals include:

• Phosphorus

• Calcium

• Iron

• Magnesium

• Potassium

• Zinc

• Selenium

• Iodine

Healthiest ways to prepare shrimp

One of the advantages of shrimp is that it can be cooked in mere minutes. To keep the nutrition profile of a high protein and low-fat dish, the best cooking methods for shrimp are:

• Baking

• Boiling

• Steaming

• Grilling

• Barbecuing

• Broiling

Sautéing or stir-frying shrimp in a drizzle of olive oil adds some fat, but that’s fine since fat is a necessary part of your diet. Breaded and deep-fried shrimp have even more fat, and may contain saturated fat, so they aren’t the most nutritious options. 

Shrimp is so versatile. Here are a few ways you can eat it:

• Rolled into sushi

• Stir-fried with rice

• Added to pasta

• On salads 

• Grilled on skewers 

Who should not eat shrimp?

You should avoid shrimp if you have a known shrimp allergy. Shrimp is one of the major food allergies in the U.S., with shellfish allergy affecting about 2% of people in the U.S. Plus, some brands of frozen shrimp contain preservatives like sodium bisulfite, which you should avoid if you have a sulfite allergy.

Some healthcare professionals recommend that people with a history of gout (an inflammatory condition where uric acid crystals form on joints) limit their intake of shrimp and other animal-based proteins. This is because all meat, poultry, and seafood (not just shrimp) contain purines, a compound involved in making the uric acid that causes gout pain. 

But changes in diet may not have a dramatic effect on your gout symptoms, and shrimp has moderate — not high — levels of purines. So if you have gout, you may not have to avoid shrimp entirely. Ask your healthcare professional what’s best for you. 

Can you eat too much shrimp?

It’s possible to eat too much of any food, so yes, you can eat too much shrimp. The Dietary Guidelines recommend eating about 8 oz of fish/seafood per week, which is the equivalent of about 2 or 3 palm-sized servings. And shrimp can be an excellent part of that. 

Should I be concerned about antibiotics in shrimp?

There may be cause for concern. About 90% of shrimp that’s sold in the U.S. is imported. Most of this shrimp is farm-raised rather than wild-caught. When shrimp is raised in water tanks on farms, antibiotics are sometimes given to them to help reduce and treat infections. 

The problem? People who eat farm-raised shrimp may ingest these antibiotics. There’s a possibility that over time, this can result in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or “superbugs,” which are strains of bacteria that resist treatment from antibiotics. 

According to the FDA, no shrimp containing antibiotics may be sold in the U.S. But these drugs are still used in other countries and can sometimes be found on imported shrimp. The FDA monitors shrimp imports and refuses to allow shrimp imports that contain banned antibiotics, but some shrimp treated with these antibiotics slip through the cracks.

Shrimp farms in these countries range from clean, safe, well-run facilities to risky operations with illegal practices (such as using banned antibiotics and paying unfair wages to workers). You can do some research to choose shrimp that you feel good about eating. Check the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch website for up-to-date information about shrimp.

Wild-caught shrimp isn’t treated with antibiotics. In the U.S., you may be able to find wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico or from Alaska. They’ll cost more, since they’re rare and account for less than 10% of U.S. shrimp supply. 

But wild-caught shrimp also have a downside: The fishing nets used to collect them may accidentally scoop up other species. This is called bycatch and can happen anytime a smaller species (like shrimp or tuna) are collected using nets. 

Sadly, up to 90% of what gets caught (and, in many cases, killed) in the shrimp net is other marine life, such as fish and turtles. Many environmentalists choose to avoid shrimp for this reason.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Cara Rosenbloom, RD

Cara Rosenbloom, RD, has been a registered dietitian for 22 years. She began her career working as a dietitian at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

Edited by:

Meredith Hoffa

Meredith Hoffa is a senior health editor at GoodRx, where she leads journalists and clinicians covering various well-being topics, particularly in diet and nutrition.

Reviewed by:

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP, has more than 15 years of experience as an attending pediatrician. She has worked in a large academic center in an urban city, a small community hospital, a private practice, and an urgent care clinic.

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