UNI – THE NEXT SUPERFOOD?
We all know that uni is incredibly delicious, but did you know that it is also full of health benefits? It’s just one more awesome reason to add sea urchins to your diet. It’s not often that such a rich, indulgent delicacy is actually good for you too!
Check out this list of the amazing nutritional features in sea urchins!
1. Uni is a good source of protein
Proteins are the building blocks of the body and are an essential part of everyone’s diet. In each 100g of uni, there are 10g of complete protein with the proper balance of amino acids. Getting enough protein is absolutely crucial for growing muscle, repairing the body, maintaining a healthy metabolism, and for keeping your body in proper function!
Instead of butter, why not spread some sea urchin roe on your toast for an extra boost of protein?
2. Uni is full of essential vitamins & minerals
Uni is a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals. Eating just 100g of uni can give you almost 40% of your daily zinc, 10% of your daily iron, and 20% of your daily potassium. The minerals found in uni are important for maintaining a healthy heart, immune system, bones, and blood.
Uni is also a good source of vitamin A and vitamin E. Vitamin A is essential for healthy eyesight, but also for reproductive health and immune system function too! Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects your cells from damage, and is important for your blood, brain, and skin.
Ditch the multivitamins and dig in to some delicious uni instead!
3. Uni has lots of healthy fats – including omega-3s!
Fatty food sounds sinful, but we promise it’s anything but! Fat is a very important nutrient in a balanced diet, and it’s the type of fat that matters. Uni contains no saturated fats – the type reportedly connected to heart disease – and are much lower in cholesterol than shrimp and shellfish.
Uni contains several polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3s like DHA and EPA, which carry tons of powerful health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially important for the eyes, brain, heart, and also for growing infants and children.
Research shows that eating omega-3 rich foods could lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and protect cognitive function. Seafood is a fantastic natural source of omega-3s!
4. Uni contains health-promoting antioxidants
Research has revealed bioactive compounds in sea urchin roe with antioxidant properties that could be used in the prevention and treatment of cancer, inflammatory diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart and liver diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, eye diseases, and skin diseases.
These incredible compounds are called carotenoids - astaxanthin, β-Echinenone and α-echinenone are three of the major types present in sea urchin.
That alluring orange hue isn’t just for looks – a more brilliant colour indicates a richer carotenoid content in the roe!
5. Mercury and other toxins are NOT a major concern in uni
Health professionals recommend adding oily fish to your diet, but caution against species high in mercury. Well good news – uni is a classified as a low concern for mercury contamination. Sea urchins are also NOT bottom feeders like mollusks – they feed on umami-rich kombu seaweed. Unlike shellfish, uni is not a concern for red tide contamination (also called paralytic shellfish poisoning).
Research on the health benefits of sea urchins has clearly revealed plenty of reasons to add it to your diet, and the list keeps growing as more scientists delve into the magical mysteries of this sea-sourced superfood.
So go ahead and indulge in Rimouski’s best kept secret…your taste buds AND your body will thank you!
For more reading:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5484137/http://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/html/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20160505.13.htmlhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30711109/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer/https://www.seafoodsource.com/seafood-handbook/shellfish/sea-urchinhttps://seagrant.uaf.edu/topics/environmental-hazards-alaskas-coasts/paralytic-shellfish-poisoning/psp-facts.php