Have your Prawns and Mussels Too! Ruby red Mediterranean prawns, fresh mussels and clams!  A cholesterol nightmare, you say?  Mussels and prawns are low in fat and good for you...and they can help lower your blood cholesterol.   (info)

A plate of clams and mussels, steamed in a little white wine, garlic and parsley.

Ah, the Mediterranean life! Sea air, fabulous vegetables blessed by the rays of the sun, great wines and 'Fruits of the Sea' in abundance. I've never eaten so much fish and variety of crustaceans as when I moved permanently from Belgium to my corner of Spain - just two hours south of Barcelona.

Our ruby red Mediterranean prawns (gambas rojas) as big as your hand, their meat sweet and reminding of young lobster, is unique to our waters. Clams and mussels so fresh on the market stalls you can watch them peek out and quickly retreat again in their shells. 

The myth about eating mussels and clams only during the months that contain an 'r' because they are safer to eat doesn't hold here. In most countries of Europe they are raised in strictly monitored beds. Few wild mussels and oysters are harvested these days and for those, there is the danger of bacterial toxicity in the warmer months. What does hold true about the months with an 'r' is that those months are cooler and the mussels and oysters are tastier.  However, May, June and July are good months for clams.

It is not unusual to order a prawn cocktail as a first course followed by clams in rice, then a lovely fish such as lubina (sea bass) or dorada (gilthead bream), or a half dozen of grilled prawns followed by merluza (hake) in a white wine and clam sauce. Heavenly!

A cholesterol nightmare, you say? Then I suppose you also deny yourself the eggs you love because of persistent and outdated studies on cholesterol content of foods and the supposed effect on the arteries. 

Mediterraneans have long ignored such claims, or noted them with amused interest. So have the Japanese who, worldwide consume the most prawns per capita yearly. Both cultures are known for their longevity*, by the way.

Europe wide the Spanish top egg consumption. They also eat more seafood than their northern neighbours. They drink the most red wine, consume more olive oil than Italians and they also drink water. The jokes about 'water is for bathing or for ducks' are unknown here.

Are they immune to the cholesterol 'findings' of expensive research studies conducted in North America and the United Kingdom? So it seems. Or perhaps the truth lies in faulty mathematics - 1 + 1 making 3 instead of 2, in false conclusions, faulty 'studies' and a mentality focused too narrowly in the laboratory and test tubes, focused too much on the 'parts' and not the 'whole'.

Fat Facts - the Cholesterol Dance

True: Crustaceans such as prawns, mussels and oysters have high flesh cholesterol. However, this does not raise your own cholesterol levels, and in fact can help lower it. Cholesterol in crustaceans is poorly absorbed anyway and the extreme low fat is a great advantage over other food choices.
False: Prawns, mussels and oysters must be avoided by persons who have high blood cholesterol.
True: What should be avoided are the hydrogenated polyunsaturated fats found in industry food such as margarine and animal fats. Hydrogenated polyunsaturated oil is an industry mask for what it really is - saturated fat created from vegetable oil.

Cholesterol is important for the brain and human well-being. A healthy liver produces and makes up for what the body is lacking. So when you consume healthy cholesterol from sources such as prawns, the liver produces less. When you restrict your intake following a low cholesterol diet, your liver is forced to produce more to make up for the missing cholesterol the body needs. It simply does not make sense to try to reduce your blood cholesterol levels by consuming less cholesterol since your liver will produce more to make it up anyway. 

Consuming the latest industry wonders - industry fats and spreads that reduce blood cholesterol makes also little sense. Imitation foods should not be consumed to reduce blood cholesterol. Rather, consume less saturated fats from dairy and other animal sources. And avoid industrial foods altogether- they contain hidden fats, sugars and a plethora of chemicals all of which overtax the liver. And if your liver is overtaxed, loosing weight will be very difficult.

How can you keep your liver healthy? Consume foods in as close as to natural form as possible. This simply means avoid processed, commercial products. Avoid hard alcoholic drinks. Drink at least 1.5 and more litres of water daily, consume ample fibre and most importantly, reduce fat intake from animal and industrial sources such as margarine. Drink a few glasses of red wine daily. Enjoy your eggs soft, especially when out of the shell as it is not the egg yolk that is a problem, but its cholesterol that has been oxidized through overcooking.

And enjoy your prawns and mussels too!

*Spain trivia:  Deaths through smoking related diseases is the Nr. 1 concern in Spain.  The Spanish top the heavy smokers list in Europe (cigarettes are cheap).  It is not unusual for young women to have the typical deep, flat monotone voice associated with chain smokers already in their early twenties.

Selected resources and recommended sites:
http://www.apfa.com.au/media/article.cfm?mediaid=43
http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/articles/fats-chol/cholesterol.htm
http://www.shellfish.org.uk/shellfish_diet.htm

Interesting pages on mussels, oysters etc. and myths:
http://www.familyhaven.com/cooking/seafoodmyths.html
http://www.shellfish.org.uk/frequently_asked_questions.htm 

Recommended reading:
There are several good books on taking care of your liver on the market. Of those, based on her excellent content and practical application, I personally recommend:
The Liver Detox Plan - The Revolutionary Way to Cleanse and Revive Your Body

by Dr. Xandria Williams  

(Also contains simple and tasty recipe suggestions as well as several easy to adapt detox plans for those with no sticking power to the totally commited.)

Join the update list and never miss what's new on the site!

clickhere!

New ebook! European style cakes - easy and versatile! Click here for info