Good Or Bad? Chitin (Crustacean Shells & Crickets)

[Rinse & rePeat]

"One of many substances produced by plants in response to injury is chitinase, an enzyme that breaks down chitin, a polysaccharide that is a structural component of fungi and insects."
-Ray Peat

I have read many good things about the benefits of consuming crustacean shells. Besides being made of calcium carbonate it also contains chitin, which has many proven health benefits from kidney health to reducing inflammation in the body to even losing weight.

I have read that chitin from dust mites can cause lung problems and I would go so far as to say that possibly breathing in the steam from cooking the shells may be problematic, but I wouldn't think anymore than the toxic steam coming off the cooked mushrooms that Ray Peat warns of, and contains chitin.

Considering that nose to tail is a healthy, and that John The Baptist ate locusts, I am wondering if it may add or subtract to our health. I boil shrimp and crab shells, that I have frozen, for an hour or less and get the most flavorful stock to boil shrimp in for shrimp cocktail, to make crab, lobster or shrimp bisque, to make chowders or Asian soups or just to drink cold with a little coconut water & salt. I have even fried shrimp shells in coconut oil on high heat till crispy and throw in a little sugar and salt at the last minute for a yummy crispy kettle corn like snack.

With the world getting so precarious I don't mind looking outside of our normal supermarket food chain for other alternatives, and I don't want to think that my lobster bisque is not a good thing. Can you believe they sell cricket flour?

4 Main Health Benefits of Chitin, Based on Science | Crickster

Today, I'm going to show you how chitin may boost your gut health, reduce inflammation and improve your immune system. What's more, you're going to discover which foods are rich in chitin.

www.eatcrickster.com

What is Chitin? | Benefits of Eating Chitin as a Protein Source | EXO Protein

What do crustaceans, arachnids, fungi, algae, and insects all have in common? Well, besides being rather small, these organisms all contain an amazing substance called chitin.

exoprotein.com

 

[Sefton10]

@Tarmander did a podcast dedicated to this recently

 

[Quelsatron]

chitin can activate the immune system, don't know if it's good or bad
chitosan is antibacterial but chitin doesn't seem to be, or extremely mildly antibacterial at most

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

@Tarmander did a podcast dedicated to this recently

Was the podcast for chitin or against it?

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

chitin can activate the immune system, don't know if it's good or bad
chitosan is antibacterial but chitin doesn't seem to be, or extremely mildly antibacterial at most

I read that chintin's "dietary fiber is beneficial because it takes longer to digest and reaches further into your colon than most other fiber. It is known to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties giving it many potential health benefits."

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

"One of many substances produced by plants in response to injury is chitinase, an enzyme that breaks down chitin, a polysaccharide that is a structural component of fungi and insects."
-Ray Peat

I have read many good things about the benefits of consuming crustacean shells. Besides being made of calcium carbonate it also contains chitin, which has many proven health benefits from kidney health to reducing inflammation in the body to even losing weight.

I have read that chitin from dust mites can cause lung problems and I would go so far as to say that possibly breathing in the steam from cooking the shells may be problematic, but I wouldn't think anymore than the toxic steam coming off the cooked mushrooms that Ray Peat warns of, and contains chitin.

Considering that nose to tail is a healthy, and that John The Baptist ate locusts, I am wondering if it may add or subtract to our health. I boil shrimp and crab shells, that I have frozen, for an hour or less and get the most flavorful stock to boil shrimp in for shrimp cocktail, to make crab, lobster or shrimp bisque, to make chowders or Asian soups or just to drink cold with a little coconut water & salt. I have even fried shrimp shells in coconut oil on high heat till crispy and throw in a little sugar and salt at the last minute for a yummy crispy kettle corn like snack.

With the world getting so precarious I don't mind looking outside of our normal supermarket food chain for other alternatives, and I don't want to think that my lobster bisque is not a good thing. Can you believe they sell cricket flour?

4 Main Health Benefits of Chitin, Based on Science | Crickster

Today, I'm going to show you how chitin may boost your gut health, reduce inflammation and improve your immune system. What's more, you're going to discover which foods are rich in chitin.

www.eatcrickster.com

What is Chitin? | Benefits of Eating Chitin as a Protein Source | EXO Protein

What do crustaceans, arachnids, fungi, algae, and insects all have in common? Well, besides being rather small, these organisms all contain an amazing substance called chitin.

exoprotein.com

Chinin seems to have some AMAZING benefits..

Chitin, chitosan, and their derivatives are considered to promote diverse activities, including antioxidant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antitumor and anticancer, antimicrobial, hypocholesterolemic, and antidiabetic effects, one of the most crucial of which is the antioxidant effect.

 

[Sefton10]

Was the podcast for chitin or against it?

He was very positive about it but acknowledged potential downsides for some people.


View: https://soundcloud.com/user-306234208/ep-85-a-weight-loss-supplement-that-also-helps-you-sleep

 

[Sugartits]

I had a nasty red stinging reaction on my hands one time while peeling the shells off of shrimp, but oddly I can still eat shrimp. I can see how if you have an allergy to dust mites it could possibly help to eat shrimp shells, in the same way that eating unfiltered honey helps people with pollen allergies.

You can get tiny dried shrimps in bulk packages at many Asian or Mexican markets. They come in whole or powdered form. I just don't think mentally I am up to eating the whole shrimp, They are too bug-like with their little legs and eyeballs and antennae. The powdered shrimps would probably be easier.

To me lobster bisque sounds like the most appetizing way to go unless you are after a weight loss benefit. In Maryland I once ate a whole fried soft shelled crab on a bun and that tasted good, but again those little insecty crab legs were challenging for me. I guess if you deep fry anything I will like it, ha ha

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I had a nasty red stinging reaction on my hands one time while peeling the shells off of shrimp, but oddly I can still eat shrimp. I can see how if you have an allergy to dust mites it could possibly help to eat shrimp shells, in the same way that eating unfiltered honey helps people with pollen allergies.

You can get tiny dried shrimps in bulk packages at many Asian or Mexican markets. They come in whole or powdered form. I just don't think mentally I am up to eating the whole shrimp, They are too bug-like with their little legs and eyeballs and antennae. The powdered shrimps would probably be easier.

To me lobster bisque sounds like the most appetizing way to go unless you are after a weight loss benefit. In Maryland I once ate a whole fried soft shelled crab on a bun and that tasted good, but again those little insecty crab legs were challenging for me. I guess if you deep fry anything I will like it, ha ha

You're too funny! Since you can't get past the spidery crabs and shrimp you might have better luck with cricket flour?

 

[Elderflower j58]

IIRC it was very popular as a diet aid possibly 20 or more years ago it was taken with quite fatty meals and could pull the fat out.
I personally never took it but I remember my friends saying their poop was very oily/greasy.
They said definitely helped with weight loss... But might possibly pull some of the good fats and other good things out not sure.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

IIRC it was very popular as a diet aid possibly 20 or more years ago it was taken with quite fatty meals and could pull the fat out.
I personally never took it but I remember my friends saying their poop was very oily/greasy.
They said definitely helped with weight loss... But might possibly pull some of the good fats and other good things out not sure.

IIRC? I looked it up and not finding what the diet is?

 

[Dolomite]

IIRC? I looked it up and not finding what the diet is?

I think IIRC means, if I recall.
I am with @Sugartits about little legs. When I was a kid someone gave my dad a box of chocolate covered insects and I tried them all. The ants were the best probably because of the formic acid. Deep fried or covered in chocolate would be the way to go.

 

[Elderflower j58]

As far as I can remember it was marketed as a weight loss supplement not a diet per se,
kinda like a cheat element you could eat your fatty meals and when you took this you wouldn't absorb the fat would just poop it out.
I do remember there were some contraindications as in I think it was abdominal upset and stuff but I would imagine this stuff back then was taken much in larger doses and probably in smaller doses could be very beneficial. I remember it being a hugely popular diet fad at that time and it was in lots of women's magazines

 

[boris]

Those baby softshell crabs are great . I ordered those by accident once on vacation in Italy, never came across them again unfortunately.

My cat loves to eat the prawn shells and legs that I discard ?‍

 

[Elderflower j58]

@Rinse & rePeat

you just made me laugh out loud I had a picture of you looking for a diet CALLED IIRC.. No offence intended
??

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

As far as I can remember it was marketed as a weight loss supplement not a diet per se,
kinda like a cheat element you could eat your fatty meals and when you took this you wouldn't absorb the fat would just poop it out.
I do remember there were some contraindications as in I think it was abdominal upset and stuff but I would imagine this stuff back then was taken much in larger doses and probably in smaller doses could be very beneficial. I remember it being a hugely popular diet fad at that time and it was in lots of women's magazines

Oh yeah my mom took that fat blocker in the 90's and said she could visibly see fatty greasy stuff in the toilet. So yeah now with you bringing that up, I wonder if that is the weight loss mechanism in chitin, to soak up the grease and carry it out?

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

@Rinse & rePeat

you just made me laugh out loud I had a picture of you looking for a diet CALLED IIRC.. No offence intended
??

I did! I really am blonde

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Those baby softshell crabs are great . I ordered those by accident once on vacation in Italy, never came across them again unfortunately.

My cat loves to eat the prawn shells and legs that I discard ?‍

I eat fresh softshell crabs when they become available in August, which is when they shed their old shells and get those yummy new ones! I just never realized the unique benefits I was getting eating them until now.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

As far as I can remember it was marketed as a weight loss supplement not a diet per se,
kinda like a cheat element you could eat your fatty meals and when you took this you wouldn't absorb the fat would just poop it out.
I do remember there were some contraindications as in I think it was abdominal upset and stuff but I would imagine this stuff back then was taken much in larger doses and probably in smaller doses could be very beneficial. I remember it being a hugely popular diet fad at that time and it was in lots of women's magazines

I think the amount of nutrients in less than 2 TB is worth a try for me. If I can get brewer's yeast down I can get Crickets down!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I think the amount of nutrients in less than 2 TB is worth a try for me. If I can get brewer's yeast down I can get Crickets down!

Cricket Flour Nutrition

In terms of nutrition, cricket powder is similar to whole crickets. One serving (10 grams) of cricket flour contains:

50 calories

6 grams protein

2.5 grams fat

Less than 1 gram carbohydrate (0 grams sugar)

25% RDA riboflavin

80% RDA vitamin B12

20% RDA biotin

15% RDA zinc

Generally, cricket powder is:

High in protein, with all 9 essential amino acids

High in B vitamins

A good source of fatty acids

Rich in minerals like copper, zinc, and manganese

Rich in chitin, a prebiotic fiber that may support gut health