Blog #2 Don’t Feel Glum Chum – Eat an Oyster

It’s the middle of winter so its dark, cold and wet, and many of us are all feeling like we need something to perk us up and keep us healthy.  Did you know that our oysters contain key nutrients and vitamins that can help us fight off coughs & colds and the winter blues?

Zinc – Oysters are packed full of zinc which our bodies require to keep our immune system functioning – just what we need during the cold and flu season.  Incredibly, oysters contain over 14 times the zinc than found in beef and nearly 50 times that found in chicken.  Zinc also helps to keep our skin clear and healthy and to recover from damage like chapped lips and fingers.

Copper – You might not be aware but copper plays a key part in our immune defences by protecting and fuelling immune cells.  Oysters are full of copper that they accumulate from their microalgae food along with a raft or other micronutrients. 

Selenium – Selenium is a potent antioxidant which plays a key role in our body’s antioxidant defence system, preventing damage to cells and tissues.  This is a micronutrient that is often lacking in our diet but half a dozen oysters will provide nearly the full recommended daily intake.

Vitamin D – Our bodies create vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin so many of us lack it at this time of year.  We need vitamin D to keep us healthy and to fight infections and to reduce inflammation.  If like me you suffer from the mid-winter blues, research suggests that vitamin D can enhance serotonin production and its mood-enhancing effects.  Happily, oysters are a good source of Vitamin D and half a dozen of ours contain nearly the full recommended daily intake.

Nutrition aside, we don’t eat oysters just because they are good for you, we eat them because the act is fantastic experience in itself.  We have taken to ending the working day with a beer and a few oysters in front of the fire.  No matter how wet and cold it has been outside, or the list of jobs that didn’t get done, whatever new ache I have discovered that day, doing that makes winter feel so much more bearable.  And I get a nutrition hit too.