Covid-19, Farmers Market, and Oyster Omega-3 + Cholesterol

Umm, COVID-19 why are you still here!? I know we are all asking ourselves this question as it is the middle of our hot Texas summer, entering August of 2020! We are sweating in face masks, seeking sanctuary from cool watering holes (or the garden hose), and debating whether man-kind should of ever created the existence of ‘virtual’. I mean, living in straw huts, drinking from coconuts, and welding swords on horseback doesn’t sound so terrible right now. Escape with us…

Aphrodite Oysters has now gone to market in our local community to bring some salty air safely from the sea. We are excited to be a part of Austin’s original Barton Creek Farmers Market. Please stop by for some sweet, salty kisses from the sea on Saturdays from 9-1 pm at the Barton Creek Mall.

In continuation of our Oyster Nutrition Series, oysters provide a super immune boost and here’s how:

It’s simple, one gram daily of Omega-3’s cuts your risk of heart attack in half! Omega-3’s fight depression, reduce ADHD, asthma, and help children learn; Omega 3’s fight Alzheimer’s, auto-immune diseases, improve mental disorders, aid sleep, and so much more. Need we say more on why you should eat oysters?!

Oh, and there has been a myth that seafood is high in cholesterol. This was before we understood there was good and bad cholesterol. Oysters don’t contain it and only shrimp & squid are truly high in cholesterol.

One dozen oysters provides a gram of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

Stay healthy Texans and slurp up the sea of immunity with us!

Post 6 of 6 in the Oyster Nutrition Series

Sources: Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation, Amy Brown 2nd Edition; Macrobiotic Diet by Michio and Aveline Kushi; The Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America by Rowen Jacobson; https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oysters#benefits; https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-health-benefits-of-omega-3

Zink and Copper in Oysters Zap Illness

Oyster Nutrition: Zinc and Copper

You may recall hearing oysters described as tasting metallic. This is because oysters love to pack in both zinc and copper from their environment; even if there are low concentrations of it, they will find it. If you have ever had an oyster that is green or blue in color, that means it is really high in copper - just like a penny! Now your thinking, should I stay away, are these levels too high? Of course not and here is why.

What is Zinc & Copper?

Zinc and copper are required minerals for our immune system health. These minerals contains extremely high levels of antimicrobial properties and help cell growth for fighting off colds and aids the healing of abrasions or wounds. You will find Zinc in your nasal sprays.

Oyster Zinc and Copper

The large amounts of zinc and copper absorbed by oysters go into their shells and the muscle. It helps aid themselves in fighting off bacteria as much as it builds our own immune systems as we enjoy them. Just two eastern oysters fill our daily required value, it is the same as taking a supplement pill. To give you an idea, the next foods high in these minerals are beef and crab - they contain 4 milligrams per 100 grams of zinc. Oysters contain 90 milligrams of zinc per 100 grams! Lobster is also extremely high in copper - 1.7 milligrams per 100 grams; yet oysters pack 4 milligrams per 100 grams. Pacific oysters are generally sweeter because they contain less of the minerals. The European Flat oysters, known as Belon, and also the Gulf oysters contain the highest concentrations of zinc and copper.

So the next time you are feeling under the weather, add oysters to your chicken noodle soup diet. The oyster will actually aid your immune defense system, not just bring you comfort. If you do take zinc supplements, you might want to skip it the day you eat oysters because the excess could leave you feeling ill. This would be the only time I would advise against having too much of my favorite tasty treat.

Even more of a health benefit,  “zinc and vitamins B12 and D also have antioxidant effects, boosting the protective benefits of oysters even higher. Research shows that people who eat diets rich in antioxidants lower their risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality” via healthline.com.

Here, here to OYSTERS again - they are AMAZING!

Post 5 of 6 in the Oyster Nutrition Series

Sources: Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation, Amy Brown 2nd Edition; Macrobiotic Diet by Michio and Aveline Kushi; The Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America by Rowen Jacobson; https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oysters#benefits

Selenium Fights Covid-19

Oyster Nutrition: Selenium

It is almost May 2020 and the country is still on lock-down from the COVID-19 Corona-virus. Over one million cases in the United States and Governors are beginning to slowly re-open businesses. The world returning to normalcy is very much so welcomed yet dangerous. Keeping our immune systems in check is more important than ever and oysters can help you maintain healthy levels.

What is Selenium?

Selenium functions as a potent antioxidant. Selenium helps the body produce special proteins called antioxidant enzymes. These keep your white blood cells strong and fight off cell aging and damage such as a virus attaching like the corona-virus where it changes your cells. More selenium benefits:

• Like all antioxidants selenium is an anti-inflammatory. Many diseases are a result of inflammation like the progression of diabetes, MS, ALS, etc.

• Helps alleviate thyroid problems by converting the less active thyroid hormone into one our body can use.

• Protects your heart by decreasing the risk of blood clotting, reducing your bad cholesterol levels and increasing your good cholesterol level. WOW!

• Fights against free radical damage and cancer, as studies have shown that the amount of deaths due to cancer are less in those that have adequate levels of selenium.

Selenium also reduces dandruff and increases male fertility! Now these are great reasons as to why oysters are considered aphrodisiacs!!

Oysters are high in selenium and other pertinent nutrients to keep our immune systems strong. So pat yourself on the back the next dozen oysters your slurp down. Eat smart. #EatMoreOysters

Post 4 of 6 in the Oyster Nutrition Series

Sources: Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation, Amy Brown 2nd Edition; Macrobiotic Diet by Michio and Aveline Kushi; The Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America by Rowen Jacobson; https://www.healthambition.com/health-benefits-of-selenium/

*Selenium alone will not prevent COVID-19. Consult a physician.

Protein Rich Oysters Provide the Good Fats

Oyster Nutrition: Fat

What is fat?

Fats or Lipids are either solid = saturated or liquid = unsaturated. Solid lipids contain more saturated fatty acids which are long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms with one oxygen molecule at the end. Unsaturated fatty acids are missing one hydrogen pair and polyunsaturated are missing more. Insoluble fats in water require the liver to produce bile for digesting these bad fats.

Our bodies need fats for the digestive system to function but they can be very harmful. This is where high cholesterol comes into play, too many bad saturated fats leads to excess cholesterol which are then deposited onto our artery walls, reduces blood flow, and ultimately resulting in heart attacks and strokes.

Oyster Fat

These glorious protein-rich oysters come packing the good fats! Like olive oil, unsaturated fats provide many benefits such as reducing blood pressure and cholesterol. Most seafood are predominately protein and could not survive in cold waters if their fats were solid or saturated.

One medium east coast raw oyster, around 3.5 ounces provides 3 grams of fat. That means a dozen oysters provide 36 grams of fat. So, if you consume 1,500 calories on your weight-loss diet, you'll want between 42 and 58 grams of fat daily;, whereas a person eating 2,000 calories would consume between 56 and 78 grams of fat.

Oysters are the best source of protein with the good fats. Eat smart. #EatMoreOysters

Post 4 of 6 in the Oyster Nutrition Series

Sources: Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation, Amy Brown 2nd Edition; Macrobiotic Diet by Michio and Aveline Kushi; The Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America by Rowen Jacobson

Oysters Pack a Protein Punch

Oyster Nutrition: Protein

What is protein?

“Prime importance” is the Greek meaning of protein. We would not exist without hydration, muscle, hair, and nails - this is why protein is necessary. I guess we would be like a sea anemone without protein…ah, bad sea joke! Shellfish and other animal products are the best source of complete proteins. Beans actually have the highest value as a protein source yet they are considered incomplete. They are incomplete because they lack some amino acids which there are 22 total. We require 9 amino acids daily in our diet.

Oyster Protein

Unlike that delicious rib-eye steak you love to grill, oysters are a fantastic protein rich food without the saturated fats. You know, the bad fats, the ones we have to diet from when we get older because of that high cholesterol and heart disease risk.

One medium raw oyster, around 3 ounces provides 5 grams of protein; so an average Gulf oyster provides around 7 grams of protein. It is recommended for an adult woman to have 46 grams of protein a day and 56 grams for men on average. That means a dozen oysters meets your daily requirements without artery clogging fats AND also provide so many more nutritious vitamins and minerals!

Protein load with these bad boys for your pre/post-workout to build your bodies’ beautiful muscles, grow gorgeous hair, and maintain that brain in the cave. Eat smart. #EatMoreOysters

Post 3 of 6 in the Oyster Nutrition Series

Sources: Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation, Amy Brown 2nd Edition; Macrobiotic Diet by Michio and Aveline Kushi; The Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America by Rowen Jacobson

Oyster Nutrition Series Introduction

Year 2020, A New Normal - COVID-19

First, Aphrodite would like to remind you how important each and every one of you are, and extend well wishes to you and your loved ones.

We are well into the “new normal” here in the United States as the Corona Virus reigns control over our everyday actions. We have taken this time to ‘fast’ from blogging and social media and focus on the heart of home. We are all affected and our prayers go out to you everyday. It amazes me to see the innovations and implementations of my fellow event industry friends; I commend you. Truly, you all are amazing! Aphrodite Oysters is so specialized and we understand oysters may not be the first food on your Stay Home delivery list, yet we would like to share how beneficial oysters are for your health.

We are are going to focus our next blog posts on the nutrition details of oysters. We hope you enjoy this Oyster Nutrition Series by Aphrodite!

I love the nutrition oyster diagram I have pictured here, created by our oyster farm friends in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Thank you Island Creek Oysters! Friends, please make sure to request these oysters in your next delivery order. Xoxo, Aphrodite Love

Oysters Reproduction 101

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive while shucking oysters at parties are, how do oysters reproduce?

Very differently from you and I. Oysters are not exactly male or female. They are protandric which means they can change from male to female over their life. Oysters start off as male and then turn to female for the majority of their lifespan.

During an oysters spawning season, the young male releases his sperm and the older females release their eggs. Sometimes up to hundreds of million eggs. One the met they develop larvae.

Larvae takes 6 hours to develop and a few weeks to settle into another oyster shell or rocky place. Now they are spat and take one year to mature. Once mature they can begin reproducing yet not always ready to be harvested for consumption.

2019 Floods More Harmful than Oil Spills & Hurricanes

This post has been a bit delayed from my end. Something you may have missed from your southern holiday dinner table this past 2019 season was oyster dressing. Mmm, oyster dressing, why yes please!

The devastation of the recent U.S. flooding is said to be more destructive to our Gulf oyster beds than hurricane Katrina, Ivan, and even the historic oil spill. Reason being, the Mississippi River running through 10 states massively flooded the Gulf with freshwater. The fresh water killed oyster beds and “crippling other seafood harvests that depend on saltwater to survive“.

Not only is the low supply of oysters to our table increasing consumer cost, it more importantly is putting more oyster farmers out of work. The floods have affected Louisiana and Mississippi restaurants and sending these oyster lovers to Texas to satisfy their half shell needs at 60 cents a Texas Gulf oyster.

“The floodwaters affected more than just Mississippi fisheries. Hundreds of dead dolphins and sea turtles were found, and toxic algal blooms closed Mississippi beaches for much of the summer.”

I encourage you for the health of our Gulf, seas, and beaches to continue contributing to the revitalization by the consumption of our dear oysters and seafood. You may make direct contributions to the following:

Galveston Bay Foundation

https://galvbay.org/ways-to-give/by-donating-or-joining/

Quoted source and you may read more details on the New Orleans Spillway and facts of use here:

https://www.npr.org/2019/11/28/783272904/fisheries-and-fishermen-hard-hit-by-decline-of-oysters-on-gulf-coast

Texas Legalized Oyster Farms

Sometimes its better to share the news than to recreate. Source: HoustoniaMag.com by Gwendolyn Knapp

Read Full Article Here!

Excerpts: “We haven’t needed to farm oysters because we have a viable -oyster industry. The Gulf Coast—primarily Texas and Louisiana—produced 51 percent of all oysters in America in 2017, and the 2018–19 wild-oyster season was the strongest in several years.”

…over the past decade Texas has lost a good portion of its natural reefs—those in Galveston Bay alone have decreased by more than half—thanks to both acts of God and over-fishing. Restoration efforts are underway, but they’ll take decades, and hundreds of millions of dollars, to complete. Which is why in 2017 proponents from Texas A&M, the Texas Restaurant Association, the Coastal Conservation Association, and elsewhere began working with legislators and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to draft a bill that would legalize oyster farming.

The Harte Research Institute estimates that farmed oysters will soon bring in $2 million a year in Texas. They’ll help keep our bays clean and reduce stress on our natural reefs. They could even bring in tourists one day, like the oyster farms on the East Coast, which attract foodies seeking out new bivalves to try. “That’s an angle we’re looking at, bringing in the community and giving a tour, like a wine vineyard,” says Raz Halili, owner of Prestige Oysters, who plans to give farming a try. As for whether we’ll be able to taste the difference between boutique oysters and those dredged from public reefs? We’re certainly willing to do all the taste-testing required to find out.

Something that was not mentioned was how we have been harvesting oysters. Dredging: a dredge which is towed along the bottom of the sea by a fishing boat in order to collect oysters. Texans have been dredging oysters from the beginning which is a very disruptive method to the natural reefs and habitat species. Changing this alone will make large impact on our reefs. Get excited! We need to take care of our Texas Gulf waters. I know I would like to see cleaner waters and beaches in Texas.

Tourists!? I’d love to know what everyone thinks about that one…livelihood for some, imperative - yet, I know many search for that escape on the Texas Gulf. It will be interesting to see this development and instead of wine+oyster farm tours like our Pacific and Atlantic neighbors it will be beer buckets and oyster shooters!

Oyster Seasons and the Months with R Myth

“Don’t eat oysters with months that don’t have an ‘R’ in them!”

Many of us have heard this before and it once was true. When there was no ice on the boats it was difficult to harvest oysters in the summer time. Oysters could not travel very far without keeping them at a cold, proper temperature. Sadly the warm oysters would die or pass along food borne illness. Luckily for us, now we can eat oysters year around due to ice, coolers, and refrigerated trucks delivering these beauties across the country.

Oysters are now enjoyed year around yet you have more options in the colder months. What do I mean by this? Well, warmer waters bring on frisky oysters — ya know, the time when they like to reproduce. Supply or selection is reduced due to this and we source Canadian oysters for our summer pool parties. This ensures quality and the sweet to salty flavors of the sea are still prominent. Oysters that are spawning, reproducing, will alter in flavor; edible?, absolutely, just not in its prime season. Typically this prime season is from September until April, just before the waters begin to warm. With our long summers in Texas, this season begins November 1st for our Gulf oysters.

All in all, oyster season for our bellies are year around! Just select yours from more northern waters during the summer or indulge in some buttery, grilled Gulf oysters.

Gulf versus East Coast

For many of us reared in Texas, your first and only oyster experience may likely be from our Texas shore, the large Gulf oyster. Gone are the days of the 50 cent all you can eat Gulf oyster bars; yet these are still much more affordable than are neighboring Pacific or Atlantic oysters.

Why is that? Well, sure, Texas Gulf oysters aren’t being imported, though they are still travelling inland for most of us Texans. It majority comes down to their life span. Gulf oysters take only 6 to 12 months from spit(seed) to maturity(time to slurp down)! The smaller Pacific and Atlantic oysters which offer a huge punch of sea flavor take anywhere from 4-6 years average growth time before they come to market! Six years! I can’t even keep a cactus alive for that long.