SCD PALEO One Dish Shrimp Fajitas
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SCD PALEO One Pan Shrimp Fajitas

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Last Updated on March 27, 2018 by Patricia Carter

SUMMARY:  This post shares a redic delic SCD PALEO One Pan Shrimp Fajitas recipe, that is kid friendly, friend approved, and company worthy! ♥   It is a great rotation add-in for your meatless, seafood, meals!  And, as expected for my recipes, this dish is loaded with a redic delic amount of vegs and spices that in addition to their nutrient and microbiome noshing fiber benefit, also contain antioxidants, and polyphenols with known health benefits which you get by consuming them!  Learn the Why’s behind the health benefits of this recipe (antioxidants — why you want to eat them at every meal and phytochemicals), along with important shrimp — seafood sourcing and cooking precautions!  Key Pearls of this post:  DO NOT eat shrimp at restaurants.  Eat Wild or Farmed shrimp YOU source.  Regarding raw vs precooked shrimp:  Raw shrimp will have more bacterial loads then precooked (60% vs 16%, respectively) but cooking raw shrimp properly (145F internal temperature held for at least 15 seconds) would destroy the bacterial loads.  

What’s healthy in SCD PALEO One Pan Shrimp Fajitas:

Shrimp, while not one of the SMASH Omega-3 fatty acid rich fish (Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines, and Herring), does contain the antioxidant astaxanthin and iodine. 

  • Iodine is a nutrient that is increasing in deficiency as people move to consuming sea salt instead of processed iodized salt.  Vulnerable populations are:  Borderline iodine deficiency was found for women of childbearing age; excess was found for children. [Second National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition in the U.S. Population, Executive Summary 2012].
  • Astaxanthin is a type of carotenoid, with antioxidant activity that is 100–1000 times greater than that of vitamin E.  It is commonly found in crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, as well as marine organisms such as salmon, krill, and algae [Barros et al., 2014].  Dietary astaxanthin supplementation has beneficial effects in the treatments of inflammation, cardiovascular disease, lowers blood pressure, and oxidative damages, suggesting that astaxanthin is a functional food ingredient. [Fassett et al 2009] cardiovascular,   [Pashkow et al 2008] cardiovascular, [Preuss  et al 2008] lowers blood pressure.

Antioxidant 101!  Here is why you want to eat antioxidants at every meal (most are mainly found in plants). Spoiler alert: Free Radicals!

[Oliveira 2015] explains:  “Antioxidants are one of the body’s biggest lines of defense against free radicals (aka oxidative stress) that is continuously occurring within us.  Free radicals are metabolic (waste) products that form every time you eat (when the body turns food into energy), if your immune system fights an infection, and in response to environmental agents like stress, air pollutants, radiation, cigarette smoking, drugs or other chemicals. Free radicals occur often and are problematic when they are produced in quantities greater than the body can handle.”  Antioxidants removes free-radicals after they’ve formed or prevents their formation in the first place. If the balance is spoiled, “oxidative stress” occurs, leading to deterioration of normal cell functions and even cell death.  How?  

Antioxidants fight free radicals by ‘giving’ one of their own electrons to the free radicals without becoming free radicals themselves. Simply put, an antioxidant is not a substance, but a chemical property, i.e. it acts as an electron donor.  

“Free radicals are chemically unstable and hunger for an extra electron.  If there is no antioxidant to donate, or give, an electron, the free radical reacts with nearby molecules to ‘steal’ the needed extra electron (to gain stability). That alters the structure and function of the molecules that gave up the electron, and it becomes a free radical itself.  That starts a cascade reaction that ultimately results in damage to cells. For example, free radical damage can harm your DNA resulting in mutation into cancerous cells.   It can also increase the likelihood that LDL (otherwise known as a ‘bad’ cholesterol) gets trapped in an artery wall. It is therefore hardly surprising that free radicals have been linked to a number of chronic diseases including cancer, strokes and heart disease.”

Our bodies can create their own antioxidants, but we also need to take in additional antioxidants from our food, most are mainly found in plant food.  Pro Tip:  Every time we eat, our body makes free radicals, so eat antioxidants at each meal! “You can’t just eat a bowl of berries at breakfast and expect to effectively combat free radicals throughout the day. A much better way to combat the damages of free radicals is to ensure that each of your meals contains high antioxidant foods.” 

The vegs and spices used in this recipe contain in addition to their nutrient and microbiome noshing fiber benefit, phytochemicals that are packed with antioxidants and polyphenols with known health benefits which you get by consuming them. They also contain anti-nutrients, which can be harmful or beneficial.

Phytochemicals 101

Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced in plants (especially organic) in order to protect themselves against environmental threats like predator insects, pollution and disease.  Phytochemicals can be broadly classified as nutritional (e.g., essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, minerals and phenolic compounds) and anti-nutritional chemical compounds (e.g., oxalates, tannins, nitrate), and they are also packed with antioxidants. [reference 12 in Horticult Int J 2017, 1(2): 00011] 

 Phytochemicals work together, not in isolation from one another or your entire diet.  Pro Tip:  Eat the rainbow of vegs and fruits to get sufficient phytochemical diversity as each has different roles.

Regarding polyphenols: There are over 8,000 identified polyphenols found in foods such as tea, wine, chocolates, fruits, vegetables, and extra virgin olive oil. [Han et al 2007]  Epidemiological studies and associated meta-analyses strongly suggest that long term consumption of diets rich in plant polyphenols offer some protection against development of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases , (Fig. 1). [Pandey et al 2009]

  Some polyphenols include [Oregon State Univ, Phytochemicals]:

Anti-nutrients are chemicals produced by plants and spices (especially organic) that ward off predators.  “Anti-nutritional
factors include:  cyanogenic glycosides, protease inhibitors,
lectins, tannins, alkaloids, and saponnins.  If consumption of anti-nutrients exceed an upper limit, deleterious effects related to the absorption of nutrients and micronutrients may occur which can interfere with the function of certain organs. Certain harmful effects might also be due to the breakdown products of anti-nutrients. When present in small amounts, anti-nutrients and their breakdown products may possess beneficial health effects which include:  anti-inflammatory and protection against age-related inflammation and chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and dementia.” [Gemede et al 2014] [Horticult Int J 2017, 1(2): 00011] Examples of well studied anti-nutrients are:  Olive oil’s oleocanthal [Presti et al 2017] (beneficial effect against oxidative stress, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and aging-related illness).  Red wine grapes reservatrol [Berman et al 2017](beneficial effect for neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes disease biomarkers; negative effect for certain cancers and NAFLD).  Curcumin from turmeric [Hewlings et al 2017] (aids in the management of oxidative and inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, anxiety, hyperlipidemia, exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness, and a relatively low dose can provide health benefits for people that do not have diagnosed health conditions. Caveat:  It is poorly absorbed but adding black pepper — piperine — yields a 2000% increase in availability. I’ve added some mechanisms of action in the Reference section below).

Vegetable anti-nutrient examples are:  Alliaceae family (e.g., onions, garlic, shallots, leek, Welsh onion and chives) containing thiosulfides and flavonoids. Cruciferous vegetables (e.g., cabbage, cauliflower, kale and broccoli) that belong to the Brassicaceae  family and contain high sources of glucosinolates. The Cucurbitaceae family (e.g., squash, pumpkin, cucumber, melon and bitter gourd — rich in carotenoids and tocopherols.) Green leafy vegetables (considered the cheapest source of food for vitamins and micronutrients — contain anti-nutrients nitrates, oxalates, phytates, cyanogenic glycosides and tannins which can decrease micronutrients absorption, but thermal processing of leafy vegetables through boiling, cooking and blanching before consumption helped in reducing the level of anti-nutrients.)   [Horticult Int J 2017, 1(2): 00011]  Various cooking techniques for quinoa (see this top read post for those How-To instructions), rice, pulses, legumes, soybean, canola, and tomatoes, pea protein also reduced anti-nutritional factors. [ScienceDirect, Anti-nutritional Factor] Learn more about Anti-nutritional Factor.

 In sum, there is a lot yet to be learned about plant chemicals.
  • Unknowns for anti-nutrients include:  Cooking effect for the anti-nutrient, human tolerance levels of these compounds, the degree of variation of individual risks, and effect of environmental factors on the detoxification capacity for humans.
  • Phytochemical exact mechanisms of action are not well known but pharmaceutical companies integrate these chemicals in their drugs.  More than 80% of drug substances are either directly derived from natural products or developed from a natural compound.  [Maridass et al 2008]  Around 50% of pharmaceuticals are derived from compounds first identified or isolated from herbs/plants, including organisms, animals, and insects, as active ingredients.  [Krief et al 2004]
  • At time 24:18, [Microbiomes and Aging with Rob Knight – Research on Aging, Dec 2017, time 24:18], leading light microbiome researcher Dr. Rob Knight talks about his trip to Acciaroli, Italy (sponsored by a drug company) where a group of 300 citizens, all over 100 years old, live with very low rates of heart disease and Alzheimer’s. They wanted to learn if it is their diet, microbiome, or some other lifestyle thing that lets them live centenarian long with health.  Their diet favors a wild foraged Mediterranean diet (few market bought food) markedly infused with the herb rosemary.  Due to the location of the village, locals also walk long distances and hike through the mountains as part of their daily activity. The researchers returned with lots of rosemary for sequencing from root to bloom, and from wild mountain, to roadside, to garden. Most of the molecules they found have never before been seen. The plan is to feed those molecules in animal models to learn if longevity increases. Read more at [Remote Italian Village Could Harbor Secrets of Healthy Aging. Researchers will examine 300 Italian residents, all over 100 years old]

Understand Shrimp safety concerns

If you find you don’t want to eat shrimp after reading this section, omit and/or sub something else in the recipe.

Frequency and special vulnerable groups [Hicks 2016] Seafood Safety and Quality: The Consumer’s Role.

  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently recommends that pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under age 12 should eat 2 to 3 servings (8 to 12 ounces) of a variety of different kinds of fish and shellfish each week… shrimp, salmon, canned light tuna, flatfish, tilapia, oysters, crab, pollock, catfish, clams, scallops, lobster and basa or swai, all have low mercury levels.
  • The FDA recommends that pregnant or breastfeeding women and young children should not eat four kinds of fish, Shark, Swordfish, King mackerel and Tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, because they contain higher levels of mercury. Consumption of canned “white” or albacore tuna and fresh tuna steaks should be limited to 6 ounces per week because they can have slightly more mercury.

Consumer Reports had these tips for buying safe shrimp. [2015 Consumer Reports:  How safe is your shrimp?  Consumer Reports’ guide to choosing the healthiest, tastiest, and most responsibly sourced shrimp].  Two more great reads for sourcing, handling, and cooking all types of seafood is [Hicks 2016] Seafood Safety and Quality: The Consumer’s Role (this work was partially funded by the Delaware Sea Grant Program at the University of Delaware) and [University of Rhode Island, Seafood Safety What consumers Need to Know].  In Sum:  DO NOT eat shrimp at restaurants.  Eat Wild or Farmed shrimp YOU source (see below).  Regarding raw vs precooked shrimp:  Raw shrimp will have more bacterial loads then precooked (60% vs 16%, respectively) but cooking raw shrimp properly (145F internal temperature held for at least 15 seconds) would destroy the bacterial loads.  

  • 94% of our shrimp supply comes from abroad, from countries such as India, Indonesia, and Thailand.
  • Farmed Shrimp.  Most of the shrimp we import is “farmed.”  If ponds aren’t carefully managed, a sludge of fecal matter, chemicals, and excess food can build up and decay. Farmed shrimp can, and often do, have contaminants.  If you buy farmed shrimp, look for shrimp labeled Naturland, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, or Whole Foods Market Responsibly Farmed. Another common certification is Best Aquaculture Practices, but we found antibiotics on four samples with that label.
  • Wild shrimp is far less likely to have harmful bacteria and antibiotic contamination than farmed.  For wild shrimp:  “Responsibly caught U.S. wild shrimp is our top choice. Consumer Reports also recommends buying wild shrimp sold at Whole Foods Market or that carry the Marine Stewardship Council logo. You can also go to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafoodwatch.org and look for shrimp listed as a “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative.”   Read more about the shrimp labels you can trust.
  • Beware of “seafood labeling fraud”.  Don’t trust Organic, Sustainable,  Environmentally Aware, Natural, No Antibiotics, No hormones, or Turtle Safe shrimp labeling claims.  They are meaningless since there are no real standards for those terms.  The Department of Agriculture requires supermarkets and warehouse clubs to state whether shrimp is wild or farmed, along with its country of origin. But a 2014 Oceana study found that even those common classifications can be inaccurate.  And [University of CA, Berkeley Wellness How Safe Is Your Imported Seafood?] reminds us, “Restaurants, processed fish products, or, oddly enough, fish markets— are not required to indicate where their fish come from and whether they were farmed or wild-caught.  
  • How to tell if shrimp is wild or farmed:  “Wild shrimp often vary in size, shape, and color… farmed shrimp often all… look the same.” Cufone’s second tip: “Look for poop, or what is politely called a vein.” Frequently, shrimp farmers stop feeding shrimp before harvesting them so that the vein empties. If you see a dark line, there’s a better chance it’s a real wild shrimp.
  • There was no difference in taste between wild and farmed shrimp.
  • Fresh vs. frozen doesn’t matter because all of it was frozen at some point.  So don’t bother paying the extra money for fresh.
  • Precooked Shrimp Concerns.  More than a quarter of buyers prefer their shrimp precooked.  Precooked shrimp may be convenient, but 16% had several bacteria, including vibrio and E. coli. Those bacteria can potentially cause illnesses such as food poisoning—which could include diarrhea and dehydration—and, in rare instances, can even prove fatal.  If you want to be extra careful, buy raw shrimp, handle it properly, and cook it yourself to kill any bacteria. 
  • Raw Shrimp Concerns. Overall, 60% of our raw shrimp tested positive for bacteria, but it’s important to keep those findings in perspective.  Most bacteria on shrimp would be killed during the cooking process.  See the recipe note secton for proper handling of raw shrimp which incorporates Consumer Reports information contained in how to safely clean shrimp.  For perspective and comparison of shrimp bacterial loads, when raw chicken breasts were tested in 2013, 97% of the samples contained bacteria, says Rangan, who oversaw both the shrimp and chicken studies. Read “The High Cost of Cheap Chicken“ for more details.
  • How to cook raw shrimp.  [University of Rhode Island, Seafood Safety What consumers Need to Know] integrates and adds to the Consumer Report information:  Cook fish and shellfish thoroughly. Fish is cooked when it begins to flake and loses its translucent (raw) appearance. Cook fish until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for at least 15 seconds.  Seafood is usually cooked under moderate to high heat (425 degrees F). Scallops and shrimp turn firm and opaque when cooked. It takes three to five minutes to boil or steam one pound of medium-sized shrimp, and three to four minutes to cook scallops. You need a reliable, continuous heat source. So don’t cook it on a hot plate. Avoid interrupted cooking—completely cook the seafood at one time.  If you’re microwaving fish, you need to compensate for uneven heating and shorter cooking times. Be sure to rotate or stir halfway through the cooking process, cover to retain moisture, heat to an internal temperature of 170 degrees F for fifteen seconds, and allow to stand covered for two minutes after cooking.
  • Antibiotic loads.  11 samples of raw imported farmed shrimp from Vietnam, Thailand, and Bangladesh tested positive for one or more antibiotics:  Nine tested positive for oxytetracycline, three contained enrofloxacin, and two contained sulfa antibiotics. (Consumer Reports is calling on the federal government to make shrimp safer for American consumers.
  • We found more antibiotic- resistant MRSA on shrimp than we found in our studies of pork, chicken, and ground turkey.  Antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA was detected on six raw samples of farmed shrimp from Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Ecuador, and on one wild sample from the U.S. MRSA can make you sick. “It’s spread through contact, so if MRSA gets on your skin while you’re preparing raw shrimp, it can potentially cause an infection, especially if you have an abrasion or cut,” Crupain says. MRSA causes serious skin and blood infections. About 11,000 people in the U.S. die from MRSA each year. 
  • Compared with the chicken samples, far fewer shrimp contained salmonella, which is often responsible for outbreaks of food poisoning. But of concern, we found vibrio on many shrimp samples. “Vibrio is the most common cause of food poisoning from eating raw oysters”. 
  • The contaminated samples in the Consumer Reports study were purchased in March, 2014 from: Albertsons, Costco, Fry’s Marketplace, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market and Walmart. (In nearly all cases we also purchased raw farmed imported shrimp from those outlets that tested negative for any antibiotics.)  
  • The chart below shows the bacteria levels found for vibrio, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, listeria or salmonella. Cooking raw shrimp correctly should kill the bacteria.
Raw Shrimp Safety_Consumer Reports 2015
Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/06/shrimp-safety/index.htm
Conclusion: 
  • If you eat FARMED shrimp buy it from Naturland, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, or Whole Foods Market Responsibly Farmed.
  • If you eat WILD shrimp, choose U.S. wild shrimp, shrimp certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, or shrimp from Whole Foods Market and those listed as “Best Choices” or “Good Alternatives” on Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide, at seafoodwatch.org.”
  • RAW SHRIMP is safer than PRECOOKED SHRIMP both from a toxin and antibiotic concern, but it very likely will have more bacteria on it so make certain to handle it properly (see the notes in the recipe) and cook it properly to ensure kill of the bacterial loads.  That means cooking raw shrimp in a preheated 400F convection oven (425F conventional oven) until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F for at least 15 seconds.

Hoping you try the recipe, with or without shrimp!

In health thru awareness,

Signature2

 

 

 

♥ References
    1. [2015 Consumer Reports:  How safe is your shrimp?   Consumer Reports’ guide to choosing the healthiest, tastiest, and most responsibly sourced shrimp]. 
    2. [University of Rhode Island, Seafood Safety What consumers Need to Know] How to cook raw shrimp.
    3. [Second National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition in the U.S. Population, Executive Summary 2012],   Borderline iodine deficiency was found for women of childbearing age (excess was found for children).
    4. [Barros et al., 2014] Neuroprotective Properties of the Marine Carotenoid Astaxanthin and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Perspectives for the Natural Combination of Both in Krill Oil.
    5. [Fassett et al 2009] Astaxanthin, oxidative stress, inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
    6. [Pashkow et al 2008] Astaxanthin: a novel potential treatment for oxidative stress and inflammation in cardiovascular disease.
    7. [Preuss  et al 2008] Astaxanthin lowers blood pressure and lessens the activity of the renin-angiotensin system.
    8. [Oliveira 2015] UC Davis Integrative Medicine, All About Antioxidants.
    9. [Horticult Int J 2017, 1(2): 00011]  An Overview of Nutritional and Antinutritional Factors in Green Leafy Vegetables.
    10. [Han et al 2007] Dietary Polyphenols and Their Biological Significance.
    11. [Pandey et al 2009] Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease.
    12. [Oregon State Univ, Phytochemicals] Some polyphenols.
    13. Optimal Microbiome Diet from American Gut Data.
    14. [Gemede et al 2014] Antinutritional factors in plant foods: Potential health benefits and adverse effects.
    15. [Presti et al 2017] Bioactive compounds from extra virgin olive oils: Correlation between phenolic content and oxidative stress cell protection.   Olive oil’s oleocanthal   (beneficial effect against  oxidative stress, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and aging-related illness). Also see [International Olive Oil Council, The antioxidant properties of the Olive oil].
    16. [Berman et al 2017] The therapeutic potential of resveratrol: a review of clinical trials.  For neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, the current clinical trials show that resveratrol was well tolerated and beneficially influenced disease biomarkers. However resveratrol had ambiguous and sometimes even detrimental effects in certain types of cancers and in NAFLD. In most of the clinical trials, the major obstacle presented was resveratrol’s poor bioavailability.
    17. [Hewlings et al 2017] Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health (aids in the management of oxidative and inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, anxiety, hyperlipidemia, exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness, and a relatively low dose can provide health benefits for people that do not have diagnosed health conditions. Caveat:  It is poorly absorbed but adding black pepper — piperine — yields a 2000% increase in availability).  Adapted from this paper:  Inflammation is associated with the development of many chronic diseases and conditions including:  Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, MS, epilepsy, cerebral injury, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, allergy, asthma, bronchitis, colitis, arthritis, renal ischemia, psoriasis, diabetes, obesity, depression, fatigue, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome AIDS. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) is a major mediator of inflammation in most diseases, and this effect is regulated by the activation of a transcription factor, nuclear factor (NF)-κB. Whereas TNF-α is said to be the most potent NF-κB activator. The expression of TNF-α is also regulated by NF-κB. In addition to TNF-α, NF-κB is also activated by most inflammatory cytokines; gram-negative bacteria; various disease-causing viruses; environmental pollutants; chemical, physical, mechanical, and psychological stress; high glucose; fatty acids; ultraviolet radiation; cigarette smoke; and other disease-causing factors. Agents that downregulate NF-κB and NF-κB–regulated gene products have potential efficacy against several of these diseases. Curcumin has been shown to block NF-κB activation increased by several different inflammatory stimuli and suppress inflammation through many different mechanisms beyond the scope of this review, thereby supporting its mechanism of action as a potential anti-inflammatory agent [].
    18. How To Properly Prepare Soak Quinoa.
    19. [ScienceDirect, Anti-nutritional Factor]  Learn more about Anti-nutritional Factor. Various cooking techniques for  quinoa, rice, pulses, legumes, soybean, canola, and tomatoes, pea protein also reduced anti-nutritional factors.
    20. [Maridass et al 2008], Origins of plant derived medicines, Ethnobotanical Leaflets, vol. 12, pp. 373–387, 2008. View at Google Scholar More than 80% of drug substances are either directly derived from natural products or developed from a natural compound.
    21. [Krief et al 2004], Novel antimalarial compounds isolated in a survey of self-medicative behavior of wild chimpanzees in Uganda, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, vol. 48, no. 8, pp. 3196–3199, 2004. View at Publisher · View at Google Scholar · View at Scopus  And, in fact, around 50% of pharmaceuticals are derived from compounds first identified or isolated from herbs/plants, including organisms, animals, and insects, as active ingredients.
    22. [Microbiomes and Aging with Rob Knight – Research on Aging, Dec 2017, time 24:18]
    23. [Remote Italian Village Could Harbor Secrets of Healthy Aging. Researchers will examine 300 Italian residents, all over 100 years old]
    24. [Hicks 2016] Seafood Safety and Quality: The Consumer’s Role.
    25. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafoodwatch.org.
    26. University of CA, Berkeley Wellness How Safe Is Your Imported Seafood?]
    27.  “The High Cost of Cheap Chicken“.
    28. Consumer Reports is calling on the federal government to make shrimp safer for American consumers.

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