Can snails be eaten, is it good to eat snails?

Snails are found everywhere, especially in gardens, and gardeners don't usually like them. There are many questions surrounding snails such as: Are snails edible and is it good to eat snails?

Many people think that snails are very dirty and poisonous, so they cannot eat. In fact, this creature also brings quite a lot of health benefits. Let's find out with the article below whether snails can be eaten, is it good to eat snails!

Learn about snails

Snails are common creatures in the world

Snails are familiar to humans. They have the scientific name Gastropoda, common names are Gastropod, gastropod, slug, snail. 

The nutrients found in snails:

• Magnesium 212 mg.
• Manganese 23.3 mg.
• Copper 0.34 mg.
• Iron 2.98 mg.
• Phosphorus 231 mg.
• Vitamin E 4.25 mg.
• Protein 13.69 mg.
• Vitamin B12.
• Choline 55.2 mg.
• Vitamin B6.

Snails, with 10,000 species and 400 living families, are the largest subgroup of mollusks. Snails are distributed all over the globe, both in water and on land. Some snails have an entire inner shell and are covered with skin. Groups that lack shell protection, such as nudibranchs, will be elaborately colored to help them blend in with similar background colors and warn of dangerous predators.

Snails have 1-2 pairs of tentacles on their heads. With land snails, the eyes are carried on top of a set of tentacles, which are 75% of the width of the eye. The second set of tentacles act as olfactory organs. Snails have a ganglion, a primitive type of brain that is divided into four parts. This structure is simple compared to the brains of other mammals such as birds and reptiles.

Diet

Snails consume a variety of foods in the wild, such as fruit, leafy vegetation, carcasses, and droppings. Snails create damage to agricultural crops.

Life cycle

Some species of snails lay eggs containing many yolk sacs, eggs can develop inside the body or outside to develop. Eggs develop into larvae, larvae develop shells, on the larva there is an opening from which the legs or head of the snail will emerge.

Reproduction

Snails are sexual and some species are hermaphrodites. This means that a single individual can produce both eggs and sperm. Individuals will exchange sperm with other individuals instead of self-fertilizing.

Can snails be eaten, is it good to eat snails?

Snail is a healthy food

With the nutrients in snails listed above, the answer is that snail meat can be eaten. Even snail meat is considered a high-quality food because it contains a lot of protein, iron, and healthy fats. Snails are rich in essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid and linoleic acid. Specifically, snail will give you:

• Iron: In snails contain a lot of iron, which is an excellent source of iron for the body. Red blood cells build and transport energy throughout the body. Thereby reducing the risk of anemia, fatigue, improving iron deficiency anemia . 
• Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is essential in the production of red blood cells. Helps to keep the nervous system healthy and release energy from the food we eat, folic acid processing.
• Magnesium: Magnesium contained in snails will help maintain normal blood pressure, regular heart rate and help keep bones strong.
• Selenium: Selenium helps keep the immune system healthy, protecting cells from damage.
• Copper: Copper is very important in promoting the normal function of the connective tissues of the bones. Snail meat provides a lot of copper, which helps prevent deformation of the bone structure.
• Zinc: Zinc is an indispensable component of the body. Snails also contain a lot of zinc.
• Calcium: Snails are an excellent source of calcium orthophosphate. 200 grams of dried snails in the diet will provide enough daily calcium requirements for lactating women, pregnant women and teenagers.
• Potassium: Potassium deficiency will lead to muscle weakness, disorientation, increased nerve excitability and irregular heartbeat. Eating snails to supplement potassium is an effective method.
• Omega-3: Not only fish, snails also contain a lot of omega-3 which is good for heart health, helps prevent cardiovascular diseases and improves heart health.

Need to be aware of the risks when eating snails

Be careful when handling snail meat

While snails can be a healthy food, they also carry some risks because of how you prepare them or are allergic to the ingredients in snails. Therefore, when processing snails, you must be very careful to clean them and remove toxins. 

In Vietnam, every year there are 70-100 cases of meningitis caused by parasitic roundworm infection when eating snails. All cases are caused by eating rare, grilled snails, eating natural snails that have not been cooked properly. People absolutely do not eat snails according to their experience, do not eat raw, rare and undercooked snails. Currently, there is no cure for nematode meningitis, even with anti-helminthic drugs.

In addition, there is also a disease called rat lungworm disease when eating snails. Some of the symptoms of this disease are:

• Headache.
• Fever.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Some signs of food poisoning.

Above are all the answers to the question: " Are snails edible and is it good to eat snails?" that  SignsSymptomsList summarizes for readers. In general, snails are a delicious, nutritious food, but with a lot of risks when eating. You should be careful and carefully process snails before eating, otherwise there will be unfortunate cases.