What Are the Health Benefits of Red Snapper?

With a firm texture and mild taste, red snapper helps you reach your recommended fish intake of two servings a week, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Its subtle flavor pairs well with fresh salsa, a seasoning of lime juice and black pepper, or with crushed chilli peppers for a fiery kick. Incorporate red snapper into your diet to reap the benefits of its rich nutritional profile.

Red snapper provides a source of lean protein -- each 6-ounce serving offers 45 grams of protein, with only 3 grams of total fat. Consuming protein helps support an active lifestyle because, combined with regular exercise, it allows you to build and maintain lean muscle mass. Protein in your diet also plays a role in blood cell development, and it nourishes your skin and bones to keep them healthy and strong. As a complete protein, red snapper provides you with all of the amino acids you need to maintain healthy tissue.

Red snapper contains selenium, a mineral involved in enzyme function. Your body contains at least 25 selenoproteins, and each of these enzymes relies on selenium from your diet. Getting enough selenium protects you from reactive oxygen species -- harmful chemicals that damage your tissues. Selenium also activates enzymes needed for proper cell growth, thyroid hormone production, muscle metabolism and blood vessel function. Six ounces of red snapper contains 83.3 milligrams of selenium -- your entire daily recommended intake, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Add red snapper to your diet to boost your intake of potassium. Getting potassium from your diet helps to maintain your body's fluid balance and lowers your blood pressure. Your nerves and muscles also rely on potassium to function, since potassium plays a key role in propagating the small electrical impulses involved in nerve communication. Low potassium levels harm your health, leading to muscle cramps and even disrupting heart function. A 6-ounce serving of red snapper provides you with 887 milligrams of potassium, or approximately 19 percent of your daily potassium requirements, set by the Institute of Medicine.

Consume red snapper as a source of vitamin B-12, a nutrient important to nerve function. Vitamin B-12 helps you make neurotransmitters, chemicals essential for nerve communication. It also maintains your myelin sheath -- a fatty coating that insulates your nerve cells to promote efficient communication. Getting enough vitamin B-12 also helps your circulation, because B-12 plays an important role in red blood cell production. Each 6-ounce serving of red snapper offers almost 6 micrograms of vitamin B-12 -- more than your entire recommended daily intake, set by the Institute of Medicine.