Why Shrimp Should Be A Staple On Your Shopping List (Plus 3 Delish Recipes!)

Eat Like Me, SELF Magazine

Need a meal packed with lean protein, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium and omega-3's? Go for shrimp! My freezer always has a bag of these healthy crustaceans in there and yours should too!

It's recommended that everyone should eat at least 1-2 serving of fish and seafood each week. I try my best to do so and frozen shrimp has helped me many times. The reason I prefer to keep the frozen variety in is because they won't go bad and they'll always be there when you need a quick meal on the table without a trip to the store. So long as you also have a box of rice or pasta and a couple vegetables, you can have a delicious and nutritious meal in 15-minutes! Shrimp are easy to cook and can be seasoned in a variety of different ways.

Shrimp pack a lot of nutrition and when incorporated into a healthy diet can aide in weight loss and heart health. You may have heard that shrimp is very high in cholesterol. This is true, but similar to eggs, eating shrimp won't have a negative effect on your overall cholesterol level. We know it raises your LDL cholesterol slightly but it also raises your HDL and that seems to outweight the bad bump. We are not quite sure why this occurs but it likely has something to do with the presence of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Keep portion control and cooking method in mind when consuming shrimp and you'll be on your way to a healthy meal.

I always encourage you to eat food in the most natural state you can. I just wanted to alert you that some frozen shrimp have sodium triphosphate (STP) or sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) added in order to retain moisture. I prefer to buy my frozen shrimp at stores like Whole Foods that do not use this additive. Both STP and STPP are on the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) list but they are also put into detergents and household cleaners so I prefer not to get something like that in my shrimp. Be sure to turn the bag over next time you shop to see what is in there.

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Photo Credit: Condé Nast Digital Studio