Eating healthy and eating to get my vitamins and minerals from the foods I consume is my goal. I love seafood and shrimp is my go to because it can be prepared in many ways. All shrimp whether farmed, wild, frozen, or fresh have great flavor and add nutrients to your diet.

Shrimp are calorie friendly, 60 calories in three ounces and high in protein, 12 grams in three ounces. They also offer an abundance of vitamins and minerals. 4 ounces of shrimp yield 100% of the selenium, and 50% of the phosphorous needed daily. Also 30% of vitamin B12, choline, copper, and iodine recommended daily.

If you want to lower unhealthy fats in your diet shrimp is a great option. Choosing shrimp over steak and cheese will cut 90% of saturated fats. Less than one tenth of a gram of saturated fat is found in 3 ounces. In addition there are almost no trans fat in shrimp. The healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acid found in shrimp can lower your blood pressure and decrease your odds of heart disease and stroke.

As mentioned earlier there are multiple ways to prepare shrimp. It can be steamed, boiled, barbecued, fried, sautéed, poached, or baked. If you eat sushi they may be raw, or cooked. I made coconut shrimp for a snack last evening. They can be combined with citrus, herbs, tomatoes, chiles, corn, beans, bacon, and garlic.

The color of shrimp is varied depending on species, size, harvest season, and location. Raw shrimp can be white to shades of light gray with light blue covered in red, dark gray, or pink. After cooking shrimp will turn red or pink. Don’t be disturbed if the ends are black. That is a normal reaction that occurs when shrimp are out of water. It does not mean they are bad.

Most people buy frozen shrimp which are frozen right after they are caught. The “fresh” shrimp sold in grocery markets was frozen at some point and then defrosted. True fresh shrimp may be found at community supported fisheries. If you are fortunate to live on the coast you can buy shrimp directly from fishermen.

Farmed versus wild. My choice is wild shrimp from lakes, oceans, and rivers. Wild shrimp eat a natural diet and have less saturated fat compared to farm raised. On the other hand farmed shrimp have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids because of the food they are given.

Today many of us worry about our cholesterol levels. Four large shrimp have 14% of your daily cholesterol needs. However in 2015, U.S. health officials rewrote dietary guidelines and removed their suggestion to avoid dietary cholesterol. The guidelines now say that for most Americans, cholesterol levels in the blood are not linked to the amount of cholesterol in food.

Both fresh and frozen shrimp may have a preservative called sodium tripolyphosphate (STP). This preservative will be listed on the back of the package if contained in frozen shrimp.

Depending on where it is from, the quality of shrimp may vary. A lot of imported shrimp are farm raised and contain many antibiotics. Global fish farms may not follow strict inspection standards like they do in the U.S. International shrimp, both wild and farmed are higher in contaminants. Look on the back of the package to find the Country of Origin (COOL).

Enjoy your shrimp and the health benefits associated with it but beware of its origin.