1. They Are Easy to Cook

Shrimp cooks quickly, so you can prepare a tasty meal in a just a few minutes. What better answer to the question of why you should buy shrimp? Choose the shelled and deveined shrimp, so you don’t have to do that step yourself. You’ll know the shrimp is cooked when it turns pink and opaque. Try sautéing shrimp with olive oil, skewering and grilling them, stir-frying them or baking them. No matter how you prepare shrimp, you’ll have a meal that will impress in no time.

2. They Are Versatile

While shrimp have a delicious flavor, it’s a mild one, so you can pair them up with so many other ingredients for a yummy meal every night of the week. Try adding grilled shrimp to pasta, grilling them alongside mushrooms and steak on the barbecue, tossing them with a tossed vegetable salad or serving them with rice for an Oriental style dinner. Of course, they also taste great plain with a bit of cocktail sauce.

3. They’re Low in Calories

If you’re watching your weight or trying to prevent piling it on, shrimp is a great food to add to a well-balanced meal plan. One 3-ounce serving of cooked shrimp contains under 100 calories as long as you bake, grill or sauté it and don’t deep fry it. With such a low calorie content, you can fill your belly and satisfy your appetite without going overboard on calories. What more could a girl ask for?

4. They’ve Got Iron

Women need iron to support healthy oxygen flow through the blood, production of red blood cells and to prevent anemia. If you’re low in iron, you could wind up feeling tired and sluggish all the time. No one has time for that, so include shrimp in your diet to give yourself a boost. Just three ounces of the little guys satisfy 15 percent of your daily intake recommendation for the nutrient. Help your body absorb the iron by serving shrimp with foods that contain vitamin C. Citrus fruits and bell peppers are two great choices.

5. It Might Help Your Cholesterol

I know, shrimp has long been a sometimes food because it contains cholesterol. However, new info suggests that shrimp aren’t that bad after all. While they do have cholesterol in them, studies show that they might actually help lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol. While you probably don’t want to eat pounds of them every day, including moderate amounts in your diet isn’t as detrimental as you might have once thought.

6. They Have Antioxidants

Not only do shrimp contain omega-3 fatty acids, but they also have astaxanthin, another antioxidant. These two powerful nutrients serve you well in a couple of ways. Omega-3s are ideal for heart health because they’re a good source of healthy fats. Astaxanthin is perfect for your skin because it helps prevent premature aging. You can’t go wrong with that!

7. They Protect You from Cancer

Shrimp contain selenium, which is a nutrient that helps fight free radical damage. That translates to cancer protection. In fact, several studies show that people with the highest levels of selenium have the lowest rates of cancer. Why wouldn’t you eat shrimp after hearing that news?

Do you like shrimp? What’s your favorite way to eat them?