Lent is here, and that means seafood is on the menu for many families. Did you know that seafood is full of great nutritional benefits? Here are just a few facts about seafood:

• Fresh seafood is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. This includes the B-vitamin family, vitamins A and D, and minerals like zinc, iodine and iron.
• Seafood is lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than other meat options.
• How you cook seafood is a big factor in determining how nutritious it is. Depending on the type of seafood, steaming, poaching, broiling, baking and grilling are all good options. Avoid frying, which adds lots of non-nutritious calories.

There’s more to the seafood story, too. Lots of research is being done on the health benefits of adding seafood to your diet:

• Government and health organizations recommend eating at least two servings of seafood each week for better health.
• Research shows that seafood consumption reduces coronary artery disease, and improves cognitive development and visual acuity in children.
• Supportive, but not conclusive, research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

This Lent, if you’re looking for an easy way to bring home seafood for dinner, try Easy for you! Seafood. With this free service (available at the Seafood counter), you select the seafood, and an Associate will season and seal it in an oven-ready bag. Then you just take it home and bake it! Check it out today.