Shell out. It's good for your heart.

Need an excuse to splurge on crab legs, crab salad, or a cold crab cocktail on a hot summer night? How about avoiding heart disease and cancer? Crab meat in general, and crab legs in particular, are loaded with zinc, a powerful antioxidant that's just been found to help ward off both health threats. Find a tasty crab recipe with our RealAge Smart Search.

Getting your daily dose of zinc -- up to 12 milligrams (mg) per day -- can help protect you from heart disease and cancer. In a recent study, these killers were linked not only to a lack of zinc but also to an excess of copper and a deficiency in magnesium. And being low on zinc made any problems with the other two minerals much worse. Researchers are still trying to determine whether the minerals were the direct cause of the outcome, but while they sort out the science, aim for 12 mg of zinc daily from food. Can't hurt, could help, and -- if you've got a yen for crab -- it tastes terrific.

Of course, crab's not the only good source of zinc. Oysters can't be beat, and clams and lobster are high on the list, too. On a more wallet-friendly level, you'll find beneficial amounts of zinc in nuts, peanut butter, beans, poultry, red meat, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and yogurt. And a multivitamin with minerals will fill in any gaps.