Most of us are quite rightly concerned with our health and diet, but the amount of time we spend at work or running a home makes our leisure time precious. So, we have to make the most of it by choosing balanced and nutritious meals for our family's health.

Official health guidelines point to seafood as a rich source of nutrients and there is now substantial evidence that the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herrings and shell fish have a very positive impact on health. These are described as Omega 3 in research studies and are believed to reduce the risk of heart disease and may be helpful in other areas such as skin diseases and cancer.

For many people, however, fish and especially fish ready meals are not available fresh, but they are both convenient and terrific value when purchased frozen. The good news from the British Nutrition Foundation is that freezing and storage of frozen food have been shown to have no significant effect on any nutritionally important components of seafood, although some small loss of B vitamins have been seen after long storage.

It is worth noting, too, that away from the coast, truly fresh fish is not always readily available. In many instances particularly with fillets, shell fish and smoked varieties, the fish has been frozen before defrosting it for display purposes. On the other hand, frozen seafood is prepared and the freshness sealed in by freezing within hours of being landed. This ensures that it retains its full nutritional value and is for most consumers the only truly 'fresh' option available.

Research studies show that 95 per cent of people now eat frozen food. So it is reassuring to know that you can be sure it's fresh if it's frozen.