thoughts?
eat 1 - 2 cans a day good cheap source of protein
Phill
It’s healthy as far as nutrition goes but you might be concerned about the mercury levels. Solid white albacore tuna has higher levels of mercury, so it is recommended to consume this kind of tuna in moderation (i think one can per week was the safe guideline given, depending on ur sex and weight).
Chunk light tuna has lower levels of mercury so it can be consumed more often. Do a google search on fish and mercury if you wana find out more about it.
I eat some when I’m in a rush in the morning. Easy & cheap, and I guess I eat about 4 to 6 cans a week - real easy snack to eat at work, too.
I remembering reading you can eat up to 3-4 cans of chunk light tuna each week and avoid mercury problems.
(note that the real limit is probably way higher than whatever recommended, like you won’t die if you eat more, but you’re just taking some degree of statistical risk)
Sardines are a good source of proteins/fish oil/calcium, and they are relatively free of heavy metals. The problem with tuna is, it’s a huge, long-lived fish, so the metals have a long time to accumulate.
THere have been random tests on tuna steaks and cans, and the heavy metal concentration was extremely variable. At the high end, though, it was dangerously high. So it’s a crap shoot. I prefer to eat tuna steaks once in a while as a treat, and not eat canned tuna at all.
[quote]katzenjammer wrote:
Sardines are a good source of proteins/fish oil/calcium, and they are relatively free of heavy metals. The problem with tuna is, it’s a huge, long-lived fish, so the metals have a long time to accumulate.
THere have been random tests on tuna steaks and cans, and the heavy metal concentration was extremely variable. At the high end, though, it was dangerously high. So it’s a crap shoot. I prefer to eat tuna steaks once in a while as a treat, and not eat canned tuna at all. [/quote]
Check this out:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html
I’ve been eating canned tuna for years, maybe 3 to 4 cans of light tuna per week. I think I must have mercury poisoning by now.
[quote]Yo Momma wrote:
katzenjammer wrote:
Sardines are a good source of proteins/fish oil/calcium, and they are relatively free of heavy metals. The problem with tuna is, it’s a huge, long-lived fish, so the metals have a long time to accumulate.
THere have been random tests on tuna steaks and cans, and the heavy metal concentration was extremely variable. At the high end, though, it was dangerously high. So it’s a crap shoot. I prefer to eat tuna steaks once in a while as a treat, and not eat canned tuna at all.
Check this out:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html
I’ve been eating canned tuna for years, maybe 3 to 4 cans of light tuna per week. I think I must have mercury poisoning by now.
[/quote]
You can get tested. People are different in this way - some seem to get really high mercury levels, some don’t. People often get tested when they notice their memory going. Supposedly, Chlorella pulls heavy metals out of your body.
Also from the website you mentioned:
"Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
Another commonly eaten fish, albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week."
So I guess it really depends on the tuna. Again, though, I’ve heard that behind these studies are huge variations, with the averages being relatively meaningless. I forget where I read that. That does it, I’m getting tested.
How about canned salmon (re. the mercury levels)? I’m hoping not so bad, as it’s yummier than tuna and has all those good fats…
BCAAs help reduce the mercury problem; I think they bind to it or something. I remember reading a high protein diet helps, and somewhere else about the BCAAs. Google it 
Personally I avoid the stuff now. I used to take 5-6 cans a DAY, and started getting some problems. So I feel sick at the thought…
[quote]TheBlade wrote:
I remembering reading you can eat up to 3-4 cans of chunk light tuna each week and avoid mercury problems.
(note that the real limit is probably way higher than whatever recommended, like you won’t die if you eat more, but you’re just taking some degree of statistical risk)[/quote]
There’s a famous example that shows the disparity between countries on the max number of eggs you be eating a week. France set at 4 while Austria put it at 25. Keep in mind that both are in the EU.
My point is that I’m sure some other country somewhere disagrees radically with your 3-4 cans figure.
Just a thought…
Definitely healthy. Great souce of protein which is also relatively cheap and convenient.
get it in spring water though! ha ha