Answers (5)
2
Kathleen,
I really want a legitimate answer on this too. I can't give you any recommendations, but I'll tell you a little about my experience with tuna...
When my local grocery store has tuna steaks on sale, I try to stock up. I think tuna is a great option for a leaner, healthier meal that's packed with protein. The cholesterol content isn't the greatest, and I'm not very familiar with the mercury levels. I'll eat one 4 ounce tuna steak maybe once a week on average, but more often if I'm lifting harder. This is just anecdotal, but I swear by tuna steaks when I'm breaking through plateaus! I don't know what it is about tuna, but for me it just works great as a lean, filling, recovery meal (along with steamed veggies). Something else to consider, cholesterol can be converted into testosterone in the body. I have no idea how much is actually converted, and we need to find out how much of the cholesterol in tuna is HDL and LDL, respectively. This is obviously more of a benefit for men as their bodies produce more testosterone in general. Testosterone, as we know, is the "holy grail" of muscle building.
I like to consult LIVESTRONG for issues like this. I just pulled it up on their website, and what do ya know!... They say tuna is great. I like to view LIVESTRONG as an unbiased and reliable source for a number of different things. They also address the mercury content in this article. It's worth the read, and it has links to tuna steak recipes.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/283438-tuna-steaks-nutrition/
In regards to canned tuna, or packaged tuna, or chunk light tuna in oil... I'm NOT a fan. I go for raw tuna steaks that have not been seasoned, just packaged. Even with frozen tuna steaks, the packaging companies alert the consumer to the fact that they packaged the tuna with a small amount of carbon monoxide to retain color. (kind of like a preservative) I doubt that by the time you cook it this carbon monoxide has any real consequences on health.
For more information on mercury levels and an explanation, go to wikipedia. Contrary to popular belief, Wikipedia is actually 99% reliable on most topics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuna (scroll down to mercury levels).
Here is another page on tuna steaks... This is from about.com. The info you get on about is generally correct, but can be biased. This article does a good job of breaking down the nutritional information a little more in depth, though not much.
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-tuna-yellowfin-fresh-i15221
I've got a link, not sure of the reliability, that discusses cholesterol associated with tuna and salmon consumption
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=112 (scroll down to cardiovascular health)
I hope this helps. I'm interested to hear some other opinions. You should consider consulting a registered dietitian for a definite answer.
Great question!
I really want a legitimate answer on this too. I can't give you any recommendations, but I'll tell you a little about my experience with tuna...
When my local grocery store has tuna steaks on sale, I try to stock up. I think tuna is a great option for a leaner, healthier meal that's packed with protein. The cholesterol content isn't the greatest, and I'm not very familiar with the mercury levels. I'll eat one 4 ounce tuna steak maybe once a week on average, but more often if I'm lifting harder. This is just anecdotal, but I swear by tuna steaks when I'm breaking through plateaus! I don't know what it is about tuna, but for me it just works great as a lean, filling, recovery meal (along with steamed veggies). Something else to consider, cholesterol can be converted into testosterone in the body. I have no idea how much is actually converted, and we need to find out how much of the cholesterol in tuna is HDL and LDL, respectively. This is obviously more of a benefit for men as their bodies produce more testosterone in general. Testosterone, as we know, is the "holy grail" of muscle building.
I like to consult LIVESTRONG for issues like this. I just pulled it up on their website, and what do ya know!... They say tuna is great. I like to view LIVESTRONG as an unbiased and reliable source for a number of different things. They also address the mercury content in this article. It's worth the read, and it has links to tuna steak recipes.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/283438-tuna-steaks-nutrition/
In regards to canned tuna, or packaged tuna, or chunk light tuna in oil... I'm NOT a fan. I go for raw tuna steaks that have not been seasoned, just packaged. Even with frozen tuna steaks, the packaging companies alert the consumer to the fact that they packaged the tuna with a small amount of carbon monoxide to retain color. (kind of like a preservative) I doubt that by the time you cook it this carbon monoxide has any real consequences on health.
For more information on mercury levels and an explanation, go to wikipedia. Contrary to popular belief, Wikipedia is actually 99% reliable on most topics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuna (scroll down to mercury levels).
Here is another page on tuna steaks... This is from about.com. The info you get on about is generally correct, but can be biased. This article does a good job of breaking down the nutritional information a little more in depth, though not much.
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-tuna-yellowfin-fresh-i15221
I've got a link, not sure of the reliability, that discusses cholesterol associated with tuna and salmon consumption
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=112 (scroll down to cardiovascular health)
I hope this helps. I'm interested to hear some other opinions. You should consider consulting a registered dietitian for a definite answer.
Great question!
1
Go to http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.asp... It' s the Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood watch.
They recommend this tuna as best choice
Canned White Tuna, Longfin Tunny, Shiro Maguro, Tombo as best choices. The larger the fish, ussally the longer it lives and the greater the mercury exposure.
Danielle
They recommend this tuna as best choice
Canned White Tuna, Longfin Tunny, Shiro Maguro, Tombo as best choices. The larger the fish, ussally the longer it lives and the greater the mercury exposure.
Danielle
1
Hello Kathleen,
Marlan posted some great info here. Moderation would be a simple answer as well changing the types of fish/seafood too. Salmon is another great choice.
Sincerely,
Michael
Marlan posted some great info here. Moderation would be a simple answer as well changing the types of fish/seafood too. Salmon is another great choice.
Sincerely,
Michael
0
Tuna is a great source of protein and is low in fat and calories, so it can be a great additional to a healthy diet. But it is recommended not to be eaten more than 2-3 times a week due to the mercury levels building up in your system. So just don't eat it every day and you will have no problems.
0
Not certain if it is, and that is why awhile back that I switched to consuming mostly canned salmon. I do still eat tuna, but not nearly as much as before all this "mercury" news.
