Eating tuna daily - safe?

I'm looking for an affordable way to get a little closer to my daily protein requirement of 1g per pound of body weight. A can of tuna contains approx. 30g protein and at a reasonable cost. Would one can of tuna per day be considered a healthy addition to my diet? Would this fall within acceptable mercury consumption levels? Thanks!

i think 1 can of tuna a day would be just fine, as long as you're getting protein/nutrients from other sources as well (lean beef, chicken, egg whites, etc) and making sure you're getting enough of all the other vitamins/nutrients you need.

I would be worried about mercury consumption.

Another inexpensive source of protein is beans, if those appeal to you, eggs, lentils, and I think almonds, as well. Try out a bulk food section of a health food store near you... they usually have some pretty good options.

Anyone know the official acceptable daily 'allowance' ? I've found things here and there that talk about parts per million, etc. but nothing that translates it into how many cans you can have of the various types of tuna (skipjack vs yellowfin vs albacore).

Do you know about the mercury content of tuna? You might want to do a little digging around the web to find out what the best canned fish solution will be. I absolutely love canned albacore, but I take it easy because it frequently is known to contain trace amounts of mercury. Over the course of a year, I probably only eat 10 cans, but if you're eating them every day... well... that could be disastrous for your health.

There are lots of articles out there about mercury in tuna dating from 2003 to the present. As far as I can tell, the issue hasn't changed one bit and won't because the water the tuna lives in is contaminated.

I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood guide (which everyone should look at), and they sent me to Environmental Defense Fund which said this for canned tuna:

Due to elevated mercury levels we recommend:

• Adults should eat no more than 3 meals per month
• Kids age 6-12 should eat no more than 2 meals per month
• Kids up to age 6 should eat no more than 1 meal per month

Wow! That's not very much at all... my boyfriend eats 7 ounces of tuna every work day!

Original Post by amethystgirl:

I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood guide (which everyone should look at), and they sent me to Environmental Defense Fund which said this for canned tuna:

Due to elevated mercury levels we recommend:

• Adults should eat no more than 3 meals per month
• Kids age 6-12 should eat no more than 2 meals per month
• Kids up to age 6 should eat no more than 1 meal per month

I clicked on Albacore from US and Canada and it only had suggested limits for children under the age of six. It said adults would be fine with 4 or more meals a month.

I don't know what the distinction is - under albacore, it even says "albacore, used for canned white tuna." So I don't get why it has that adults shouldn't have more than 3 meals/month under canned white tuna!

Original Post by amethystgirl:

I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood guide (which everyone should look at), and they sent me to Environmental Defense Fund which said this for canned tuna:

Due to elevated mercury levels we recommend:

• Adults should eat no more than 3 meals per month
• Kids age 6-12 should eat no more than 2 meals per month
• Kids up to age 6 should eat no more than 1 meal per month

Yikes, I didn't know that...I'll have to cut down a bit on my tuna then! I eat 6 meals or so a month

I've heard once a week is okay.  hmmm. 

Btw, a great  source of protein is Greek Yoghurt. 

i've heard two servings a week; that's only one can.

the thing with tuna is the mercury content can vary radically from one fish to the next, so you never know how much you're going to get. 

if you want to eat a lot of fish, the best policy is to eat mostly small species: herring, mackerel, sardines, etc.  the levels of toxins are lower because they're lower on the food chain.

the bigger the fish, the bigger the risk.  plus, it's the big fish, generally, that are endangered, so if you're ecologically-minded, little fish are the way to go.

New here...

I totally agree, it depends a whole lot of the origins of the tuna. Pale tuna has a lot less mercury than the white variety from what I've learned... been eating it for years regularly. If anything, go for the "wild" variety.

hope this help

Honestly if you've even got to ask these questions you probably shouldn't be eating it at all! Think about it -- you're essentially asking, HOW MUCH DEADLY POISON IS TOO MUCH?

Tuna is really that bad? :( I'm getting tired of chicken since I eat that for supper prety much every night and already have beans at lunch. I came up with a new tuna lettuce wrap recipe and wanted to switch to that for lunches. bahhh everything is somehow evil. Ok need to think of a new source.

Is this just Tuna or fish in general?

Original Post by echoroc:

Honestly if you've even got to ask these questions you probably shouldn't be eating it at all! Think about it -- you're essentially asking, HOW MUCH DEADLY POISON IS TOO MUCH?

 

 

Wow, that wins the "over-simplification" medal of the day hands down. You know you could die from drinking too much water too huh?

I'm no expert, but I would have to say it depends on the kinds of fish. One thing you can be pretty sure, is that the bigger the fish, the more chance it had to consumes contaminants during it's life. Tuna is a big fish... more risky, but like I said pale vs white tuna is not the same. Sardines on the other hand, pretty small.. and very nutritious... my 2 cents

Original Post by silverbutterfly:

Tuna is really that bad? :( I'm getting tired of chicken since I eat that for supper prety much every night and already have beans at lunch. I came up with a new tuna lettuce wrap recipe and wanted to switch to that for lunches. bahhh everything is somehow evil. Ok need to think of a new source.

Is this just Tuna or fish in general?

don't stop eating tuna; it's really good for you.  just keep it to once or twice a week.  other large fish can also contain mercury, but tuna is (apparently) the worst of the food fish. 

our bodies can cope with small amounts of mercury; it's only if it's allowed to accumulate that it becomes a problem.  but the recommended "safe" amount of tuna is pretty conservative (that is, you can probably eat a lot more, but two servings a week is considered comopletely safe).

If you want canned seafood... try mixing it up with canned salmon, mackerel, shrimp, sardines, eel, oysters, clams, etc!!! There are so many different canned options out there that have a lot less mercury in them than tuna! But... you don't have to eliminate tuna completely, just limit it to 3 times a month. 

Vital Choice has LOW MERCURY canned fish (along with regular fillets): http://www.vitalchoice.com/shop/shop2.cfm?cat egory=7

Another Good Website: http://www.davesalbacore.com/catalog/index.ph p?cPath=16

hi i'm actually a masters student in toxicology.  the recommended MONTHLY amount is 3 times a month.

by the way mercury is actually fine for you in small doses.  mercury in tuna IS NOT. to put it in laymens terms.... tuna is a very large fish.  microorganisms in marine environments convert mercury into dimethyl mercury (which is a very dangerous form of mercury) invertebrates eat microrganisms...and it works it's way up the food chain.....by the time you work your way up the food chain to tuna tuna has bioaccumulated 100XXX more ug/L of dimethylmercury than the microorganisms on the bottom of the food chain. 

health cananda and the USA fda actually have a 3 times/ month limit on tuna consumption

generally i don't think mercury poisoning is very common.....but it's more so the FDA has to save their ass.....i would just really watch it if i were pregnant... if you have other options i would stick to smaller fish

fish lowest in Hg = salmon (not most cost friendly), trout, talapia, flounder, shrimp, sardines

personal low cost protein options from the starving college days....
=bulk bin nuts....peanuts, almonds, walnuts, seeds treenuts etc
-eggwhites
-Quinoa
-canned beans!!! get a few cans of beans....kidney, garbonzo, black eyed peas, chick peas etc they're like 50cents each and just mix them into a bean salad and you have food to last you all week ahahhah