Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Health & Body › How much canned tuna?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

How much canned tuna?

post #1 of 14
2/26/10 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,
How much canned tuna is safe to eat in a week? One source I found through google said 2 cans per week for a 180 pound man. That seems a little low to me. I would love to eat a can a day, but i have been holding back to about 3 a week. Also I guess there's supposedly more mercury content in the white albacore (my preference). Is mercury poisoning an all or nothing kind of deal, or are there said to be minute effects?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 14
2/26/10 at 7:24pm
I eat 5 cans of the 4 oz size every week.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 14
2/26/10 at 7:24pm
I eat 5 cans of the 5 ounce size every week.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 14
2/26/10 at 7:32pm
Ironically, the "lower" quality tunas like those used in the off brands and stuff at Walmart will have less mercury than Chicken of the Sea or higher priced tunas from specialty purveyors. The reason is that higher grade tuna is made from large chunks from larger fish which have higher mercury content than smaller tuna fish (I don't know why), whose flaky shavings are used for cheaper canned tunas. I stopped eating it after college, but eating 3-4 cans of tuna can't be any worse on your body than a night of cocktails, which most people show no aversion towards.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 14
2/26/10 at 8:19pm
I eat 2 cans a day.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 14
2/27/10 at 12:15pm
stay away from albacore. 'light' tuna is made with smaller (younger) fish, (older=bigger=more mercury) and not neccessarily tuna... I eat a can (2 servings) of light tuna 3-7 days a week
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 14
2/27/10 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StephenHero View Post
The reason is that higher grade tuna is made from large chunks from larger fish which have higher mercury content than smaller tuna fish (I don't know why), whose flaky shavings are used for cheaper canned tunas.

Mercury is generally acquired over time and consumption, so the further up you travel the food chain, the more mercury the fish contain (ie - big predator fish that consume smaller fish contain the most mercury). Shark is very high in mercury, for example, as well as giant ass albacore.

I've been trying to eat a bit more shrimp. Very low mercury and I assume all of the benefits of eating fish. A pound of shrimp is quite low cal, too.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 14
2/27/10 at 9:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by db_ggmm View Post
A pound of shrimp is quite low cal, too.

And, Forrest, you can broil it, boil it, pan fry it, stir fry it, deep fry it, saute it...shrimp gumbo, shrimp creole, lemon pepper shrimp, shrimp cocktail...
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 14
2/28/10 at 11:07am
I was told in a continuing medical education lecture that Tuna should really only be eaten once a month.

Mercury content of a fish can be evaluated by the size of it's mouth relative to it's body. Tuna have large mouths and are large fish that live for a long time. They accumulate mercury by eating other organisms. Fish with small mouths relative to their body size will have a lover mercury content. Salmon is an excellent example. It has relatively little mercury and is extremely good for you, what with the omega fatty acids and all. Wild caught is best, but if you are buying farmed buy it from some place North. Farmed fish are fed whatever is cheapest for a farmer to get, and in the North it happens that what a Salmon normally eats is the cheapest food to buy. And salmon also comes in a can!
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 14
2/28/10 at 12:05pm
mercury consumption calculator
http://www.gotmercury.org/

i eat tuna every couple of days. eat sardines on the days i dont eat tuna.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 14
2/28/10 at 12:32pm
this of course is really old news, they were telling preggers in the 60s not to eat tuna.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 14
2/28/10 at 12:43pm
Kunk eats a lot of tuna. Read one of his posts and then ask yourself is that shit is good for you.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 14
2/28/10 at 12:56pm
I eat 1 or 2 cans a day.

There is a slight funky aftertaste and I'm not sure if it's the mercury or not...

I intend to buy a huge tub of bulk whey protein soon, and eat less tuna in future. Beans & skimmed milk are also good cheap protein.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 14
2/28/10 at 1:14pm
This thread is so
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Health & Body
Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Health & Body › How much canned tuna?