Canned light tuna is in the “Best Choices” category and it is fine to eat 2 to 3 servings per week. We recommend that you eat a variety of fish.
Adults, including pregnant women, can safely eat this kind of tuna up to three times a month (women, 6-ounce portions; men, 8-ounce portions).
The United States Food and Drug Administration recommends keeping the consumption of albacore (white) tuna to under 4 ounces per week and skipjack (light) tuna to under 12 ounces per week. These amounts should be lower for children and women who are or may become pregnant.
Yes, canned tuna is a healthful food rich in protein and contains many vitamins and minerals such as B-Complex vitamins, Vitamins A and D as well as iron, selenium and phosphorus. Tuna also contains healthy omega 3 essential fatty acids DHA and EPA.
Canned light tuna is in the “Best Choices” category and it is fine to eat 2 to 3 servings per week. We recommend that you eat a variety of fish.
Light Tuna can be a mix of a variety of smaller tuna species, most often skipjack, but may also include yellowfin, tongol, or big-eye. The best uses for solid or chunk light tuna are in tuna salads, pasta dishes, and casseroles, where the slightly stronger flavor shines through.
Canned light tuna is low in mercury and is considered one of the best choices for individuals that need to limit their exposure to mercury. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding can consume 2–3 servings of canned light tuna per week and children can consume 2 servings per week.
Eating more than the advised amount of tuna each week can result in increased exposure to the neurotoxin. Mercury poisoning can cause several concerning neurological symptoms, including coordination loss, memory problems, seizures, and tremors.
In general, it is safe for all population groups, including pregnant women, to consume 2-3 serves of any type of tuna per week (canned or fresh). Canned tuna generally has lower levels of mercury than other tuna because the tuna used for canning are smaller species that are generally caught when less than 1 year old.
The choice comes down to personal preference: If you like a less “fishy” tuna experience, go for white tuna; if you want stronger flavor, light tuna is a better choice. Nutritionally, all three of these fish are pretty similar.
Overall, light tuna is considered to be slightly healthier than white tuna, and certainly more budget-friendly.
Tuna, including canned tuna in spring water or brine, is low in fat and calories, but high in protein, making it a useful inclusion in a weight loss diet.
From a nutritional perspective it is slightly lower in fat than Albacore (White) tuna and therefore is slightly lower in Omega-3s.
Chunk light tuna packed in water is low in cholesterol, with each 3-ounce serving containing 26 milligrams, but adding extra fat to it can increase your risk of raising your LDL levels.
We found a wide range in mercury levels between types of tuna as well as among different brands. Light and skipjack varieties, for instance, contain much less mercury on average than albacore tuna.
Tuna is especially abundant in omega 3 fatty acids. They're brilliant for the body and are thought to help lower cholesterol, boost brain function and improve eye health. It's an excellent source of vitamin B12. Tuna is rich in vitamin B12, a form of B vitamin responsible for helping the body form new red blood cells.
If you're concerned about limiting the amount of mercury you consume, and if you've eaten no other fish during the week, Consumer Reports says up to 12 ounces a week of Bumble Bee Chunk Light, Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light, Safe Catch Wild Elite, and StarKist Chunk Light tunas are the safer choices among the products ...
Once in the body mercury has a half-life of ~3 days in the blood stream and a 90 day half life in other tissues (e.g. brain, kidneys, etc).
Fish. Ironically, eating fatty fish helps combat a fatty liver. Salmon, sardines, tuna, and trout are all high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower the levels of fat in the liver and reduce inflammation.
Because it's made from broken up pieces of smaller fish that are caught in nets (vs. on a fishling line), it's cheaper. There's also solid light yellowfin tuna newly on the kosher market.
The FDA recommends consuming fish lower in mercury. For tuna varieties, skipjack earns the Best Choice label from the FDA, while yellowfin and albacore receive the Good Choice label. The FDA suggests avoiding bigeye tuna, which has the highest levels of mercury.
There's some dissension in the test kitchen about this, but I say, “Go olive-oil-packed or just buy chicken.” If your tuna is in water, all the flavor of your tuna is in that water. Oil-packing, on the other hand, seals in flavor and gives you some luxurious fat to work with.