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.
There are two main kinds of canned tuna: chunk light and solid or chunk white (albacore). Mercury levels in canned white tuna, which is exclusively albacore, are almost three times higher than those found in smaller skipjack tuna commonly used in canned light tuna products.
Because canned tuna provides omega-3 fatty acids and is a lean source of protein, there's no harm in adding it to your daily diet. "Mercury levels are very low, and canned tuna is the most economical and accessible way to consume omega-3s," Miller says.
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.
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.
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.
From a nutritional perspective it is slightly lower in fat than Albacore (White) tuna and therefore is slightly lower in Omega-3s.
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.
Skipjack are the smallest of the major tuna species, while yellowfin are larger. So, the fact the canned tuna in Australian cupboards is likely to contain smaller species is already a bonus when it comes to reducing mercury risk.
Canned light tuna is the better, lower-mercury choice, according to the FDA and EPA. Canned white and yellowfin tuna are higher in mercury, but still okay to eat. Bigeye tuna should be avoided completely, but that species isn't used for canned tuna anyway.
Since tuna is relatively high in mercury, one can per day would bring you to the FDA suggested maximum amount of mercury. Having more than that on occasion may not be a problem, but you are at risk of getting low dose sustained mercury poisoning.
Salmon is low in mercury.
Farmed salmon has on average, 0.05 micrograms of mercury per gram. This is well below the levels deemed safe for women and children by the FDA and EPA, which inform the United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
Most of the metallic mercury absorbed into the body eventually leaves in the urine and feces, while smaller amounts leave the body in the exhaled breath.
Light tuna, on the other hand, can be eaten a bit more frivolously—the organization suggests no more than 13 ounces per week, or just under three cans.
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.
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.
"While canned tuna, especially light varieties, has relatively low average levels of mercury, individual cans can sometimes have much higher levels," Consumer Reports said.
Though canned tuna is popular for being cheap and convenient, fresh yellowfin Tuna is much better in delivering nutrients and flavor.
One big takeaway is that albacore has much more mercury than light or skipjack tuna, regardless of the brand. That's not surprising, since albacore is larger and lives longer than the tunas that make up the light tuna or skipjack tunas.
While Solid White Albacore is packed with larger pieces, Chunk White Albacore Tuna is packed with smaller chunks that are still mild in flavor, firm in texture, and white in color. Finally, Chunk Light Tuna is sourced from a variety of smaller tuna fish.
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.
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.