TOO MUCH TUNA???

harley0269
harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
ok, so i usually have one tuna sandwich for lunch about 4-5 days a week . and i've been trying to eat fish (mostly tilapia) for dinner about 3 nights a week. Does that sound like too much? i thought i was eating healthy...

Replies

  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    bump :]
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
    I thought most tuna was laced with toxic metals and we should not eat it as often. Maybe you can try some canned Wild Alaskan Salmon. I love the Trader Joe's brand. Prepare it the same way you do with tuna. It's delicious.
  • rore1
    rore1 Posts: 110 Member
    I have the same worry:( I don't like meat or fish so I have been forcing myself to eat it! I have tuna at least 3 times a week and always think that is probably not good:(
  • Neliel
    Neliel Posts: 507 Member
    I eat tuna a LOT. And I really enjoy it. Fish is good for you so I don't see it as a problem.
  • sarglava
    sarglava Posts: 206 Member
    I would only warn you that tuna (and other fatty fishes) have high levels of mercury. I think it's because they can hold the mercury in their fat (ie: mercury is fat soluble?) so it in turns goes into your body. Look up the effects of mercury poisoning if you're curious... fun stuff.

    Personally I think eating too much fish is irresponsible. Especially tunas. Tunas are high on Monterey Bay's list of unsustainable fishes as are salmon (unless you're buying wild-caught Alaskan). If you want to eat more fish try local catfish or trout (which is abundant in most US states) or tilapia (farmed sustainably.)
    http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_regional.aspx
    Go to their website and click around. I hope I've inspired you to protect our fishes!
  • HungryTuna
    HungryTuna Posts: 141
    This is a great post with scientific research (from the EPA) to back it up: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    Most of the "scare" when it comes to tuna is the canned albacore varieties.

    If you buy fresh tuna, tuna steaks, etc. you will be fine.

    Personally, I prefer buying the fillet so when I fancy a sandwich, it is much thicker and it tastes so much better than the flaked canned tuna. And I can more easily season it anyway I want.

    I typically eat fish 3 times a week, but it is always fresh, not frozen or canned. It's helped me to lose weight and just maintain all over health.
  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
    Well, it's a problem environmentally. While tuna is probably the tastiest fish out there, it's also the most overcaught and our insatiability for it is having disastrous environmental effects. Though its' true that eating carnivorous fish makes you more likely to be ingesting metals and toxins that make their way of the fish food chain, I think a better reason to broaden your fish consumption is that eating smaller, herbivorous fish has less impact on the environment. Also, they're usually leaner, which means less calories when consuming.
  • xonophone
    xonophone Posts: 474 Member
    Canned Tuna does have dangerous levels of mercury in it and should be eaten in moderation, especially by women and REALLY especially if you are pregnant or nursing. See the link below for more info:

    http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp
  • arosegeo
    arosegeo Posts: 254 Member
    fish is very healthy but tuna especially shouldnt be an all the time thing. they have a high mercury count. here is a good chart i found


    http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp
  • MargieNgainesville
    MargieNgainesville Posts: 47
    Just a quick note to the tuna eaters (I am one), the chunk light has less mercury than the white abacore. That surprised me when I did the research so I thought I would share it with you. If you are concerned about how much mercury and metals you are absorbing from the tuna, next time you see your doctor tell them what you are doing and ask for some blood work. Everything has good and bad about it. Mix it up, fish, chicken, lean pork, lean beef, legumes/beans, eggs. other protein souces (soy, etc) and you will be fine.
  • Levedi
    Levedi Posts: 290 Member
    This might help: http://www.ewg.org/tunacalculator It's a calculator based on FDA guidelines to say how much tuna you can safely eat using your gender and weight.

    Notice though that if you're eating a variety of fish, not just canned tuna, you can eat more fish because some fish carry lighter toxin loads. Tuna are higher on the food chain so they tend to be more full of mercury, etc. Tilapia and other lower chain fish are both more sustainable and carry fewer toxins. Good for you and the environment.
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
    thanks for the website!!! i checked it out & im ok. because 1 can of tuna lasts me 2-3 days. according to that guideline my weight allows me 3 cans a week. i average 2 cans a week PLUS my 2-3 tilapias.
    thank you everyone for your input :wink:
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
    I eat a lot of tuna as well.
    Lately, I've been trying to mix it up a little to get more variety of fish in to my diet.
    Rainbow trout, halibut, tilapia, sardines in olive oil and herring.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    I've read all the stuff on mercury in canned tuna but at the end of the day, it is probably one of the cheapest lean protein sources around so I eat a LOT of tuna. It's just so damn convenient. Some days I will have a 500g can.

    All I can say is that I'm not dead yet :P That's my scientific backing haha.

    LOL, just did that calculator above. 5.2oz a week or 15oz for light which I think is 130g and 375g. Yeah, slightly exceed that ;)
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    yeah i;ve hit a kg in a week a few times over the past few montsh im sure, haha. cut right back now as i was eating because i was semi-lazy, haha.

    in saying that, 200g's and 400g's today :p

    actually since monday i've had about 1.3kg. lol.

    and thinking about it, i had a week once where i ate it every day...for two meals a day...thats 2kg, lol.
  • sexygenius
    sexygenius Posts: 1,078 Member
    when it comes to toxic metal and such (like mercury) you have to remember the bigger the fish, the higher the levels, tuna are quite large fish and live for awhile so they have plenty of time to build up the nasties...its fine in reasonable amounts (unless your pregnant) sardines are super low in bad stuff, full of omega's and protien, and becuase you eat the bones they offer what other fish cant..loads of calcium! which is super important, in general and weightloss... sardines are a super food, a super yummy, super good for you, super awesome food... and sooo good with hot sauce (dont by the ones in hot sauce, they are gross) packed in water is better calorie wise, in pure olive oil is yummier though, if you are put off by the fishieness try brisling sardines, they are much smaller fish (butmore of them,same size can) and alot less fishy, they are more mild and all around more pleasent to eat lol, but they are twice as expensive..
  • Noz7
    Noz7 Posts: 59 Member
    Mercury can interfere with uptake of other minerals important to your health.
    The flip side of the coin is that you need healthy oils to lose weight.
    It would be better if you ate smaller fish.
  • EricJonrosh
    EricJonrosh Posts: 823 Member
    when it comes to toxic metal and such (like mercury) you have to remember the bigger the fish, the higher the levels, tuna are quite large fish and live for awhile so they have plenty of time to build up the nasties...its fine in reasonable amounts (unless your pregnant) sardines are super low in bad stuff, full of omega's and protien, and becuase you eat the bones they offer what other fish cant..loads of calcium! which is super important, in general and weightloss... sardines are a super food, a super yummy, super good for you, super awesome food... and sooo good with hot sauce (dont by the ones in hot sauce, they are gross) packed in water is better calorie wise, in pure olive oil is yummier though, if you are put off by the fishieness try brisling sardines, they are much smaller fish (butmore of them,same size can) and alot less fishy, they are more mild and all around more pleasent to eat lol, but they are twice as expensive..

    There you go, pushing sardines again! Do you own stock in them or something? Poor little guys. =o]
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