Eating 9-12 (5oz) cans of tuna a day
CadenDavid
Posts: 34 Member
So I did this once before. For a month.. Not sure if it was really 10 cans a day but it was definitely my main food course. But I just started doing it again but I just recently found out that mercury levels in tuna are so high that it is recommended to have only about 3-4 (4oz) cans a week. Anybody have any insight into this matter? Also when I did it the first time i lost about 22lbs in a little over a month. So.. It works haha. But I'm definitely concerned
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Replies
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Yes, that's really too much of one food, especially with the mercury issue.6
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10 a DAY?! Did you not get bored? Plenty of protein sources out there, mix it up.4
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Mercury alert: Is canned tuna safe to eat?
These recommendations are based on EPA guidance and estimates of mercury in the most popular canned tunas:
•Canned white, or albacore (0.32 parts per million of mercury). Children under six can eat up to one 3-ounce portion a month; children from 6–12, two 4.5-ounce portions a month. Adults, including pregnant women, can safely eat it up to three times a month (women, 6-ounce portions; men, 8-ounce portions).
•Canned light — the safer choice (0.12 parts per million of mercury). Children under six can eat up to three 3-ounce portions per month. Older children and adults can safely eat it once a week. But look out for “gourmet” or “tonno” labels. They are made with bigger yellowfin tuna and can contain mercury levels comparable to canned white.
•A better alternative is canned salmon (mostly sockeye or pink from Alaska), which is low in contaminants and high in heart-healthy omega-3s. It’s also sustainably caught in Alaska and similarly priced, making it a great choice all around.
Go for the canned Alaskan salmon!2 -
Sounds yum to me... plain or sweet chilli tuna?0
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Why eat 9-12 of anything everyday?5
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Can't afford anything else. At least right now. It's the only thing I have available.1
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So you're trying to hit around 300g of protein per day?1
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I'm not sure where in the world you are but I just looked up the price of tuna. Here you can get 4 tins for £2.75. You can also get 1.1kg of chicken thighs (bone and skin on so let's assume 800g of meat) for the same price that will yield you 183g or thereabouts of protein. That's pretty good protein bang for your buck.
Edit to add: If you prefer them to come skinless and boneless you can get 650g for £3.28.0 -
I'm here to die young, but as old as possible. That means that I eat all of the different colored veggies that I can to ensure that I max out on their nutrients and fight disease. I try to eat Dr Gabe Fuhrman's GBOMBS diet: bitter Greens, collard, kale, turnip tops, watercress. Beans. Onions. Mushrooms. Berries. Seeds. Eaten together these catalyze each others' disease fighting properties. If you are only eating tuna you are missing out on vital nutrients. Yes I would like to loose 22 pounds, but not endanger my health.-1
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I have 0$ until next Sunday. I have been jobless for 7 months prior to this so its not a big deal. I just got hired somewhere but I only have 6 hours this week for some reason.0
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caroldavison332 wrote: »I'm here to die young, but as old as possible. That means that I eat all of the different colored veggies that I can to ensure that I max out on their nutrients and fight disease. I try to eat Dr Gabe Fuhrman's GBOMBS diet: bitter Greens, collard, kale, turnip tops, watercress. Beans. Onions. Mushrooms. Berries. Seeds. Eaten together these catalyze each others' disease fighting properties. If you are only eating tuna you are missing out on vital nutrients. Yes I would like to loose 22 pounds, but not endanger my health.
I've seen you mention this before. Please quote sources for the "catalyzing..." claim.3 -
So sorry to hear you've been out of a job but glad you were recently hired. Can you talk to them about increasing your hours?
In the meantime, do you have access to a food pantry (or whatever it's referred to in your area) where you can get free food to hold you over until your next paycheck?6 -
caroldavison332 wrote: »I'm here to die young, but as old as possible. That means that I eat all of the different colored veggies that I can to ensure that I max out on their nutrients and fight disease. I try to eat Dr Gabe Fuhrman's GBOMBS diet: bitter Greens, collard, kale, turnip tops, watercress. Beans. Onions. Mushrooms. Berries. Seeds. Eaten together these catalyze each others' disease fighting properties. If you are only eating tuna you are missing out on vital nutrients. Yes I would like to loose 22 pounds, but not endanger my health.
I don't even see how this is relevant to the thread. And I'm going to go with nope on Fuhrman.5 -
I understand this is just for a few days, right? Your earlier experiment of eating mostly tuna for a month sounds like a very bad idea. The food pantry suggestion is worth checking out. Or if not, could you trade a friend some of your tuna stockpile for something else? You need more variety in your diet.1
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I don't think it's a big deal, but since finding this out I don't really want to take it any further. But it's my only option at this point so I need to know how much harm it is going to do.. And as far as getting other foods. I have the occasional friend to help me out. But i always feel extreme guilt. So i try to pull my own as much as I can1
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You shouldn't feel guilty as you are working and doing what you can right now.
Have you read the labels on your cans to see if they specify how much mercury is in them? I have no idea if they list that or not. If you have a stockpile of cans how about trading them with your friend for other food?1 -
It's not going to kill you this week.
It's just not a great thing to do long term. Mercury does fat-accumulate (build up in your body). The difference that one week will make is not huge, though. Next time you're stocking up, get some canned chicken as well. Hang in there, and let people help you. Pay it forward when you have a few dollars to spare.4 -
You gonna need some ACV for all those toxichems!7
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Switch to salmon and sardines.0
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CadenDavid wrote: »Can't afford anything else. At least right now. It's the only thing I have available.
You can't afford bread, pasta, frozen vegetables, peanut butter, beans, fresh fruit, eggs!? Cans of tuna aren't free, are they?1 -
I'd be a bit worried about the sodium in all that tinned fish2
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CadenDavid wrote: »I don't think it's a big deal, but since finding this out I don't really want to take it any further. But it's my only option at this point so I need to know how much harm it is going to do.. And as far as getting other foods. I have the occasional friend to help me out. But i always feel extreme guilt. So i try to pull my own as much as I can
Can you swap some tuna for other food from any friends? that is ALOT of tuna!
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kommodevaran wrote: »CadenDavid wrote: »Can't afford anything else. At least right now. It's the only thing I have available.
You can't afford bread, pasta, frozen vegetables, peanut butter, beans, fresh fruit, eggs!? Cans of tuna aren't free, are they?
I was under the impression that he already had a stock pile of them and can't buy anything else since he's been out of work. I could be wrong, though.2 -
kommodevaran wrote: »CadenDavid wrote: »Can't afford anything else. At least right now. It's the only thing I have available.
You can't afford bread, pasta, frozen vegetables, peanut butter, beans, fresh fruit, eggs!? Cans of tuna aren't free, are they?
I was under the impression that he already had a stock pile of them and can't buy anything else since he's been out of work. I could be wrong, though.
This is how I read it as well.0 -
When I was at University I lived on a £10 food budget for the week, £5 even on some weeks! My staple foods were:
Baked beans 30p a can (good source of iron & some protein)
Jacket potatoes (50p for a pack of 4)
A pack of 12 eggs
A small block of cheese £1.50 (more protein & calcium)
A pack of cook from frozen chicken breasts £4 for 1kg
A pack of Tesco value frozen veg (around £1)
So you can eat healthy on the cheap, infact tuna was considered a luxury for me!
Unless you already have 30 cans of tuna lying around (you said 10 a day to last 3 days) I'm not sure I quite follow1 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »CadenDavid wrote: »Can't afford anything else. At least right now. It's the only thing I have available.
You can't afford bread, pasta, frozen vegetables, peanut butter, beans, fresh fruit, eggs!? Cans of tuna aren't free, are they?
I was under the impression that he already had a stock pile of them and can't buy anything else since he's been out of work. I could be wrong, though.
This is how I read it as well.
Me too. OP said he had $0 until Sunday (11th post from the top), but he already has a lot of cans of tuna he can eat. The posts saying he should buy other foods aren't addressing his question, unfortunately.
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CadenDavid wrote: »So I did this once before. For a month.. Not sure if it was really 10 cans a day but it was definitely my main food course. But I just started doing it again but I just recently found out that mercury levels in tuna are so high that it is recommended to have only about 3-4 (4oz) cans a week. Anybody have any insight into this matter? Also when I did it the first time i lost about 22lbs in a little over a month. So.. It works haha. But I'm definitely concerned
I feel (pending the size on tuna can) that you are having way to much protein per day. In reference to nutrition, having the same source of protein will hinder protein synthesis and protein uptake. You need a variety of protein sources. You can look at eggs as a great substitute and very cost effective, chicken breast, a tub of cheap protein powder will be more of an outlay though cost per serve would be less than your tins of tuna and you get a cleaner protein. I respect you are on a budget, keep grinding, chin up, you will pick up more work, more money and stabilize yourself.0 -
CadenDavid wrote: »So I did this once before. For a month.. Not sure if it was really 10 cans a day but it was definitely my main food course. But I just started doing it again but I just recently found out that mercury levels in tuna are so high that it is recommended to have only about 3-4 (4oz) cans a week. Anybody have any insight into this matter? Also when I did it the first time i lost about 22lbs in a little over a month. So.. It works haha. But I'm definitely concerned
You can also get canned chicken. Canned stuff usually has a ton of sodium though. Personally I'd say go for tilapia if budget is an issue.0 -
Mercury poisoning is a legit thing and not something you want to mess around with. For me, I also think it would be really unpleasant to eat that much tuna.
ETA: Now that I've actually read the thread, on a short-term basis, it shouldn't do any harm. Bummer of a financial situation-hope it improves shortly!2
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