Is too much tuna bad?

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24

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  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
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    I LOVE canned tuna, but wouldn't eat a can a day. I think the mercury warnings are real. Consequences are down the road quite a ways. Eat a variety of other things as well for better nutrition.
  • DaBossLady24
    DaBossLady24 Posts: 556 Member
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    Yeah, definitely just polished off a 10 oz can yesterday... I may have an extra appendage soon. :noway:
  • gailashton
    gailashton Posts: 292
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    I was told limit 2 cans a week due to the mercury. I eat a lot of egg whites to get some extra protein. I had a friend who got mercury poisoning because he was eating a can a day.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    My co-worker just told me yesterday that a friend of hers is having to go through testing for high mercury levels in her body because she was eating a can of day for protein (she's a vegetarian). So I would be careful.
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    http://howmuchfish.org/
    i eat around a can everyday. Sometimes 2 cans every other day.
  • neurochamp
    neurochamp Posts: 261 Member
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    Mercury in food is *most* harmful to developing brains, so *most* of the warnings are targeted at women who are pregnant or may become pregnant (due to the effects on the child, *not* the effects on the mom; mercury and other heavy metals interfere with the normal growth of brain cells, which causes much more serious problems in developing babies than it does in mature adult brains). It takes a LOT of mercury-laden fish to cause serious health problems in an adult...but, that said, I personally try to eat canned tuna no more than 2-3 times per week (just in case...and I don't even plan to have kids, ever).

    Just my $0.02 as a person who has a PhD in studying brains :bigsmile:

    ETA: I also wouldn't eat more than 2-3 cans of tuna per week largely because I'd get sick of it, so that plays in, too :wink: For the record, I do eat swordfish now and then (because it's DELICIOUS), but again, I don't plan to have kids.
  • angelicasmommy
    angelicasmommy Posts: 303 Member
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    I completely agree, I'm pretty sure eating a can a day is less harmful than eating a 2L of chocolate ice cream (that I did last night, damn binge eating :/ ) But I still don't want to eat that much if it's bad, so I'm gonna cut it down.
  • MMoriarty2012
    MMoriarty2012 Posts: 31
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    I eat less tuna than I might would prefer, based on the recommended guidelines. Fortunately, I like sardines: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp
  • xarge
    xarge Posts: 484 Member
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    I LOVE canned tuna, but wouldn't eat a can a day. I think the mercury warnings are real. Consequences are down the road quite a ways. Eat a variety of other things as well for better nutrition.

    Of course they're real. We've been dumping crap (pun intended) into seas and oceans for decades.
  • TeeDeezy
    TeeDeezy Posts: 40 Member
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    I used to eat a can every day. Did it for about a month. Never had any problems at all. The only residual effect I noticed is that my body had to adjust to not getting as much protein after I lost all the weight I wanted and stopped eating the tuna every day. I'd have days where I was feening for protein and would have to grab the peanut butter or get some beef immediately. I still eat a can at least once a week for lunch. Starkist Select Very Low Sodium is my go to.
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
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    I read that it's the solid white albacore tuna that has the mercury...that if you stick to the chunk light tuna in water, you should be fine.
  • PrayerofAmity
    PrayerofAmity Posts: 176 Member
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    I go through about 2 cans of tuna a week (1/2 a can 4 days a week). I also eat fresh and canned salmon about once a week. Hell throw in some Tilapia too. I never ate so much fish in my life but since I started getting healthier I seem to crave fish and seafood so often. My freezer also is now well stocked in scallops, shrimp, and mussels lol.
  • raystark
    raystark Posts: 403 Member
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    How big is this can?

    I'm assuming it's the standard 6oz can, as I've not seen any other sizes
    You've never seen the 3oz cans or 2.6oz pouches? Those are ubiquitous at every supermarket I shop at. A 3oz can is like 80 calories, with 18 grams of protein.
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about it to the point that you ration yourself to a can per week because your afraid your going to sprout an extra arm due to mercury.
    this is true too haha!

    you are right you wont sprout an extra arm but you might experience sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), disturbed sensation and a lack of coordination
  • superkaiouken
    superkaiouken Posts: 1
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    http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm

    Pretty good guideline...compare what FDA sets as high levels to what you desire to eat..moderation is always key
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    http://howmuchfish.org/
    i eat around a can everyday. Sometimes 2 cans every other day.

    Thats a cool site!
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Canned tuna does contain mercury, but according to the FDA it's one of the lower mercury seafood items. Linky: http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115662.htm

    And quote:

    By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

    Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
    Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

    Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
    Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

    Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

    Well, guess I'm screwed then since I pretty much have a serving of some kind of (shell)fish every day. Shrimp, scallops, imitation crab and salmon being the most frequent on my list...
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    http://howmuchfish.org/
    i eat around a can everyday. Sometimes 2 cans every other day.

    Thank you for this! Without seafood I would feel so deprived!
  • chubbachub
    chubbachub Posts: 40 Member
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    I ate a can everyday for months. Sometimes i even ate 2 tins. I'm alive.
  • TeeDeezy
    TeeDeezy Posts: 40 Member
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    It's definitely more prevalent in the white albacore. The NRDC guidelines suggest eating white albacore at the rate of every 9 to 10 days for most adults. They suggest Chunk Light only every 3 days.

    I guess it's worth mentioning that if you have kids you'll likely poison them if you feed them a can of tuna a day. But, if you're eating it yourself you'll very likely be fine. You can do it with the knowledge that the FDA doesn't think it important enough to put a warning on the can. But, you should also do it knowing you're taking a slight risk as some groups like the NRDC recommend highly against it.

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