Concerns about mercury may make you think twice about eating tuna on a regular basis. But if you know what to look for, you can take advantage of this convenient source of healthy protein and essential fats with greater peace of mind.
Not all canned tuna is created equal and common advice can be misleading. Most often, we hear that lower-priced, “light” tuna is lower in mercury than “solid” or “white” albacore. While this is true most of the time, there are exceptions.
Research by Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, found a few years ago that about 6 percent of light tuna contained as much or, in some cases, more than twice the mercury of solid albacore. The problem is, you can’t usually tell how much mercury is in a particular can.
Light tuna presents another problem: Compared to solid albacore, it contains significantly less of the beneficial omega-3 fats that improve the health of the heart, brain, and virtually every other part of your body.
Healthiest Tuna Options
The amount of mercury depends on the age and size of a fish. The longer it lives, the more time there is for mercury levels to accumulate.
Most canned albacore comes from large, older fish caught in foreign waters, with higher mercury levels. This isn’t surprising because large-scale commercial fishing lends itself to catching and processing big tuna, but there is another option.
In the natural course of life, young tuna migrate to the waters off our West Coast, where many small fisheries use different, more sustainable techniques to catch these smaller tuna with lower mercury content. And, this young tuna contains significantly more of the healthy omega-3 fats than its older relatives.
Shopping Tips
Seafood Watch at the Monterey Bay Aquarium offers a science-based list of tuna and other fish that are good for you and the environment. You can check out its Super Green List here.
When shopping for low-mercury, high-omega-3 tuna, look for these details on labels:
• The location where the fish was caught: “Pacific albacore” (United States or Canada) or “U.S. caught.”
• The method of fishing: “troll-caught” or “pole-caught.”
• Hand packed: Most tuna is cooked before being canned, making it easier to mechanically clean, but removing much, if not most of the beneficial fat. (And then another, less healthy type of oil or water is added.)
• No added oil, water, or preservatives on the ingredients list.
• Per 2-ounce serving, not less than about 5 grams of total fat.
Some U.S. tuna brands that fit these criteria include High Seas, Island Trollers, and Wild Planet.
Wild Planet specifies the amount of omega-3 fats on its label: nearly 1,400 mg per 2-ounce serving, which is more than the 1,000 mg daily recommended by the American Heart Association for reducing risk for heart disease. (In this case, more is good). The company also has its tuna tested for mercury content, which is just more than one-third of the average in most canned tuna on supermarket shelves, and offers healthy recipes on its website.
Hand-packed Pacific tuna offers another important benefit: better taste. You’ll pay a little more for your fish but because of its richer natural flavor, you’ll save on mayo — and quite possibly, on your healthcare costs.
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