Finally, Low Sodium Canned Tuna!

Tuna fans rejoice and run to the supermarket for low sodium and very low sodium canned tuna now available from Bumblebee and Starkist (maybe others too…)

Canned tuna is on my nutritional powerhouse list because its low in calories (packed in water) and fat and its a good source of protein. In addition, it has DHA (e.g. omega 3′s), which the American diet is lacking. DHA is important for brain and eye health, especially developing brains and eyes! Researchers are investigating links between DHA and Alzheimer’s prevention.  Check out the nutrition facts for the very low sodium canned tuna. Regular has 250 mg per serving while this one has only 35. That’s a serious decrease. The ingredient list shows no added sodium. If you are dieting and watching calories, one serving will set you back only 70 calories. Add some dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato and a slice of whole grain bread – and you have yourself a sandwhich under 200 calories. Add a piece of fruit and 1 cup of veggies and you have a 350 calorie lunch (ballpark estimate).

 However, tuna is not necesarily a saint among the food gods! Here’s my “beef” with tuna. First, tuna can be high in mercury — especially white albacore tuna (the more expensive kind). Because the fish is bigger, it eats smaller fish with mercury and it adds up so when you eat it you get all that mercury. What’s the problem with mercury? Mercury is a toxin that doesn’t break down and it has been shown to cause neurological problems in newborns. One government analysis shows that 630,000 children each year are exposed to potentially unsafe mercury levels in the womb. The second problem with tuna is the sodium, which the American diet receives too much of. The upper limit is 2500 mg a day and the average diet is about 3500mg a day. This issue has now been resolved with these new low sodium choices.

For those concerned about the mercury (and that should be everyone!) If you are not pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, there are no FDA guidelines to follow for safety per-se, but I recommend mostly consuming the chunk light tuna in water because it has less mercury. You should also check the fish list to see if you tend to enjoy fish with high mercury content. If you do, cut down on the consumption, but you don’t have to give it up.

Women who are pregnant or thinking about it (or at least open to the idea and not necesarily trying to prevent pregnancy) and nursing mothers should follow the FDA guidelines at a minium. No more than 12 oz. per week of tuna or other seafood and no more than 6 oz. per week should be the white albacore tuna. This is not a lot – it’s about 2 meals per week!

One last nutrition tip: I recently had the lemon and pepper flavored tuna on an airplane snack box. It was delicious straight from the can. No mayo needed!