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The healthiest way to eat canned tuna
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In olive or natural oil they are the most recommended options when buying canned tuna
There are few things more helpful than one can of tuna: a nutritious food that does not need preparation and adds flavor to any dish we have. But, when buying it, we find a large number of varieties; it is easy to get to the “supermarket” and not really know which of all the options is the best.
Tuna is one of the most complete fish, nutritionally speaking. The dietitian-nutritionist Beatriz Cerdán explains that we are faced with a protein of animal origin, of good quality, which stands out for its fat content. “It contains between 12 and 15 grams of fat per 100. In addition, it contains omega 3 fatty acids, healthy and highly recommended to avoid cardiovascular risk.” It should be mentioned that it is a food that also stands out for its content of minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iodine and iron, as well as fat-soluble vitamins.
Although the nutritionist explains that it is always advisable to consume fresh fish, since it is avoided to add preservatives and, therefore, that it has excess salt, she points out that in certain cases, due to lack of time or comfort, «canned tuna can be consumed without any problem“And furthermore,” in situations such as allergies to anisakis, it is also guaranteed to be a safe product. “
How do you prepare canned tuna?
The dietitian-nutritionist Beatriz Cerdán explains the process so that a fresh tuna fillet ends up becoming canned tuna: «It consists of cooking the tuna (once it is clean) in hermetic pots at more than 100ºC and with a very high pressure for one hour , although this is adjusted based on the size of the pieces. Then, depending on the type of can, the covering liquid is poured, hermetically closed and sterilized for a long shelf life.
One of the problems that canned tuna can present comes from its mercury content, which in high doses seems to exert a neurotoxic effect. Explains Miguel López Moreno, researcher at the CIAL and dietician-nutritionist who, in studies that have analyzed the methylmercury content present in a can of tuna, an average amount of 15 μg / can has been observed. “If we take into account that in an average adult (70 kilos) it is recommended not to ingest more than 91 μg / week of methylmercury, this would be equivalent to about six cans of tuna cans a week. However, the presence of methylmercury in tuna is highly variable and therefore a maximum consumption of canned tuna twice a week is recommended, ”the researcher details.
Which tuna is the healthiest
If we talk about the aforementioned canned tuna varietiesWe can find it in olive, sunflower, pickled or natural oil. “Of all the options, tuna in olive oil would be the ideal option, if we take into account all the benefits attributable to olive oil”, indicates Miguel López Moreno. For her part, Beatriz Cerdán’s recommendation is lean towards natural tuna, since “it does not include oil”, but warns that “be careful with salt, especially in people with hypertension, so an alternative is the low-salt versions, which do not have more than 0,12 grams of sodium per 100 “. Even so, it points out that the version of tuna with olive oil can be considered “a good product”, but it is important that it is extra virgin olive oil. “In general, it is better to remove the liquid from the canning oil, whatever it is, and avoid pickled versions or with sauces that may contain other poor-quality ingredients,” he says.
Miguel López Moreno, comments that in general, natural tuna has a caloric intake similar to fresh tuna. “The main difference is that this type of canned food has more salt,” he says and warns that, in the case of tuna with oil, “the caloric intake would be increased, although said content would be minimized if drained before consumption” . Even so, he reiterates that, if we talk about extra virgin olive oil, this “would not pose a problem due to the benefits associated with this source of fat.”
How to include tuna in your dishes
Finally, both nutritionists leave ideas to include canned tuna in our dishes. Miguel López Moreno points out as one of the advantages of this product its versatility and leaves as ideas to make eggplant lasagna using tuna as filling, a French omelette with tuna, some eggs stuffed with tuna, a wraps with tuna vegetables or a tuna burger and oatmeal. For her part, Beatriz Cerdán explains that we can also prepare zucchini stuffed with tuna, as well as avocado stuffed with this product, pizzas, legume dishes (such as chickpeas or lentils) with tuna, or even include them in sandwiches.