Tuna by the Ton
February 17th, 2010 § 3 Comments
Remember Michael Johnson? Word has it he has been clocked at over 25 mph. Swimming tuna have been clocked over 30 mph for extended periods of time, and place top 5 speed-wise among ALL fish. Pretty impressive, and we at Cave Chow surmise it is safe to say that tuna fish have some SERIOUS athlete in them.
Perhaps not co-incidentally, tuna, along with some other types of fish, have some SERIOUS benefits for us as humans. The list is long, and almost hard to believe. The benefits they give cover an almost incredibly comprehensive set of nutrients that are critical to our bodies. We’ll talk about albacore tuna below, but many of these facts replicate across other types of fish.
Without further ado:
NUTRITION – 5 stars
- If we could give it 10 stars, we would – WOW
- Astonishing levels of high quality protein – up to 26 grams for 5 oz (very small can)
- One of the largest carriers of Omega 3 acids – essential to the human body for more reasons I can effectively list. Here’s a few:
- Raises HDL cholesterol, lowers LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
- Reduces risk of blood clotting, reduces inflammation, balances high blood pressure
- Not manufactured by the human body naturally – must come from outside sources
- Can lower hostility and depression, anti-cancers of all kind and Alzheimer prevention hero
- Provider of B1, B3, and B6 vitamins, provides decisive benefits for maintaining a healthy heart
- Linked to 50% reduction in Asthma for children in the U.S., along with whole grains (20MM kids have asthma)
- Helps prevent sunburn, skin cancer, and dry eye syndrome
- Selenium in tuna can help significantly with drug and alcohol detox via the liver
SIMPLICITY – 5 stars
- Canned tuna is a beautiful thing (if it’s wild caught and quality). Open the can and eat it.
- Goes great on bread, with eggs, in noodles, etc., or just house it down by itself
- You really cannot find a better post weight-workout meal
AFFORDABILITY – 2 stars
- Sometimes you have to pay to play. A quality can of tuna can cost up to $2
- Fresh tuna will tend to cost more, but will have all the benefits discussed above magnified
- If you have a little extra room in your food budget, tuna, fresh or canned, is the way to go, don’t even think twice about it
We are lucky enough to have food THIS good available to us. If the Cave Chow List of approved foods was cut from 25ish to 3, this would make the list without any kind of a problem.
NOTE** There has been some negative press about mercury levels in canned tuna, and government organizations have advised pregnant women and children about frequent consumption of tuna when this is an issue. We’re not sure how much stake we’d put in those recommendations, but if you fit that category, do some due-diligence.
Cheers All,
Cave Cook
An easy way to estimate your mercury exposure from eating tuna is to check out the free online mercury calculator at http://www.gotmercury.org. Based on the current U.S. EPA and FDA guidelines, the mercury calculator is an excellent way to know your potential mercury exposure risk. You can also use the free mobile mercury calculator for cell phone browsers at http://www.gotmercury.mobi
No kidding – never would have guesses they would have online mercury exposure calculators. So what’s your synopsis on tuna? Good to go?
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