Dieting? Watch The Tuna Consumption!
Tuna has long been the cornerstone of many a smart eating plan. Fitness fanatics, body builders, athletes and dieters the world over have enjoyed tuna as a cost-effective source of lean protein, devoid of carbs, and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
If you count yourself among this group, here's something to consider...
While it's difficult to argue against the benefits offered by tuna, it is a well-known fact that tuna can contain mercury -- an extremely dangerous substance. Consuming fish contaminated with high levels of mercury can affect the heart, brain and immune system. Of course, tuna prepared for the open market is tested to ensure it meets the minimum safe standard -- this varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but in Canada it is .5 parts per million.
What's alarming is that a recent CBC study (you can view the details of the study here!) found that 13% of the white/albacore tuna they tested exceeded these guidelines.
In light of this, Health Canada issued some new regulations...
Two other important points...
While Health Canada has set its own levels of acceptable mercury consumption, not everyone is in agreement with them. Other countries and jurisdictions have different guidelines -- some insisting no more than a can a week is safe for pregnant women and children.
The bottom line is that no one really knows what the long term consumption of low levels of mercury contaminated fish will do to you, so I suggest you use your own judgment when it comes to determining how much tuna you will consume. Personally, I'm not comfortable consuming more than 2-3 cans a week.
The other thing to keep in m ind is that other types of tuna -- skipjack tuna, for example -- are lower in mercury and can provide you with an alternative, should you be unwilling to reduce your tuna consumption somewhat.
Regardless -- anyone dieting, training, or is using tuna as a significant part of their eating plan needs to be aware of the dangers of mercury contamination. It might be time to look for a new protein source too!
If you count yourself among this group, here's something to consider...
While it's difficult to argue against the benefits offered by tuna, it is a well-known fact that tuna can contain mercury -- an extremely dangerous substance. Consuming fish contaminated with high levels of mercury can affect the heart, brain and immune system. Of course, tuna prepared for the open market is tested to ensure it meets the minimum safe standard -- this varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but in Canada it is .5 parts per million.
What's alarming is that a recent CBC study (you can view the details of the study here!) found that 13% of the white/albacore tuna they tested exceeded these guidelines.
In light of this, Health Canada issued some new regulations...
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women can eat up to four servings of canned albacore tuna per week.
- Children between the ages of one and four years can eat up to one serving per week.
- Children between the ages of five and 11 years can eat up to two servings per week.
Two other important points...
While Health Canada has set its own levels of acceptable mercury consumption, not everyone is in agreement with them. Other countries and jurisdictions have different guidelines -- some insisting no more than a can a week is safe for pregnant women and children.
The bottom line is that no one really knows what the long term consumption of low levels of mercury contaminated fish will do to you, so I suggest you use your own judgment when it comes to determining how much tuna you will consume. Personally, I'm not comfortable consuming more than 2-3 cans a week.
The other thing to keep in m ind is that other types of tuna -- skipjack tuna, for example -- are lower in mercury and can provide you with an alternative, should you be unwilling to reduce your tuna consumption somewhat.
Regardless -- anyone dieting, training, or is using tuna as a significant part of their eating plan needs to be aware of the dangers of mercury contamination. It might be time to look for a new protein source too!
posted by ultimatefatburner at 9:53 AM
2 Comments:
thanks so much for the piece of advice on tuna consumption which incidentally i just added to my diet plan. Can you advise on an alternative that does not contain mercury?.
Skipjack tuna is a decent alternative -- this is a younger fish, and therefore doesn't have the same levels of toxins built up in its system. Of course, if you like, you can skip the tuna all together, and stick with the old favorites... chicken or turkey.
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