so i was looking at john's food logs around july '05 and he eats tuna everyday. i read somewhere that you can eat tuna only about 4 times a month or so because it contains high levels of mercury and that isn't good for you.

any thoughts on this?

so i was looking at john's food logs around july '05 and he eats tuna everyday. i read somewhere that you can eat tuna only about 4 times a month or so because it contains high levels of mercury and that isn't good for you.

any thoughts on this?


:eek:


if thats true...im screwed

Have your mercury levels checked from time to time if you're that concerned. I've read that chunk light tuna has low to no mercury content.

If you start glowing in the dark.........stop eating it. Other than that, I wouldn't sweat it much.

chunk light tuna? that's what i've been eating. do you guys eat the tuna straight out of the can or usually use it in sandwiches?

chunk light tuna? that's what i've been eating. do you guys eat the tuna straight out of the can or usually use it in sandwiches?

Straight out of the can. No fixins'.

cool, thanks alot guys. and girls =)

Don't eat albacore.

Switch to other fish and protein sources when you can.

But...I've gone months eating every day straight from the can with no problems according to my doctor.

The can of tuna, not eating it while on the toilet.

I may be in the minority here but here's my experience...

A few months back (8 or so months) I was eating tuna everyday for lunch. I started having some problems with my memory. Small things...couldn't retrieve names or information quickly. Now I'm 41 years old and I've noticed some changes over time with memory and such, but I told my wife at the time that it was not "normal" memory lapses. I could feel inside myself (intuition?) that something wasn't quite right. I didn't connect it to eating the tuna but for taste reasons (I was getting sick of tuna everyday) I switched over to chicken salad every day for lunch. It was just recent that I remarked to my wife that I stopped having those weird memory lapses. Two days later I read an article about eating too much tuna and one of the symptoms was memory problems.

Anyway, I can't say for sure it was the tuna..but it's changed since I stopped eating it. Personally I'll just stay away from eating it. Maybe it effects different people in different ways.

k

Wow, that's wild k!

I didn't even realize mercury was an issue with tuna. I always knew about salmon, but I don't know why I never considered tuna to be an issue. And I especially didn't know albacore was a no-no. I have a friend who always seems to "know it all" when it comes to nutrition, and she says to ONLY eat albacore because it's the healthiest. Hmmm...interesting!!

Albacore have higher levels of mercury because they are bigger when caught I read...

The bigger and older the fish caught.....hte longer it's been around. The more time it's had to accumulate mercury.

Wow, that's wild k!

I didn't even realize mercury was an issue with tuna. I always knew about salmon, but I don't know why I never considered tuna to be an issue. And I especially didn't know albacore was a no-no. I have a friend who always seems to "know it all" when it comes to nutrition, and she says to ONLY eat albacore because it's the healthiest. Hmmm...interesting!!


Great...I didn't know about salmon. That has high levels of mercury too? I heard farmed was bad for a variety of reasons, what about wild?

very good link

http://www.ewg.org/issues/mercury/20031209/calculator.php

The bigger and older the fish caught.....hte longer it's been around. The more time it's had to accumulate mercury.


Remember, it's the same with people! :)

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/index.asp

Here is another link with a mercury calculator. This has a pretty complete list of seafood.

Dudes........EVERYTHING is bad for you. Wh0 cares?

Dudes........EVERYTHING is bad for you.
Yeah....I only do 1 can a day, which is 120g drained, 'cept on weekends.

I usually like to eat the can when I'm done, too

I usually like to eat the can when I'm done, too

Only do that if you have an iron deficiency!!!!

:D

:)

Only do that if you have an iron deficiency!!!!

:D
pfft, I just do it because it tastes good! :nod:

Great...I didn't know about salmon. That has high levels of mercury too? I heard farmed was bad for a variety of reasons, what about wild?

Salmon doesn't have much mercury - just eat wild to avoid toxins

I think I'll just keep posting this:

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do;jsessionid=CBABBC5350C2EE6F286515E1 F1B3ADE1.hydra?article=05-148-diet

Yeah....I only do 1 can a day, which is 120g drained, 'cept on weekends.

According to this website, that's like 3 times above the limit of the "Safety Zone" , for whatever that's worth/isn't worth.

that's like 3 times above the limit of the "Safety Zone"
about 2X I gather (but who's counting ;) ). It's body weight dependent and based on estimates. Some cans are loaded with Hg....some have none. You get always get a blood test if it's a concern.

I sort of cycle tuna....so I'll use it for several weeks and then I take a break (mostly because I get bored of it).

Here's sort of the "flip-side" to the environmental groups (the truth obviously lies, as always, somewhere in the middle)

http://www.tunafacts.com/mercury/qanda.cfm

Salmon doesn't have much mercury - just eat wild to avoid toxins

I think I'll just keep posting this:

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do;jsessionid=CBABBC5350C2EE6F286515E1 F1B3ADE1.hydra?article=05-148-diet


Really?? Because when I was pregnant, all the doctors told me to stay away from salmon because the mercury could do severe damage to the fetus. The said all kinds of fish, but specifically salmon. Hmmmm...that's interesting!!!

LOL, I had to share this. As I was re-reading my last post, I caught a typo that I thought was hilarious. I said:

"Because when I was pregnant, all the doctors told me to stay away from salmon because the mercury could do severe damage to the tuna."

I just felt the need to share my stupidity. I had a good laugh.

The tuna I eat says it's "Yellowfin" on the can.

But I have to ask this question...why are bodybuilders such tuna junkies? Isn't chicken just as good? Or other forms of fish besides salmon?

I used to to be a tuna junkie in my twenties then one day I just stopped eating it. Don't know why. The same thing happened with black tea.

I just started eating tuna again this week so thanks for the heads up on the mercury.

I eat the chunk light almost every day. Usually with pretzels to ease the taste. Y'all don't get too bent out of shape about the mercury being above the "recommended" level. Most of those levels are built on the assumption that you eat it constantly EVERY day for an entire 75 year life, with a pretty sizable factor of safety built in.

Yeah....I only do 1 can a day, which is 120g drained, 'cept on weekends.
Sounds like you have a fish problem! :lol: Have you tried rehab? :p

:)

Tuna's good but my favorite is basa :nod:
'cept basa isn't canned on doesn't store on my shelf at work :(
pickeral is nice as well....when I get the time to go fishing.
snapper, cod, sole, tilapia, salmon, lobster, shrimp, crab....

Hmmmmm you may be right :confused:

Sounds like you have a fish problem! :lol: Have you tried rehab? :p

I put down about four cans a week. Sounds like it's not worth the risk to me. I think I'll switch to chicken...There's nothing to lose and so much safer. Maybe throw in a can every couple weeks just for the variety.

<sarcasm>Chicken! Ahhhh! There might be bird flu!</sarcasm>
I bet I could find 1000 things in your life that are more risky than mercury in tuna. Even with 4 cans per week. Not to offend, just saying there are lots of things more worth your precious mindshare than that.

<sarcasm>Chicken! Ahhhh! There might be bird flu!</sarcasm>
I bet I could find 1000 things in your life that are more risky than mercury in tuna. Even with 4 cans per week. Not to offend, just saying there are lots of things more worth your precious mindshare than that.

Theres no dwelling or 'mindshare' about it. It's just a simple switch. You know, instead of reaching for the can of tuna you reach for the chunks of chicken.

I guess if it wasn't really worth the mindshare then why read the thread...or reply for that matter. No offense either O.K. But it seems to me that we're on a board about clean healthy eating so any research or info should be welcomed and utilized.

On a related note: I tried tuna steak for the first time this week. I don't care how much mercury that has in it, because it's so :drool:

Am I the only one who eats tuna in the pouch? So much easier and less messy. I was eating one of the large pouches daily but my other half told me about the mercury. Now I eat one every other day.

While we're on the subject of tuna, does lightly simmering it do anything negative to the protein. I sometimes make tuna + spinach noodles for lunch, and cook the tuna briefly to make it less mushy.

thanks,

ed

On a side note, many immunization shots contain very high levels of mercury. Some flu shots contain mercury as well - it's not there for its virus-fighting potential, I can tell you. But it's there...just an fyi

On a side note, many immunization shots contain very high levels of mercury. Some flu shots contain mercury as well - it's not there for its virus-fighting potential, I can tell you. But it's there...just an fyi

well that was news to me.....so before everyone starts dumping childrens immunizations.... consider this:

Some vaccines, including some of the available flu vaccines, contain thimerosal, a preservative used in many vaccines and other medicines (including contact-lens storage and cleaning solutions) to prevent bacteria from growing in the solutions. Until a few years ago, many vaccines contained thimerosal, but it has been removed from almost all of the vaccines we now give to children.

You can request thimerosal-free immunizations...but they're not all thimerosal-free. Only two states (Iowa and California) have banned mercury in vaccines. 33 others have legislation pending.

Back to mercury and tuna.....came across this article on t-nation that addresses the same issues:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=753983

There was also an article hitting this topic in the Chicago Tribune today.

Click Here (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0601190050jan19,1,4501170.story?ctrack=1&cset=true)

It's scary to think I eat a can of this stuff everyday, and it has been recommended to only eat 6oz of canned albacore tuna a week!