tuna and mercury

[audiophyle]

I read an article that says you should only have 1-2 cans of tuna a week. I'm eating at least 1-2 cans a day!! sometimes 3-4. Is this really that bad? Tuna is one of my major sources of protein, i'd hate to have to cut down to 1-2 a week.

 

[FatRat]

I have never found a conclusive result to this question, and I rely on Tuna a lot as well (in fact im eating a tuna sandwich right now!). One thing you could do is get your blood work done to check out you mercury levels, that might give you an idea

 

[sawastea]

I don't think the short term effects are bad, however long term can get pretty ugly, from my readings...

To be safe, I'd drop it to once a day and get your other protein from chicken breast, turkey breast, etc

 

[jenscats5]

There are 2 previous posts on this topic below. One was called "Fish Hit list" & the other was "is it true about tuna" or something. You might want to check them out.

The thing about tuna in the can is that there are more than 1 species of tuna chopped up & canned so you don't know how much mercury will be in the can. So, it's recommended for safety's sake to only have 1 can a week. See my "Fish hit list" post to see what kinds of fish are ok/not ok & then supplement your protein consumption from there.

 

[Deleted member 33117]

Yes its true about the high mercury content, limit yourself to 2 cans a day, and find other protien sources. It isn't as though tuna is that great as a protien source. Beef, milk and egg protiens are superior in terms of bioavailability. The advantage is the that the small amount of fat present in tuna is rich in omega 3's. You can get the same benefit from one fish oil tab that you are getting from a can of tuna though.

 

[Synpax]

I emailed the company that sold it; they said I should be fine on my 3 cans a day. I also read up on it and since I'm not a pregnant woman, I don't see a problem.

It's not my only source, mind you - I have 3 cans tuna but also 2 chicken breasts and 3 protien shakes that have whey and egg abulem, along with protien-rich spinach.

 

[Deleted member 33117]

Your protien is a bit low for a serious bodybuilder. How much do you weigh?

 

[audiophyle]

Yes its true about the high mercury content, limit yourself to 2 cans a day, and find other protien sources. It isn't as though tuna is that great as a protien source.

Well i dont mean that tuna is the greatest source of protein out there, its just extremely cheap and requires almost no prep time, thats why I eat so much of it. 30+ grams of protein in under 5 minutes is pretty convenient I eat LOTS of chicken and beef too, but I'm trying to get around 5000 cals/day and thats alot of cooking.

 

[krayzfresh]

Ok I'm gonna type this shit quick and rhyme it so the post has more kick. I say screw the rumors bout tuna, I gotta say its ok, I mean i eat at least 2-5 cans a day, i'm not sayin im poor but the rest like chicken breast is more than i can afford. Don't eat too much beef cuz i cant stand the grease, so when i grub i grab a tub of cottage cheese.

ok nuff rhyming... lol but anyways yeah my main protien sources are cottage cheese and tuna and i roughly get 200g a day from those alone

 

[anthrax]

Beware of the high mercury content in tuna

Beware of the high Dioxins and PCB’s content in dairy products

Beware of the high saturated fat and hormones content in beef

Beware of the high Pesticides/Herbicides content in fruit and vegetables

even the air you breathe is poluted (No2, ozone,....)

just kidding

BTW, you 'll have cancer before you reach any harmful mercury level