Tuna is a fish with a large presence in our regular diet, which we can eat fresh but canned is also common. That’s why we show you nutrients, mercury content and other differences between fresh and canned tuna.
Tuna and its nutrients
Tuna is a blue fish or fish with a high fat content that is characterized by offering a large contribution of proteins which is around 22 grams per 100 grams, while offering a considerable proportion of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin D as well as group B vitamins among which stands out the folic acid.
If we compare in proportions the nutrients contained in fresh tuna with respect to canned tuna, we can see that the content of minerals such as potassium or calcium are reduced, while the sodium content in the preserve is considerably increased.
Table with information per 100 grams of food
This is mainly due to the addition of additives that favor the preservation of food and that are satisfied with sodium, a mineral that in excess can be harmful to the body.
In the natural tuna we find much less fat than in fresh tuna or tuna in oil, and the calories are therefore considerably reduced in this option.
However, it is important to remember that the fats that come from tuna are unsaturated fats, among which is the omega-3 very beneficial for the body. Therefore, consuming tuna is always a favorable option, because we will obtain quality nutrients such as high biological value proteins and mostly polyunsaturated fats.
The mercury content of fresh and canned tuna
The mercury It is a heavy metal that we can find in variable amounts in different fish and that, when consumed excessively and for a long time, can endanger our health, especially because it accumulates in our body.
The fresh bluefin tuna is one of the fish with the highest amount of mercury inside, since it is the largest specimens that accumulate the highest proportion of this metal.
However, the tuna that we found in the preserves It is light tuna, a specimen that concentrates lower proportions of mercury inside and therefore, for each can of tuna we find about 13.5 micrograms of methylmercury approximately according to the AESAN, thus being a reduced amount if we take into account that the EFSA establishes a tolerable intake per week of 1.3 micrograms of methylmercury per kilo of weight.
Although there are also organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that establishes that the maximum safe dose of mercury per day is 0.1 micrograms per kilogram of weight, or what is the same, 0.7 micrograms per kilo per week.
With these data, and taking into account the maximum recommended intakes of methylmercury, we could eat between three and six cans of tuna per week if we weigh 70 kg. However, everything depends to a large extent on the product as well as our weight and the amount of mercury that we may be eating with other foods in our diet.
Other differences and similarities between fresh and canned tuna
Fresh tuna after being cooked usually has similar amounts of nutrients, except for the sodium content, than the tuna that we can find canned; since due to its preservatives it always has a higher proportion of salt and sodium.
However, both the fresh and canned versions are excellent.protein source entities of quality for the organism, also offering appreciable amounts of beneficial polyunsaturated fats for health.
In all cases, it is a very satiating food that can provide valuable nutrients; while if we talk about canned tuna we have the great advantage of finding it ready to consume or to add to different dishes.
Canned tuna is always a practical option and a good process that we can go to to solve minute dishes since it saves us cooking fish at home.
In this sense, although it is always It is advisable to go for fresh fish in season to respect reproductive cycles and care for the environment as well as to obtain quality nutrients; Canned tuna, as well as other fish or shellfish that we can find canned in the supermarket, are a good resource that we can use. go when we don’t have time to cook and we look for a nutritious and satiating food for our plates.
Likewise, we recommend varying the fish that we include in our diet, being able of course to go to the fresh or canned tuna depending on the availability of time and the dish to be made.
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