The Can of Tuna – this is truly the food of champions. Carried around by everyone from high school athletes looking to pack on some muscle to college kids who have nothing left to eat in their dorms but cheetos and tuna, and to supermodels who know the full effects of what eating tuna regularly will do to your body.
Tuna can be so plain yet can be so tasty and delicious with the right mix of ingredients. Its instant, its canned, its portable, it also keeps very well in the fridge. What more could you ask for?
Oh yeah – its full of PROTEIN – one 6oz can of tuna contains roughly 26g of muscle building macronutrients! WHY ARE YOU SKIMPING ON THIS???
Oh what, you think its boring? Well check out these variations and let me know what you think –
Instead of Mayo try mixing it with –
Balsamic Vinegar and Oil
Honey Mustard
Lemon and Pepper
Avocado
*** Tuna and avocado is my go to meal for rapid fat fat loss – it will lean you out like no other!
Recipes –
Basic Tuna Salad
2 cans Tuna
Sliced Tomatoes
Sliced Onions
2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Mix with a little mayo and some olive oil
Season with Salt and Pepper
Joey’s Tuna Croquettes
This is one of my own creations they can be a great tasting meal or snack anytime of day!
Drain 2 cans of tuna and mix with 1 egg and a couple of tablespoons of whole wheat breadcrumbs or oat bran
Toss in desired spices- I like adobo, or salt and pepper, or some curry powder
Mix in a handful of diced celery, onions, and peppers (peppers can be green, red, or even jalapeno!)
Hand form 2 patties with the mix and cook it in a pan with a little oil over moderate heat (just enough to cook the egg)
Pack in a Tupperware container and eat them later, cold
Joey’s Variations: Use canned salmon for a different kind of fish. Also you can add Dijon mustard to the mix for some extra flavor!
Tuna Fish Three Bean Salad
1 can each of Black, Kidney, and Navy Beans
2 cans Tuna
1/2 an Avocado, cubed
1/4 cup of Green onion sliced
2 Tablespoons Honey Mustard
Season with salt and pepper
***This meal packs quite a punch with the high fiber content and nutrient profile of the beans along with the avocados and tuna. This is another one of my go to meals that I eat regularly.
One final note on tuna – as you know – I love GOYA products – Im Puerto Rican and have grown up with them my whole life – I found out they make canned tuna with Sazon, and either Jalapenos, or Sweet Corn – their tuna is amazing! You might have to search your local grocery store for this though, not everyone carries it!
Oh, and that mercury thing – dont be too concerned with it – but listen to the expert – here is an excerpt from a recent article by world reknowned nutrition expert Jonny Bowden (His book 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth is on my list to read next!)
Q: What’s the final word on tuna and mercury? Tuna is a bodybuilding staple, but I’m starting to worry that I eat too much.
A: Short answer: Don’t worry about it.
I say that as someone who’s as worried as anybody on earth about the toxic effects of mercury, not to mention the lackluster efforts of governments to control it. There’s no doubt that it’s in an awful lot of fish. Where it gets tricky is when we try to define the point at which it poses a real danger to our health.
That depends on a lot of factors. A pregnant woman and her developing fetus are far more vulnerable than the average bodybuilder. Many of the warnings about high-mercury fish were in fact targeted at that population (pregnant women, not bodybuilders).
Then there’s the question of how you define a “safe” level. Many people think the government’s standards are too lax. To them, it’s as if we said “speeding” only applies to driving over 120 mph. If that’s the standard, then all of us drive safely.
But let’s look at it from the other direction. If you stop eating fish, there’s a price you pay. Most experts think the cost of giving up fish, in terms of global health, far outweighs the possible problems caused by mercury in your system.
Two things you can do: One, consume a lot of selenium, which seems to have a chelating effect on mercury. Two, you can get your tuna from the same place I get mine: Vital Choice in Alaska. I don’t have any ownership in this company, by the way. I just think they have the purest and best fish anywhere.
On balance, I think the benefits of cold-water fish like tuna and salmon, which are such amazing sources of protein and omega-3s, far exceed the possible danger. If you’re pregnant, I might modify that advice, but not by much.
***
There you have it – Tuna, the truth!
Stay Strong,
Joey
