For the lowest mercury, choose canned skipjack (light) tuna, as it comes from smaller, younger fish; brands like Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, and StarKist chunk light are generally good, but brands like Safe Catch specifically test for lower mercury, making them excellent choices for frequent consumption, especially for vulnerable groups like pregnant women and children. Albacore (white) tuna has significantly higher mercury, so consume it less often.
Because of our innovative testing method and strict mercury limits, Safe Catch Elite and Ahi are the only tuna brands to meet Consumer Reports' Low-Mercury Criteria for sensitive populations like pregnant moms and kids and has gained the respect and is the official tuna of the American Pregnancy Association.
To limit mercury intake from tuna, here are the guidelines: Best choice: Eat 2 to 3 servings per week of canned light skipjack tuna. Good choice: Eat 1 serving per week of yellowfin tuna or white albacore tuna. Choice to avoid: Don't eat bigeye tuna.
Is canned tuna safe to eat regularly? Yes. It is safe for everyone (including pregnant women) to consume canned tuna as part of their fish intake. Canned tuna generally has lower levels of mercury than tuna fillets because smaller tuna species are used and the tuna are generally younger when caught.
Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, mussels, oysters: The healthiest types of tinned fish.
Here's the most important takeaway – check the label before you buy a can of tuna. Smaller tuna accumulate less mercury, which makes some brands safer than others. Made with Skipjack tuna, common brands like Canned Light or Chunk Light only have about 20 micrograms of mercury in a five ounce can.
The healthiest canned fish are small, oily varieties like sardines, mackerel, anchovies, and herring (SMASH), packed with omega-3s, protein, vitamin D, calcium (especially with bones), and lower mercury, with anchovies and sardines often topping the list for overall nutrition and lower cost; salmon is also excellent but choose smaller species like canned sockeye or chum.
You would have to eat around 25 tins (at 95g a tin) of it a week before you hit the maximum tolerable intake of mercury. For pregnant people (or people trying to get pregnant), the limit would be around 12 tins (at 95g a tin) a week. It is unlikely many consumers will reach these limits.
Mackerel
It's an excellent substitute for tuna because it's also high in protein and loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. Compared to tuna, mackerel is often more sustainable and has lower mercury levels.
Buy skipjack and yellowfin tunas labeled pole-caught, pole-and-line, troll-caught, or FAD-free from the Atlantic or Pacific. Avoid all bluefin tuna, except if you confirm it's Pacific bluefin tuna from a yellow-rated source (scroll down for more information). Avoid tuna caught in the Indian Ocean.
2 Canned sardines: Sustainable and full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, sardines are one of the few fish we can and should be eating regularly. : Canned salmon is lower in mercury than canned tuna and can be mixed into burgers, croquettes, pasta and quiche.
Initial signs and symptoms, such as fever, chills, shortness of breath, metallic taste, and pleuritic chest pain, may be confused with metal-fume fever, which is caused by cadmium exposure. Other possible symptoms include stomatitis, lethargy, confusion, and vomiting.
The Best Canned Tuna, Ranked
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology have come up with a novel approach to packaging canned tuna infused in the water-based solution of amino acid cysteine. It was shown to remove up to 35 percent of the accumulated mercury in canned tuna, significantly reducing human exposure to mercury via food.
Pre-cooked pasta in sauce is one of the unhealthiest canned foods. While they might be tasty meals, the reason they have that addictive flavour is due to high levels of sugar and salt. For example, a can of Heinz Alphaghetti contains 1,490 mg of sodium and 18 g of sugar.
Some tuna cans that say do not drain because they don't add oil, water, fillers, preservatives, and GMO soy broth. Cans that say do not drain contain only tuna or sometimes salmon. They only have natural occurring fish oils and juices and those are rich in omega threes.
Many fish have low mercury levels
Safe Catch's Original Elite Wild Tuna. Safe Catch Elite Tuna, simply the lowest mercury tuna of any brand.
Treatment focuses on removing mercury from your body and could include receiving:
The Best Canned Tuna, According to Chefs
The winner of the best canned tuna trophy goes to Sea Tales Albacore. Both Suzy Karadsheh and Peter Som stand behind Sea Tales Albacore because it has "nice chunks of tuna with a great tuna flavor that's not fishy in any way," Som says.
Which one should I choose?
Top 10 Tunas
High exposure to inorganic mercury may result in damage to the gastrointestinal tract, the nervous system, and the kidneys. Both inorganic and organic mercury are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and affect other systems through this route.
Once mercury has entered the body, it can take months before it is eliminated, mainly through the urine and feces. Levels of mercury can be measured in blood, urine, and scalp hair. These tests may help to predict possible health effects.