Tuna – a special fish

 A reader’s question: I know that people who strive to eat healthily value tuna more than any other fish. Even more than salmon or eel. Why?

 Yes, tuna is a special fish and it deserves more extensive discussion, at least for broadening of the outlook. Both sportspersons and followers of healthy nutrition value it because tuna meat contains very many proteins, it is not fatty, is easy to digest and also easy to prepare. It contains all the amino acids necessary for growth and regeneration of muscles, it is also an abundant source of very valuable omega-3 fatty acids. It is perfectly suitable for people of any blood group.

 But… tuna can be very different. Tuna family is very large and varied. Here belongs not only frigate tuna that grows only up to 2 kilograms, but also bluefin tuna that grows up to 700 kilograms. Surely, the most popular and valuable (in nutrition aspect) is long-finned white tuna, called albacore. It grows up to 20 kilograms and its meat is characterized by especially mild taste. It lives in oceans at the boundary between surface and deep waters. Younger albacores (up to five year old) stay more in surface, warmer waters, but when they grow up they submerge deeper to colder waters. Their nutrition and, certainly, taste change accordingly. The younger a tuna, the fattier and the more valuable its meat is. These fats are of great benefit to human health. Omega-3 acids positively impact action of the heart, better brain activity, alleviate pain caused by arthritis, improve eye vision, and diminish likelihood of cancer. For the purposes of prevention it would be enough to eat two cans of tuna in its own juice per week. Meat of bluefin tuna is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, but the problem lies in that its meat is widely used in traditional Japanese cuisine for preparing their local foods sushi and sashimi. For this reason bluefins are intensively fished and not so many of them are left. Therefore it is practically impossible to purchase bluefin tuna.

 Meat of yellowfin tuna contains less omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, it is a little tougher and not so delicious. Actually, it is not so important what kind of tuna you eat. It is a good choice anyway, although tuna selection at our shops is not very broad…

 And yet how to identify what tuna we are buying? Do not be too lazy and read texts on the cans. If the canned fish is very good, then you will find the word “Albacore”, if it is not present, it means that this canned fish is made from flesh of older tuna. In efforts to improve the taste, producers of canned fish mix flesh of old and young tunas, without indicating the proportions, of course. But even in this case it is possible to find out something. Certainly, canned fish in its own juice should be chosen. You simply should read the label, it has to indicate the percentage of fat. The higher it is, the bigger part consists of young tuna meat, and the more valuable the canned fish is. The more often you will eat them, the healthier you will be. Žygimantas Lapėnas – the trainer and nutrition consultant of the wellness club “Active Gym”.