Tuna, the other.... other meat.

Tuna, also known as Tonijn, Thon, Thunfisch, Tovoc, Tonno, Atum, Tyheli, Atun, Tonfish... and according to Jessica Simpson, chicken, is consumed all over the world.

It seems as though people either love or detest tuna. I am definitely a tuna lover. Lucky me because tuna is healthy, convenient and best of all.... CHEAP!

A little history for you....

The Tuna industry has been around for just over 100 years. Before the tuna industry existed, sardines were extremely popular, but around 1903 the sardine population dwindled. One sardine manufacturer tried using empty sardine cans for packaging tuna. Up until then tuna was thought to have no commercial value. Americans loved it and more and more plants started canning tuna! Tuna became even more popular during World War One. Tuna was a high protein food that was conveniently canned, perfect solution for American soldiers.

Today over 1 BILLION pounds of tuna are consumed by Americans a year. Wowza!

The most common form of tuna is chunk, light tuna in water. Since this is all I buy, its all I'm going to talk about! This type of tuna comes in canned and pouched form. Although the pouched form is a great idea, and makes eating tuna even more convenient, I stick to good ole' canned tuna. The pouches are more expensive, and the little time it takes to use a can opener and drain the tuna is not worth the extra money for me. Plus I drain the juice into a bowl as a snack for my kitty, and he looooooooooves it.

Did you know you can buy tuna on amazon.com? Just a little fun fact that seems strange to me.

So... Tuna is Healthy, Convenient and Cheap. Let me expand on that.

Healthy:

One 2 ounce Serving of Tuna:
-60 calories
-0.5 grams of fat
-0 grams of carbohydrates

Lets compare this to 2 ounces of ground beef (85% lean beef):

One 2 ounce serving of Ground Beef:
-142 calories
-8 grams of fat
-0 grams of carbohydrates

And when is the last time you had a 2 ounce hamburger!

Eeeeks! This is over 2 times the calories, and 16 times the fat!

There are many health benefits to tuna as well. Tuna (along with most fish) is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower the risk of heart disease, ease the pain of arthritis, reduce asthma complications. Tuna, as a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals, can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Tuna is high in protein which is necessary for building lean muscle mass and giving you energy.

There have been claims that tuna, and other fish, are high in mercury and dangerous to eat. The U.S. Tuna Foundation addresses these claims here. Yes, you read that right, there is a U.S. Tuna Foundation. :)

Convenient:

There are tons of recipes for what to do with your tuna. I usually eat tuna for lunch, so I need something easy and quick to make.

My favorite recipes are:

Tuna salad sandwich:

-1 2 ounce can drained
-1 tbsp reduced fat mayo
-1/3 cup cashews
-1/8 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/3 cup diced celery
-salt and pepper to taste
-tortilla

Mix the first 6 ingredients and spoon onto the tortilla and enjoy. (The cashews, cheese and celery really stretch out the tuna making this a very filling meal). Also, I usually use a tortilla, but you can use bread or a lettuce wrap for variety.

Tuna.. on a salad:

I make a salad with lettuce greens, tomato, hard boiled egg, croutons, cucumber, and shredded cheese and add a 2 ounce can of tuna on top. I add ranch dressing and it is a delicious salad that always makes me stuffed for hours, a hard feat for a salad.

Tuna pasta salad:

-1 cup frozen peas
-2 2 ounce cans tuna, drained
-1/3 cup reduced fat mayo
-1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
-2 cup dry pasta (I used medium sized shells)

I usually make this in the evening and it is good to go for lunch the next day, although it can be eaten hot or cold.

Cook pasta according to directions. Cook peas in microwave according to directions. Mix cooked pasta, peas, tuna, mayo and cheese. Refrigerate until cold. This is more than one serving.

There are many more things you can do with tuna. Check out these recipes!

Cheap:

A can of chunk light tuna in water is usually 59 cents in my area. Whenever I find a sale, which is not very often, I stock up. I do not have a membership to Costo or Sam's club, but I've always wondered how much cheaper it would be to buy a huge carton of tuna cans. I would definitely buy a pack of 100 tuna cans at a time.... is that strange? I'll have to ask a friend with a membership to bring me along next time they go.

But even if I always spend 59 cents a can, this is super cheap! Try eating tuna a couple days a week in your brown bagged lunch.

Tuna can be good for your health and your wallet!