Seeing many variations of canned tuna in the market, you might be wondering if you have to get canned tuna in oil or canned tuna in water. Canned tuna popularity keeps increasing these couples of years. The reason might be because this seawater fish product contains good amount of protein. That is why many people decide to use them as their protein source in their meal. Not to mention that canned tuna is also very versatile product thus it can be used in many kinds of dish. Therefore you would not get bored when eating canned tuna every week.

Consuming Canned Tuna in Oil as Part of Your Diet

Actually you should not be confused when choosing canned tuna product in the market as there are only two variations of canned tuna. You can see those canned tuna only have light tuna label or white tuna label in their tag. Of course those two variations are different from one another since both are using different tunas as its ingredient. Canned tuna with light tuna label is made using two kinds of tuna such as skipjack tuna and yellowfin tuna. However canned tuna with white tuna label is only made using one kind of tuna which is the albacore tuna.

You can even see the difference of those ingredients through the color of tuna meat inside its can. Canned tuna with light tuna label will have darker tuna meat color which appears tan or dark red in color. But for the canned tuna with white tuna label, it will have white tuna meat color with slight pink tint as suggested by the label. This white tuna meat color is considered as the most suitable tuna meat to be made as canned tuna.

You can also see the different of those canned tuna through the substance which used to soak the tuna meat inside its can. Canned tuna with light tuna label will use water as the substance to soak the tuna meat inside its can. On the other hand, canned tuna with white tuna label is actually canned tuna in oil which uses oil as the substance to soak the tuna meat inside its can. Because the substance which used to soak the tuna meat inside its can is different, canned tuna with light tuna label is considered to be the healthiest among the two variations.

Move on to the flavor, canned tuna with light tuna label has stronger flavor since it is made using dark tuna meat. But it actually has softer texture as you can find on chicken thigh texture. On the other hand canned tuna with white tuna label has milder flavor and fewer fishy tastes. However this canned tuna in oil has firmer texture as you can find on chicken breast texture. And since not many people like the stronger flavor which canned tuna with light tuna label has, then people prefers canned tuna with white tuna label more. This is the reason why you also see canned tuna with light tuna label more in the grocery store.

Furthermore tuna meat also have good amount of omega 3 fatty acid which is good for development, growth and brain besides reducing inflammation in the body. It can also lower your risk of several diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and cancer. This fatty acid also able to lower the level of cholesterol and blood pressure which is why it is great to consume some tuna as part of your diet. Among those two variations of canned tuna, the canned tuna in oil has higher omega 3 content compared to canned tuna with light tuna label.

However, you should also be careful when consuming seawater fish product such as this canned tuna. The reason is because all seawater fish product has been contaminated by mercury which is very dangerous to your nervous system. The risk will be higher on unborn fetus and small children. For adult, the risk is lower but you still need to limit your intake of seawater fish product. Especially because canned tuna in oil has three times more mercury level compared to canned tuna with light tuna label. But relax since you can still safely consume it if you limit your intake to one portion for every nine days to two weeks.