Canned food is an essential product for those who are in a hurry and have a hectic life, but it is also used by those who have to take a long trip and do not have much time to cook or when they do not have it. don’t really want to do it. The most common canned fish on the market is tuna, this species has many nutritional properties, but we must still distinguish between freshly caught tuna and canned tuna. Fresh tuna is above all considered a very lean fish, in fact, if we analyze it better, we notice that in reality the only fatty part of the tuna is made up of the belly, while the back and the tail are much leaner.
As far as nutrients are concerned, fresh tuna contains a considerable amount of high biological value proteins and essential fats, in particular, we find omega 3, and EPA and DHA (these are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids , they are said to be essential because our body needs them to function normally but is not able to produce them on its own) useful in the fight against excess triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood. Additionally, amounts of both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and retinol, are also found.
Among the mineral salts, on the other hand, it is above all iron that stands out. As for canned tuna, that is to say canned, unlike freshly caught tuna, it loses a lot of its essential fats due to the mandatory dilution in extra virgin olive oil and also due to the cooking. In addition, if it is preserved in brine, it has high concentrations of sodium chloride. Now let’s get to the real threat of this fish species. Indeed, tuna is a predator, that is to say that it feeds mainly on other fish, especially blue fish, such as swordfish and salmon, but also on cephalopod molluscs (especially cuttlefish and squid).
It is precisely because of this diet that tuna meat is very rich in essential fatty acids of the omega 3 family. However, it should be remembered that due to its size (relative to age) , it is more prone to the accumulation of heavy fats. metals, especially mercury and algal toxins, compared to small fish. Ingestion of inorganic mercury or methylmercury can cause, in the most severe cases, Minamata syndrome, characterized by ataxia, paresthesias of the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, as well as a weakening of the visual field. .
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