What are the relative benefits of tuna canned in water vs. oil?

Tuna is loaded w. mercury, particulary the white albacore. It should be eaten just a few times a month, or never if you are pregnant or planning on getting pregnant. Oil has lots more calories than water, but it is the fish itself that is the issue. Healthfood tuna/ water is best but does taste like sawdust. How about canned salmon?

mercury/tuna

Tuna is water is tastier, IMO, and fewer calories bake it healthier. However, canned salmon with the skin and bones (they crumble easily, and you won’t feel them) and more importantly, they had a TON of calcium…...

gailcalled – you say “it’s the fish itself that’s the issue.” How is that relevant? My question is that if I’m going to eat tuna, do I want to eat the tuna in oil or tuna in water.

So far I have
(1) oil has more calories
(2) some think tuna in water is tastier.

Is that really it? Those don’t seem like very important considerations.

The literal answer to your original question is that of calories…your second query – what you want to eat- is up to you alone. Have a taste test. Much of the time, we flutherers offer extra info that we think may inform or educate or liven the discussion. Sorry that my response got up your nose.

Tuna in oil: old-fashioned, tastes like it should if you were raised on it on Long Island in the forties and fifties, can only be gotten in cans from Italy (that I can find) and is less p.c. All of these elements make me prefer it even though it’s more expensive. Just checkin in here, don’t want to get up anybody’s nose.
I drain off the oil and the resulting tuna requires almost no mayo, so maybe it’s even, calorie-wise. I’m so old that it hardly matters any more if I add mercury which never leaves the body. You younguns should probably stick to the sawdust brands.

I know you don’t want to hear it but it’s true, canned tuna is a risky food in todays world.
I love it but eat less than once a month and use high quality Albacore. I used to eat it only packed in water to save on calories and once I got used to the taste I couldn’t go back! If you like to make tuna salad use pickle juice to moisten, pepper, onion & garlic to flavor, (I like jalepeno peppers too), and thus use less of the fattening mayonaise.

In other words, the health benefit for the water packed is in calorie only. The oil is actually good for you otherwise. Do drain if off though, or get fat!

I’ve watched my wgt all my life – 125 lbs at 68—and have always preferred tuna in oil (drained) – I have no cholesterol or heart probs., nor high blood pressure, etc. I suggest one worry about all thise high calorie snacks and big meals, rather than a bit of tuna now and then with oil.