Tuna in water or tuna in oil?

[NrgQuest]

My power was out for a day and I had to get some food that I could prepare without cooking so I got some canned tuna, I ended up getting tuna packed in water, because I hate tuna in oil, it is just gross to me after years of eating lowfat foods. But, while I was standing there it occured to me that the tuna in oil might be a better choice. I am going to make it with mayo made with olive oil though. So if tuna in oil is the better choice any ideas on how I can get it down without feeling ill? If the tuna in water is a better choice, I will just breath a sigh of relief.

[y0u]

For me it would totally depend on what kind of oil it was packed in. If it was cold pressed XV olive oil I would eat it, anything else I wouldn't.

[Kisal]

I think you should buy the one that you find palatable. Why buy food you don't like? If you're going to mix the tuna with mayo, that will add plenty of fat to it.

I definitely agree with Y0u, too. For instance, I wouldn't use tuna packed in soybean oil. :Puke:

[NrgQuest]

I'll stick to the water then. Most the oil packed tuna in my price range is packed in soybean oil.

[capmikee]

Tuna in water sometimes contains broth. I never trust industrial broth - it tends to have MSG, maybe gluten, definitely soy, who knows what else.

Tuna in oil isn't really good unless it's EVOO, as someone mentioned above.

We get Natural Sea brand tuna, which has just water and salt. But I still react to it. I drink the water and give the tuna to everybody else.

[MizKitty]

If you're considering it because thinking it'll up your intake of fish oil, I read that the oil they pack tuna in actually leeches the fish oils out of the tuna. So unless you're going to consume all the oil in the can, you'll actually get more fish oil eating the water packed.

[Mousesmom]

I agree with the poster that said eat what you actually LIKE. Life is too short to force ourselves to eat food because we "should".....

Julie

[capmikee]

Considering all the low-fat BS out there, eating what you like is more likely to be healthy than eating what you should.

The French don't have a "French Paradox," they have an "American Paradox" - why are the people most obsessed with healthy eating so unhealthy?

[2bthinner!]

why are the people most obsessed with healthy eating so unhealthy?We're lied to by the very people who are supposed to guide us... :D
ETA: They're guiding us all right, but not to health. It just seems to be to put money in pockets. (ie statins, insulin)

Sorry, OP. I would say eat the one you like.. I usually get the water one myself because the other is usually soybean oil. ick. :lol:

[MizKitty]

Here's one of several sources I've read that contain the information I was referring to
http://www.shapefit.com/tuna-canning-oil-water.html

Choosing Canned Tuna
To get the most Omega-3 fats from your canned tuna, choose water-packed over oil-packed. The oil mixes with some of the tuna's natural fat, so when you drain oil-packed tuna, some of its Omega-3 fatty acids also go down the drain. Since oil and water don't mix, water-packed tuna won't leach any of its precious Omega-3s.

The above link also contained this interesting bit of information:

Some manufacturers first bake tuna for easy de-boning, but it causes a loss of natural beneficial oils. Then the fish is mixed with additives and flavorings and put into the can - all you really get from these products are nutrient-lacking calories. When tuna is packed into the can raw and cooked only once, all the natural juices and fats remain.

Does anyone know how to tell which brands bake then can, vs which brands can, then cook?

[amandawood]

But, while I was standing there it occured to me that the tuna in oil might be a better choice. I am going to make it with mayo made with olive oil though.

You have made the absolute right decision! Nearly all the tinned fish I see here in Germany is packed in various dubious oils, some just referred to as "plant oil". Most of these are too high in Omega 6 fatty acids (I think that is the right term), so they should be eaten sparingly or just avoided.

If you have mayo made from olive oil, then you have the perfect mix!

Or do you actually make your own mayo? If so, you get a huge round of applause from me: this has been on my list of things to try for aaaaaaaaaaages!!!

If it's a good recipe, could you post it here and in the recipe section?

amanda

[NrgQuest]

Amanda, I got my recipe online, but it always comes out very runny. I using it in tuna salad and it was yuck. But, it was good on tuna patties, but I can't make those anymore because I use a quarter of a box in them. It might be good if I fried the tuna til crispy. I will have to experiment before posting anything.

MizKitty, I went to the Bumble Bee website and in the section where someone asks why there was a bone in the can of tuna they say that bones are softened after they can and then cook the tuna. Yay, for me, I got Bumble Bee.

[capmikee]

I've done a lot of experimenting with mayonnaise. I never liked mayonnaise made with olive oil much. I think it's fine as a salad dressing, though - I use lots of lemon juice and only a little oil. It's very runny that way, but if you think of it as salad dressing then it's no problem.

I just discovered mayonnaise made with bacon fat. Now that is something worth making. The texture is like whipped butter.

[wbahn]

Learn something new every day. I would have assumed that tuna in oil was in tuna oil. I can't stand tuna packed in oil so I've only eaten tuna packed in water for at least the last twenty years.

Even so, my recommendation would have been to eat the one you liked. Not everything needs to be the absolutely optimal choice from only a health standpoint. Unhealthy things are fine in proper moderation. And, in this case (assuming it had actually been fish oil), the choice would have been between something that was good for you, just not quite as good as the other would have been. Since you actually have to learn to live forever with this lifestyle, you need to make the choices that will make that possible - and satisfaction MUST be a major part of that.

[NrgQuest]

I got to try making mayo with bacon fat. I love bacon, I love it a lot. Bacon was the biggest no-no on a low fat diet. Maybe not the biggest, but really tell someone on a low fat diet you ate 3 strips of bacon and see the reaction.

[NANCI B]

I got to try making mayo with bacon fat. I love bacon, I love it a lot. Bacon was the biggest no-no on a low fat diet. Maybe not the biggest, but really tell someone on a low fat diet you ate 3 strips of bacon and see the reaction.


I don't think that making mayo with bacon grease will work as it get solid in the fridge. When I make a wilted lettuce salad with bacon grease as the base, it always congeal in the bottom of the salad bowl and becomes unappetizing. I you find that it does work.....please post how you did it and how it keeps.

[capmikee]

I don't think that making mayo with bacon grease will work as it get solid in the fridge. When I make a wilted lettuce salad with bacon grease as the base, it always congeal in the bottom of the salad bowl and becomes unappetizing. I you find that it does work.....please post how you did it and how it keeps.

Here's my recipe:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?p=7711273#post7711273

The trick is to warm the bacon fat while you're making it, and keep it warm enough that it doesn't solidify until it's emulsified.

Once it's emulsified, it gets a little softer than pure bacon fat. It's still somewhat solid, but so is mayonnaise, eh? The texture resembles whipped butter.