Tuna in olive oil: healthfulness in abundance

Tuna in olive oil is one of the foods that Italians like best, according to the data produced by a survey conducted by DOXA/ANCIT (ANCIT is a trade association, the Associazione Nazionale dei Conservieri Ittici e delle Tonnare). Tuna in olive oil is to be found in 94% of our households Nearly 1 Italian in 2 (43%) consumes tuna once every week. 7 Italians in 10 consider it one of the 5 foods they can’t do without (the other foods being white meats, legumes, yoghurt and ‘bresaola’ cured raw beef).

You can add it to a salad, or a raw or cooked vegetable side dish, serve it up with spaghetti or in a Mediterranean style sandwich or roll! With a little time, and a pinch of imagination… you will soon learn its versatility is a major plus − fish rissoles/loaf, spreads, sauces, the stuffing for vegetable dishes… the list is endless… as are your own talents!

For tuna recipes check out our Enjoy… div!

Tunas in olive oil are tasty, practical and versatile, but another key advantage is that they are also highly nutritious (of course, we’re talking about high quality tuna). Four tips that will help you pick out top quality tuna in olive oil.

Perhaps you didn’t know that tuna fish are canned without preservatives or additives. After cooking (generally by steaming), the sliced or filleted fish is canned (in tin cans) or placed in glass jars. It is preserved under olive oil (tuna in olive oil) or under salt (tuna in pickle brine or ‘au naturel’).

After filling, the packaging form is sealed off and then subjected to heat sterilization at a temperature of between 110°C and 120°C. This is enough to ensure that the tuna shall be healthily, safely and hygienically stored for years.

If you look for the ingredients on a can of high-quality tuna you’ll find a very short list indeed! More or less as follows − tuna, olive oil (check the kind of olive oil), salt. Conversely, look at the very much longer list of the tuna’s nutrient properties!

On average, 100 grams of tuna with the oil (drained of its oil) provide:

• 25 grams of high biological-value noble proteins, rich in essential amino acids for our organism;
• 0.3 grams of fats (tuna ‘au naturel’) or 10 grams (tuna in olive oil). In both cases, a large portion of the fats are unsaturated, including Omega 3 fatty acids;
• zero carbohydrates (sugars);
• a significant quantity of essential vitamins, above all B (B1 and B2), P and A group vitamins;
• large quantities of minerals: phosphorus (30% of the indicated daily consumption level), iron, calcium, potassium and sodium (1%);
• approx. 100/150 calories (tuna ‘au naturel’) or 200/250 calories (tuna in olive oil), making up 5% and less than 10%, respectively, of the indicated daily consumption level.

Tuna in olive oil is rich in noble proteins. These proteins provides the amino acids we need for tissue replacement. Tuna is therefore very popular among athletes and among people keen on augmenting their muscle mass.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, widely known as Omega 3 fatty acids, contribute to increases in “good” cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), with benefits for our cardiovascular apparatus.

B group vitamins ensure the integral state of all nervous system functions.

Also well worth mentioning is the relatively low calorie-content of a can of high-quality tuna.

Let’s round off with a useful tip: 100 grams of tuna in olive oil or ‘au naturel’ generally contain 1 gram of sodium, corresponding to 2.5 grams of salt (actually, our White Tuna contains 0.59 g of sodium). This means you needn’t add extra salt to your dish. You can, instead, choose spices and aromas. According to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), we should consume less than di 5 grams of salt per day.