About canned tuna fish and heating method

Question
Hello Nevil,

Many thanks in advance for your help. I am a 25-year-old male from Shanghai, China. I have been exercising for over a year and am now at about 67 kg (169 cm in height). Estimated body fat is a bit below 20 (I have not tested it for quite a few weeks).I have several questions about nutrition.

1. I used to eat more than 5 cans of canned tuna fish a week. But aware now of the higher sodium content of many canned foods and potential high risk of  mercury and other heavy metal contamination of tuna fish, I have decided to cut my intake to 3 cans a week. But is this amount safe or I should cut further? I am afraid I can't determine the type of tuna fish as the labels do not provide such kind of information. (Please understand that in China, food producers are not legally obliged to list nutrition facts.)



2. I hear that heating with microwave (the only means available in the office) will break down protein and other nutrients and render the food no value in nutrition. Is this statement true? Can you suggest other ways of heating accessible in an office environment?



3. I also hear that overnight food loses much of its nutrition value the next day and might produce substances that are harmful to the body. How true is this statement? The minutes in the early morning before I leave for work at 7 a.m. is very tight (in a little over 30 min I have to put on clothes, wash, and prepare and have breakfast). Could you suggest how I am to prepare food without cutting sleeping hours? (I usually go to bed at 11 p.m. and rise at 6:30 a.m.)

I am grateful for your reply.

Erik


Answer
Hi Erik,

Where possible, go for fresh foods. But in the end you can only do what is achievable for you. Having 3 tinned tuna a week will not be of undue concern unless most of your other foods are also tinned...everything in balance!

There is much debate about microwaving foods- veg is perfect, as is rice and other starchy foods. Meats/fish etc tend to not only taste bland but also lose their nutrition. Try to use the microwave more for heating rather than cooking.

All natural foods start losing nutrition the moment they are dug up or plucked off a tree etc. Again, you can only do what is achievable, so don't fret the small stuff and make sure that your general daily intake is balanced with protein/complex carbs/good fats/water.

All the best

Nevil

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