6 CANS: Albacore Tuna
Natural
(6oz ea.)
Price: $39.98
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Nutrition Facts
Albacore Tuna, No Added Salt or Oil
Serving Size 2oz., 1/3 can (57g)
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Amount Per Serving |
| Calories 70 |
| Calories from Fat 15 |
| Total Fat 2g |
| Saturated Fat 0.5g |
| Trans Fat 0g |
| Cholesterol 25mg |
| Sodium 28g |
| Total Carbohydrate 0g |
| Dietary Fiber 0g |
| Sugars 0g |
| Protein 13g |
530mg total omega-3s per serving
EPA 135mg and DHA 360mg
Ingredients:
Albacore Tuna |
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Vital Choice Troll-caught Albacore Tuna Natural (No Salt or Oil Added)
— 6oz.
Can
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Dolphin safe
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Easy-open top
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Minimal mercury levels |
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Certified Kosher OU B.Y. & M.T. (Full Oversight) |
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Great Treat for people, dogs & cats! |
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Fishery certified sustainable by
Marine Stewardship
Council
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Golden Alfie & Kitty Cindy love this tuna as a treat or
an entire meal!
Predatory fish such as Tuna accumulate mercury over time. Tests by an
independent laboratory show that smaller, younger Vital Choice Albacore average
substantially less mercury than its older, larger counterparts, which dominate
the fresh and canned Tuna market. Vital Choice Albacore contains one-third less
mercury (0.08 ppm) than average Albacore (0.12 ppm). And, it contains
three-quarters less mercury (0.08 ppm) than average Albacore (0.34 ppm). For
mercury data by species, including data for Vital Choice fish, click
here.
Unlike national brands, Vital Choice canned Albacore Tuna is cooked only once to
preserve its fresh flavor, firm texture, and healthful omega-3s. It is sustainably troll-caught by Paul Hill and is quickly
flash-frozen on his small boat to preserve it at the peak of freshness. Vital
Choice only selects younger, smaller Tuna (under 12 lbs) from among Paul's
catch, for optimal tenderness and purity.
If you think you know tuna,
think again. Vital Choice offers only the best, purest, sashimi-grade albacore
tuna available.
White versus light: telling tuna apart
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Skipjack, bluefin and yellowfin (ahi) tuna are canned and sold as "light" tuna
(off-white or pinkish in color). Albacore (longfin) is better-tasting and free
of the fishy flavor associated with light tuna; it is the only tuna that is and
can be labeled "white." But even albacore varies in quality, depending on how
and where it is caught, and how it is processed and packed.
Long-line versus troll-caught
— Large commercial fishing boats typically catch their tuna using "long lines"
that lay deep in the water and hold hundreds—even thousands—of hooks. These long
lines often extend 10 miles from the boat, and are pulled only when
full—typically a full 12 hours after being put in the water. As a consequence,
the fish is not always fresh by the time it is landed. Because the lines lay so deep, they catch older, larger (25-80 pound)
albacore, which contain fewer omega-3s and more mercury. As tuna become older
and larger, they accumulate more and more mercury from their diet of smaller
fish. Approximately half of the mercury in the ocean originates from naturally
occurring sources, primarily underwater volcanic activity, while the rest comes
from coal-burning power plants and other industrial polluters. It is consumed by
ocean microorganisms, and then works it way up the food chain to tuna and other
predatory fish.
In contrast, tuna trollers like Paul Hill work almost like recreational
fishermen, using shallow-depth, single-hook lines to catch one small tuna at a
time. As soon as a fish is hooked by one of these smaller, often family-owned
tuna boats, it is brought on board, bled, and flash-frozen within about two
hours. To insure that Vital Choice tuna are the "tip of the pinnacle" as far as
purity, we select only the smallest of Paul's catch—fish weighing no more than
12 lbs.
Processing matters —
Large commercial canneries cook their tuna twice. First, they
bake the fish whole on a rack, which results in a loss of beneficial
omega-3 oils. Then it is de-boned and packed in cans along with
flavorings and chemical additives (e.g., pyrophosphate or hydrolyzed
casein). The cans are sealed, and the fish is cooked again. This
process allows the companies to produce more product more quickly.
In contrast, Vital Choice troll-caught tuna is packed into the can raw and
cooked only once to preserve all its natural oils and flavor. This
difference in processing methods means that
canned troll-caught albacore contains several times more
omega-3s per serving, compared with the major national brands.
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o3
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Why is fish called "brain
food?"
The human brain is more than 60% fat! The majority of fat in the
brain is the type that cannot be made by the body, but must be
supplied by the diet. The fats essential for optimal brain
activity are the omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and, to a lesser extent,
alpha linolenic acid (ALA). The omega-3 fatty acids have
beneficial properties that have been studied in the treatment of
a number of mental conditions ranging from depression and
bipolar disorder to schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, chronic fatigue
syndrome and stress. Today's society is relatively deficient in
these powerful brain building omega-3 fatty acids. Gone are the
days of eating simple diets full of fish, seeds and nuts; our
diets are now full of processed foods that are lacking in the
good, essential fats. To ensure you are receiving sufficient
quantities of omega-3 fatty acids, fatty, cold water fish, such
as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines and anchovies should fill
your plate, as well as other valuable omega-3 sources derived
from oil-bearing nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, flaxseed and
flax oil. The brain requires more omega-3 fatty acids than any
other system in the body. With sufficient quantities of EPA and
DHA in the diet, the membranes of the brain perform at their
peak level, which is essential for regulating mood, emotions,
and staving off depression. In the absence of EPA and DHA the
brain will choose an alternate source of lipids such as an omega
6 or monounsaturated fat which has very different properties
from omega-3s and could therefore negatively affect your mental
health. To build a healthy brain, eat fish!
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What are fatty
acids?
Fatty acids are the basic building blocks for all lipids. Fatty
acids are the nutritional components found in dietary fats and
oils, and are chemical "chains" consisting of carbon and
hydrogen and ending with an acid group. Fatty acids vary in
length and degree of saturation, and are generally up to 26
carbons long. The specific chemistry of the fatty acid,
including the number of carbons and double bonds, will affect
how it functions in the body, including its health benefits.
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What are
unsaturated fatty acids?
Unsaturated fatty acids result when not all carbons in the
chemical chain are saturated with hydrogen. This means that the
fat molecule contains one or more double bond. The double bonds
create "kinks" in the molecule, producing a fat that is fluid at
room temperature. Unsaturated fats are known as "good" fats
because they help cellular function and promote heart health.
There are two types of unsaturated fatty acids: 1.
Monounsaturates - fatty acids that contain one double bond.
These fats are fluid at room temperature. For example, oleic
acid, which is found in olive and sesame oils. 2.
Polyunsaturates - fatty acids that contain more than one double
bond. These are the most fluid fats of all and include fats such
as corn, soybean, and sunflower oils. Essential Fatty Acid oils
also fall into this category.
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What are saturated
fats?
Saturated fatty acids result when all carbons in the chemical
chain are "saturated" with hydrogen. This means that the fat
molecule does not contain any double bonds. Saturated fats are
dense, solid fats that do not melt at room temperature - for
example the white fat in beef and lamb. These are the so-called
"bad" fats that are known to contribute to cardiovascular
disease when consumed in excess.
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What are
triglycerides?
Both Saturated and Unsaturated fats are usually consumed in the
form of Trigycerides, which consist of three fatty acids bound
to a glycerol backbone. The attached fatty acids can be either
the same or different. The presence of saturated fatty acids
will result in a saturated fat; similarly, the presence of one
or more unsaturated fatty acids will result in an unsaturated
fat. In the human diet, Triglycerides are by far the most
abundant form of dietary lipids, constituting approximately 95%
of total fat consumed. The remaining 5% is in the form of
phospholipids, free fatty acids (fatty acids not bound to a
glycerol backbone), cholesterol, and plant sterols. In addition,
triglycerides are the predominant storage form of fat in the
body.
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What are DHA and ARA?
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid, is found in
tissue throughout the body. It is the most abundant fatty acid
in the gray matter of the brain and the retina of the eye, and
is a key component of heart tissue. DHA is important for proper
brain and eye development in infants and has been shown to
support cardiovascular health in adults.
ARA (arachidonic acid), an omega-6 fatty acid, is the principal
omega-6 in the brain and is abundant in other cells throughout
the body. ARA is equally important for proper brain development
in infants and is a precursor to a group of hormone-like
substances called eicosanoids (e.g. prostanoids, leukotrienes
and thromboxanes). Eicosanoids are important in immunity, blood
clotting and other vital functions in the body. Humans obtain
ARA by eating common foods such as meat, eggs and milk, whereas
DHA is found in a limited selection of foods such as fatty fish
and organ meat. Both fatty acids occur naturally in breast milk
and have proven health benefits that extend from prenatal
development through adult life.
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What are omega-3s?
Omega-3 fatty acids are carbon-based molecules essential for the
optimal function of every cell in our bodies, yet we cannot
manufacture them internally. Instead, along with vitamins, these
essential nutrients can be obtained only in the diet. Over the
past century, people in developed countries, particularly in the
United States, have largely eliminated omega-3 fatty acids from
their diet. There is a great deal of evidence that this has had
a very negative impact on the inner workings of many bodily
systems, most notably the heart and the brain. We are learning
that restoring the body’s natural balance of omega-3s may
improve a multitude of medical disorders, including coronary
artery disease, major depression, and bipolar disorder (also
called manic-depressive illness).
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How do omega-3 fatty acids benefit
health?
The health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids were first discovered
in the late 1970’s. Medical researchers began studying the
marine-based diet of the Inuit to learn how these
hunter-gatherer groups avoided such old-age infirmities as heart
disease, stroke, and arthritis. According to Dr. Andrew Stoll’s
book The Omega-3 Connection, “the Inuit advantage was attributed
to the very long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, found
in their food staples of fatty fish and fish-eating marine
mammals like whales and seals.” All sea creatures need EPA and
DHA to keep their body tissues warm and elastic in icy waters.
These anti-inflammatory properties can be measured in the human
body as well. Documented reports show that omega-3s play a
beneficial role in reducing coronary artery disease, calming
rheumatoid arthritis, and lessening depression.
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What is the difference between
plant- and animal-source omega-3s?
At the core of both plant- and animal-source omega-3s is a
cluster of molecules called LNA. This alpha-linolenic acid is a
long-chain fatty acid that comes mainly from plant foods like
walnuts, flaxseed, and green leafy vegetables. When your body
absorbs fats containing LNA, enzymes convert some of it into
longer, more highly polyunsaturated omega-3s called EPA and DHA.
These desirable omega-3s are more beneficial to your health, but
your body needs about ten LNAs to make one EPA. Fish, on the
other hand, contains little LNA, but is rich in EPA and DHA.
Eating fish simply means that your body doesn’t have to work so
hard converting fatty acids. Fish is your most accessible and
concentrated source of EicosaPentaeonic Acid and DocosaHexaeonic
Acid.
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What is the difference between
long-chain and short-chain omega-3s?
Not all omega-3s are created equal. There are "long-chain" and
"short-chain" omega-3 molecules. The distinction refers to the
number of carbon atoms that comprise them. The shorter chains
contain 18 carbon atoms (Alpha linolenic acid-ALA), while the
long contain 20 (Eicosapentanoic-EPA) or 22
(Docosahexanoic-DHA). Short chain omega-3s are contained in
vegetable and plant sources such as walnuts, flaxseed oil and
leafy green vegetables. Since the human body requires the
long-chain forms, vegetable source omega 3s are of relatively
limited nutritional value. While some may be converted to the
longer form, the process is inefficient, with only about 5% or
so ultimately being converted. The conversion efficiency is
dependent upon diet and the availability of enzymes required to
complete it.
For this reason it is important to eat food sources of the
long-chain omega-3s like cold water fish. EPA has
anti-inflammatory properties, and is more relevant to regulating
mood than DHA. DHA, however, is also key for healthy cells and
is found in high concentrations in the brain, retina and sperm,
and is especially crucial for pregnant and nursing women and
infants.
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What are
antioxidants and how do they benefit my health?
Antioxidants are dietary nutrients that help prevent the cell
and tissue damage caused by free radicals in the body. Free
radicals are highly reactive, unstable molecules that cause
oxidative stress, and can lead to degenerative diseases such as
cancer and arthritis. Antioxidants fight oxidative stress by
neutralizing free radicals. Naturally occurring fish oils
contain good concentrations of Vitamin E, which is a powerful
antioxidant. In wild salmon, the pigment that gives the fish its
rich red color is also a very powerful antioxidant. Studies
suggest that astaxanthin (as-tuh-zan’-thin) may be 100 times
more powerful than Vitamin E at quenching free radicals. This
antioxidant is also thought to be 10 times more effective than
other carotenoids, like beta-carotene.
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What are the nutritional benefits of
salmon?
An excellent source of protein, Alaska canned salmon is high in omega-3
fatty acids. It contains all the essential amino acids, as well as B-complex
vitamins like niacin and riboflavin. According to the Alaska Seafood Marketing
Institute, “Alaska canned salmon is rich in selenium, vitamin E, zinc and
low-fat protein, all noted for strengthening immune systems.” They also note
“the delicate, edible bones present in Alaska canned salmon are good to eat and
high in bone-building vitamin D, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
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Is salmon low in fat or low in
calories?
According to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, a 3.5 oz. serving size
of Alaska canned salmon contains 137-142 calories. Calories from fat: 54-60,
which represents about 10% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Total fat:
6-7 grams, saturated fat: 1.5-1.9 grams.
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Is it true that some farmed fish is dangerous to eat?
We’ll leave that up to you to decide. According to the
David Suzuki Foundation, farmed salmon
can be dangerous to eat: “In an attempt to control disease and parasites among
farmed salmon, powerful antibiotics and other drugs are dumped directly into
open netcages. Salmon aquaculture uses more antibiotic per pound of "livestock"
than any other form of farming. This largely unregulated use of antibiotics—the
same drugs used to treat human infections—has already led to the development of
drug-resistant "super-bugs". This poses grave risks not only to the wider marine
ecosystem, but also to fish farm workers and to consumers of farmed salmon who
may be affected by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Why Trust Vital Choice?
Finding high quality Salmon can be difficult and
confusing. Is it wild or farmed? Where was it caught? How has it
been handled?
Few seafood retailers know the answers, and those that do may
not be eager to provide them. Investigations by The New York
Times and a leading product-testing consumer magazine revealed
that much of the Salmon sold as “wild” is actually farmed fish:
a fraud perpetrated to raise sellers' profits at the expense of
consumers who lack the expertise to see (or taste) through it.
Vital Choice founder Randy Hartnell spent more than 20 years
fishing for wild Alaska Salmon and other species. Added to the
careers of other ex-fishermen among our executive staff, Vital
Choice offers more than 50 years of relevant experience.
As a result, we know where to get the best, most carefully
handled wild Salmon and seafood, at the best price possible.
Less than 1% of all Alaska Salmon harvested meet our strict
standards, so you can be sure that our fish represent the very
pinnacle of flavor and freshness. The same goes for all of our
sustainably harvested seafood.
Vital Choice is proud to have earned
the endorsement of nutrition-savvy physicians like
Nicholas Perricone MD, Christiane Northrup MD, Andrew Weil MD,
William Sears MD, and Joseph Mercola MD.
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High Quality + Fair Prices = Good
Value
The prices won't be as low as some retailers selling wild Salmon
... and that's what shoppers who seek high quality and real
value will expect. Vital Choice earns about the same profit as
most retail markets, but you enjoy seafood of much higher
initial and delivered quality, at a perfectly fair price. Savvy
Vital Choice customers order larger quantities, which provide
very substantial savings.
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Unsurpassed Purity
Vital Choice seeks to support our customers’ well being, so
they offer only the purest wild seafood possible:
fish and shellfish that grow in the wild environment to which
they are so superbly adapted, free of the antibiotics,
pesticides, synthetic coloring agents, and genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) used commonly in fish farms. The seafood is tested regularly by independent labs, and the
results show that it is free of harmful levels of mercury and
other industrial contaminants. Longer-lived predator species
such as Halibut and Tuna accumulate mercury over time, so they
select only the smallest of the catch to ensure optimum purity.
See a comparison of mercury levels
here.
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The Flash-Frozen Advantage
As Jane Brody, famed food/nutrition columnist for The New York
Times once wrote, "The freshest seafood is that which has been
frozen shortly after harvest and remains that way until cooked."
Vital Choice seafood is processed and flash-frozen hours within
hours of harvest, and stays frozen solid until it arrives at
your door on dry ice, thereby preserving the fresh-caught
flavor, appearance, texture, and nutritional quality of our
premium quality fish and shellfish.
The “fresh” fish in most markets is rarely in the ideal
condition that label implies. And while many supermarkets sell
previously frozen fish, it may not have been frozen quickly
post-harvest, and typically languishes, thawed, in a display
case for hours or days, exposed to air and light: conditions
that foster bacterial growth and render delicate omega-3s rancid
very quickly.
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Organic and
Kosher Certification
Fish and other seafood are not currently part of the official
organic certification process. All of Vital Choice's other foods
are certified organic under the rules established by the US
Department of Agriculture. In addition, many Vital Choice products are certified Kosher by respected,
credible organizations like OU, “Square K”, and Earth Kosher.
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Superior Salmon, Naturally
Unlike penned, grain-fed, flaccid-fleshed farmed Salmon, Vital
Choice wild Alaska Salmon spend several years feeding on the
sea’s natural foods and straining against the strong, cold
currents of the North Pacific before migrating thousands of
miles to the headwaters of their birth rivers.
Of the millions of young Pacific Salmon that begin this
demanding ocean odyssey every year, only the strongest,
healthiest fish will reach harvest age. This is why wild Salmon
offer flavor, texture and nutritional profile far superior to
any farm-raised fish. And we select Vital Choice offering from
among the one percent of sustainably harvested wild Salmon that
meet our strict quality standards.
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Wild Salmon vs. Farmed:
Environmental and Purity Issues
Aquaculture is an increasingly important source of seafood, and
we do not oppose fish-farming when it is practiced sustainably.
But the environmental sustainability of current Salmon farming
operations is doubtful, and the nutritional profiles of their
products appear inferior.
Vital Choice fresh-frozen wild Alaska Salmon live their entire
lives free to roam the open ocean, and are only harvested as
they approach the end of their four-year life cycle. We
guarantee that all our fish come from carefully managed,
sustainable fisheries.
Alaska Salmon are endorsed as a “Best Seafood Choice” by leading
environmental organizations, including the Marine Stewardship
Council, Environmental Defense, the Blue Ocean Institute, the
Monterey Bay Aquarium and many others. In contrast, farmed
Salmon are typically rated “Avoid.”
All fish and animal foods contain at least some traces of the
industrial contaminants found everywhere in today’s environment,
but farmed Salmon contain levels of PCBs and dioxins far higher
than any other fish or animal food tested. (While even these
comparatively high levels of PCBs and dioxins are vanishingly
small, it only makes sense to minimize intake.)
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Wild Salmon vs. Farmed:
Nutritional Distinctions
The nutritional drawbacks of farmed Salmon receive far less
attention than their environmental disadvantages.
The "Omega Ratio" advantage of wild Salmon
Wild and farmed Salmon contain comparable amounts of the omega-3
fatty acids that make fish such healthful food. In fact, farmed
Salmon may contain somewhat higher levels of omega-3s.
Unfortunately, the omega-3s in farmed Salmon come from feeding
them fish meal or fish oil derived from mass harvesting of small
fish nearer the bottom of the marine food chain: a practice with
alarming implications for the future of the marine ecosystem.
And, compared with wild Salmon, typical farmed Salmon contain
much higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which already occur
in extreme excess in typical Western diets: most Americans
consume about 30 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3s.
Experts recommend consuming no more than four parts omega-6s to
omega-3s: that is, an intake ratio of 4:1 or lower, instead of
the typical 30:1 ratio.
When consumed in such excessive amounts, omega-6 fatty acids
blunt the benefits of omega-3s to a very substantial extent and
can promote chronic, "silent" inflammation and the diseases
associated with it, including heart disease, diabetes, senility,
and cancer.
In fact, the intriguing results of a Norwegian study suggest
that consuming standard farmed Salmon, raised on diets high in
omega-6 fatty acids, raises people’s blood levels of the
inflammatory chemicals linked to increased risk of
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer (Seierstad
SL et al 2005).
Salmon farmers claim they’re striving to reduce the omega-6
content of farmed Salmon feed, but tests conducted in 2005 show
that average wild Salmon offer a desirable omega-3/omega-6 ratio
of 10:1, while farmed Salmon have an average ratio of 4:1 or
less (Hamilton M et al 2005).
And to the extent that Salmon farmers are able and willing to
replace omega-6-rich vegetable oils and grains with costlier
fish meal or fish oil, this will contribute to further
over-fishing of species closer to the bottom of the marine food
chain, with negative impacts throughout the oceanic ecosystem.
Vitamin D in Wild Salmon and Farmed
Research published in recent years makes it clear that vitamin D
is a much bigger factor in human health than previously thought,
reducing the risks of osteoporosis, fractures, and major
cancers.
And new findings show that wild Salmon – especially Sockeye –
are the best food sources available, by far. For example, while
a cup of milk contains only 100 IU, there are 600-700 IU of
vitamin D in a 3.5 ounce serving of Sockeye Salmon.
Farmed Salmon contain only one-quarter as much vitamin D as wild
Salmon, according to independent tests by researchers at Boston
University.
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Selecting Wild Salmon Helps to
Save Wild Salmon
The Alaska Salmon fishing industry is the chief economic force
behind the preservation of wild Salmon. But in recent years it
has been devastated by competition from the world-wide
proliferation of cheap, nutritionally inferior, environmentally
destructive farmed Salmon. As paradoxical as it may seem, to
save wild Salmon it helps to choose it over farmed Salmon
products.
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Support for Coastal Communities and a Sustainable Trade
Contributing positively to local fisher-folk, their families,
and their threatened coastal communities and environment is so
important to Vital Choice they consider it a key guiding
principle. They are strongly committed to helping promote a
sustainable social, ecological, and economic model for the
harvesting and sale of wild Salmon, and donate a portion of our
profits to advocacy organizations such as the United Fishermen
of Alaska.
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Vital Community Connections: The Causes We Help
Sustain
Vital Choice contributes a portion of their net profits to the Weil
Foundation, the Live Strong Foundation, The Monterey Bay
Aquarium, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and other
causes devoted to improving the health and well being of people
and the planet that sustains us.
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These durable foil pouches have a
five year shelf life, making them the
perfect "survival food". They're also great for hiking, boating, camping,
climbing or anywhere ease of preparation and minimal packaging size and weight
are desirable.
