EGGS vs TUNA

You would think it would be a simple matter to compare the nutrient value and caloric content of two eggs versus tuna packed in water.  The Star Advertiser had the following graphic from U.S. Agricultural Research Services of the Department of Agriculture that surprised me, but that is because there was a serious flaw:

Let me start with tuna:

• Good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.
• However, can contain mercury.
• Most of the mercury come from coal burning.
• However, volcanic eruptions can also add mercury.
• Tuna contains more mercury than salmon, oysters, lobster, scallops and tilapia.
• Mercury is not easily excreted and builds up in tissues over time.
• Depends on the type of tuna (in parts per million):
• Light canned tuna:  0.126 (light means a smaller tuna species)
• White Albacore tuna:  0.350
• Yellowfin tuna, fresh or frozen:  0.354
• Bigeye tuna, fresh or frozen:  0.689
• Bluefin tuna, fresh or frozen:  0.8
• 
  Mercury exposure can lead to impaired motor skills, memory and focus, while causing anxiety and depression, and can lead to heart problems.
• Other researchers have reported that on balance, the omega-3 fatty acids outweigh any negative effects.
• In general, okay to cautiously consume tuna for most, but not children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
• My problem is that, for sashimi, I like best bluefin, then yellowfin, but don't enjoy as much of those tuna varieties found in cans of tuna.

Not long ago, a small can of tuna was listed at 6 ounces.  But this does not mean you will get what you read, even if a net weight of 6 ounces is printed.  From a 2005 article, a 6-ounce can actually provides:

• Geisha = 3.8 ounces.
• Chicken of the Sea = 5.1 oz.
• Bumblebee and StarKist = 3 oz.  I show this can because I grew up in Kakaako close by the StarKist tuna factory at Kewalo Basin Harbor.
• 3 Diamonds and Stop and Shop = ranged from 4.1 to 4.5 oz.
• Interestingly enough, the average of 12 ounce cans gave 9 ounces of tuna.  A 12-ounce can is of course also cheaper than two 6-ounce cans.
• There is also the matter of what draining the water means.  You can't get all the water out of the tuna portion.  If  you further rinse, you can remove some sodium.
• About the mislabeling, apparently lobbying worked, and the government in the early 1970's allowed tuna fish companies to include water in the NET weight, which was supposed to be rectified, but apparently hasn't yet.

Oh, in case you didn't notice, gone are the days of a 6-ounce tuna can for a buck in your family market.  But not entirely so using the internet, for you can purchase 10 cans of 5-ounce tuna from Chicken of the Sea for $9 through Amazon.com.  What confuses me is that on another page, only three 3-ounce  Chicken of the Sea cans sell for $7.66.  I haven't bought a can of tuna anywhere in twenty years, so pardon me for my general ignorance about prices.

Around 2009, companies switched to 5-ounce cans, without lowering the price. Mind you, this has also occurred with cereals, coffee, toilet paper, mayonnaise, chocolate bars, ice cream and other market products.  For tuna, the average small can was once 7 ounces, which gradually dropped to 6, then now 5 ounces.

Good luck trying to determine how many ounces of actual tuna are in a 5 ounce can.  Companies are very secretive about this.  A decent average, however, is 3.5 ounces of tuna in a 5-ounce can, which is close enough to be a serving.  So to repeat that graphic at the top:

Let's start with weight.  Tuna, 3.5 ounces.  Two boiled eggs?  Two shelled medium eggs weigh around 3.5 ounces, so we are comparing equivalent weights.  In case you were wondering, shelled, the fresh egg weighs the same as a boiled egg.  What does the g stand for in that photo above?

• Note the 35 g below the 3.5 oz for tuna.  But 3.5 ounces equal 99.2 grams, so I'm not sure about that g.
• What then does g represent for all the other numbers?

But, maybe no big deal because we are comparing egg with tuna, and only the relative numbers mean anything.

• So you get 2.7 times more calories from two boiled eggs than one five-ounce can of tuna.  This is a surprise for me.  I personally think tuna in olive oil takes better, but the oil adds calories.  All these analyses used tuna in water.

• 
  Infinitely more carbohydrates in egg than tuna.  But I guess tuna has no carbohydrates.
• About the same amount of protein.
• Eggs have 25 times more fat than tuna.

I then consulted Souper Sage, which said:

• Canned tuna has 75% LESS saturated fat than egg.
• Tuna provides potassium, while egg has calcium.
• Egg has more vitamins, including D and A, but tuna has more niacin.
• Tuna has a lot more omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, DPA and EPA).
• Egg has around 0.36 grams of sugar, while tuna has almost none.
• Here is a huge discrepancy regarding calories:
• Egg has 143 calories per gram, while for the same weight, canned tuna has 128 calories.  
• This is close to being the same, NOT the 2.7 times more the above indicates about egg.
• Egg does have much heavier fat than tuna:
• Egg  has a macronutrient ratio of 36:2:62.
• Tuna is at 78:0:22.
• Those three numbers stand for protein:carbohydrates:fat from calories.
• So how do the numbers above explain the discrepancy in calories?  I guess the graphic above mistakenly used the fat ratio instead of actual calories, for 62 divided by 22 results in 28, which is close to the calculated 25.
• Thus, the TWO EGGS HAVE ONLY A FEW CALORIES MORE THAN A 5-OUNCE CAN OF TUNA!!!

I then went to a third source, FoodStruct

• Tuna is higher in Vitamin B12, A, B3, B1 and B6, plus more selenium and phosphorus.
• Egg is richer in copper and Vitamin B2.
• Tuna has less cholesterol.
• Egg has twice the amount of monounsaturated fat than tuna.

What about cost?  One can of tuna can be bought for about a dollar.  Amazon sells eggs from $3.69 to $8.39/dozen.  If eggs average $6/dozen, two eggs cost about a dollar.  However, I suspect you can find eggs in your market for $4/dozen, or less than a a buck for two boiled eggs.  And a can of tuna in a local market must cost more than $1.  So eggs should be cheaper, but not by that much.  However, for most, tuna might well have the overall edge because of value.  As they are so close, combine both to make your diet more palatable.

Spring is coming soon, and some flowers are already in bloom in my apartment, with more to come.  You can hardly see the first one, but my tiny cactus apparently has a purple flower.

I've had this plumeria plant for four years, and this will be the first blossoming. 

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