Mediterranean Tuna Salad
For an interesting twist on the traditional
tuna salad try this Mediterranean Tuna
Salad recipe. Stuff it in a pita with shredded
lettuce for lunch on the go.
TUna
Ingredients:
by Mary Snell, Director of Nutrition and Wellness
1 (12 ounce) can tuna in water, drained
and flaked into large chunks
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
Americans are eating
more fish than ever and
that’s a good thing. The
pouches. Pouches filled with
fish and no added liquid are
a popular convenience item.
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
American Heart Association
recommends eating fish at
least twice a week because
it’s a good source of protein,
vitamins B6 and B12, and
is low in saturated fat. In
addition, tuna just like salmon,
contains omega-3 fats which
may reduce the risk of heart
disease.
Besides fresh and frozen,
many kinds of tuna are
available in cans, glass jars or
Mix with low fat mayonnaise,
chopped pickles and onions
and spread between two slices
of whole wheat bread for a
quick healthy meal.
1 T olive oil
Canned tuna is packed in
water, broth, olive oil or canola
oil. Other ingredients such as
salt may be added so be sure
to read the label. If you want
to reduce calories and fat, buy
water packed tuna instead of
2 T coarsely chopped pitted
kalamata olives
2 ½ T fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 large tomatoes, sliced
Directions:
Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium
bowl. Add lemon juice and next 3
ingredients; toss gently to combine. Serve
salad over tomatoes or stuff in a pita.
Nutrition information (1 cup tuna salad):
Calories 203, Fat 8 g, Carbohydrates 9 g,
Protein 25 g, Fiber 2.3 g, Sodium 593 mg
tuna packed in oil. Another
added bonus to water packed
tuna is that it delivers more
omega-3 fats than oil packed
tuna. Since omega-3’s are
oils, they don’t disperse when
the fish is packed in water,
and draining the water allows
most of these beneficial fats
to remain in the fish. Tuna
packed in oil provides an
environment where the fish’s
natural oils intermingle with the
packing oil, so when the liquid
is drained off, some of the
omega-3’s are lost.