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Lately, i have been too busy to cook food, so my staple is canned fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, and anchovies, some crab meat) on top of a big salad. I have been eating this for both lunch and dinner because it is fast, and pretty tasty, i love anchovies and sardines! Although I buy good quality canned fish, either in water or olive oil from Whole foods or trader joes with minimal or no other additives, I'm worried that twice a day at 5-6 days a week might be too much due to BPA concerns? What does everyone think?

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 I eat tons of sardines and kippered herrings, too. I'll be interested in what the folks here have to say. Good question. – Rose Jul 15 2011 at 4:17
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 I have just googled BPA - British Pig Association, British Parachute Association, British Parking Association. I don't think canned fish will harm you! – andrew Jul 15 2011 at 6:59
Bid phenol a from canned fish is a new one. I thought that canned tuna consumption was restricted to one can a week due to mercury concerns. For this reason I limit my consumption of this cheap protein. So far the only concern I've had with sardines is the price, and with anchovies the salt. – thhq Jul 15 2011 at 12:16
And I hate this spell checker...bis not bid in bpa. – thhq Jul 15 2011 at 12:18
I had heard max 4 cans tuna a week or major mental issues from the mercury? I restrict myself to 2 max a week if I'm really not into cooking. Haven't tried canned anything else these days but would love another option. (no crab or salmon available here) – Kelly Jul 15 2011 at 19:42

11 Answers

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If you are buying your canned fish at Trader Joe's then you are probably all set. Word is that all their fish is in BPA-free cans.

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Oooh thanks for the link, this is awesome info! – gimmeMoreLiver Jul 15 2011 at 21:06
It's not so cut and dry, apparently. See the extensive second comment under this post from someone who got clarification from a local TJ's manager: inspirationgreen.com/bpa-lined-cans.html – JoeBranca at paleoplusone.com Dec 3 2011 at 0:30
pertinent list (whether this applies to all TJ's is another matter): "The corporate office of Trader Joe's has informed me that out of all the canned fish products they carry in the Cupertino region, these are the canned fish products that DO contain B.P.A. 1.) Trader Joe's Hering. 2.) Trader Joe's Trout with oil and brine. 3.) Trader Joe's Smoked Trout in a can. 4.) Trader Joe's Sardines Boneless and Skinless. 5.) Trader Joe's Tongol Tuna Both Salted and Unsalted. 6.) Trader Joe's canned Crab. 7.) Trader Joe's Sardines in Spring water. 8.) Clam Chowder Soup." – JoeBranca at paleoplusone.com Dec 3 2011 at 0:30
I think I may have asked this question on another canned fish-related thread, but it belongs here too: If the aluminum isn't coated with BPA, won't the aluminum (just as toxic) leech into the food? Or is it coated with something else? – Dan Sep 18 at 20:08
Aluminum is not "just as toxic"! I'd rather take in less of it than more, but it's everywhere and there's got to be some level of adaptation to it - at least the more common and less bioavailable formes. – Harfatum Sep 18 at 21:13
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Crown Prince Kippered Herring, 3.25oz cans, regular and with cracked black pepper, sourced from Canada, are BPA free.

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6 cans of salmon? Bullshit unless you mean the little dinky ones and why would you only eat one kind of fish?

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I can eat 4 tiny cans of fish maybe 6 depending on what I had that day. – fromthericefields Sep 29 at 15:29
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Where can I purchase Kippered Herring? I haven't seen them at Trader Joes or Sprouts. Maybe Whole Foods or Wholesome Choice? I'm in Orange County, CA.

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I see them at Whole foods. – gimmeMoreLiver Apr 12 2012 at 20:41
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anecdote: in my old bodybuilding days I used to eat 6 cans of Salmon per day. Eventually, upon opening up a can: I threw up!...just from the smell. BPA or excessive dose(of fish), or both? You be the judge...

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ouch, dont want to go that far... – fromthericefields Sep 29 at 15:28
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I hope a product recommendation isn't out of line here, given people's concern about BPA lined cans and mercury in tuna: Wild Planet Foods (Figuring if we find a good product, we should share the info)

BPA free cans, low mercury tuna, sustainable fishing methods. Best. Tuna. Ever. Half the time we end up eating it straight out of the can, it's that good. They also have wild salmon, sardines, shrimp, and crab, all of which is excellent. It's not cheap, but reasonable.. we also eat a lot of canned seafood and find it worth it.

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Yes, I do buy the Wild Planet ones but they are much more expensive compared to Trader Joe's brands or other brands! – gimmeMoreLiver Jul 15 2011 at 21:05
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Just stick with skinny fish and you will be fine. The ones that don't live as long and get wide bodied...having more years to absorb mercury.

That said, I was under the impression that canned tuna should be limited for children, adolescents and women of child bearing age because of the mercury but it's ok for old guys like me. Old girls too I'd imagine.

That is only what I've read though, I don't know it for a fact. I still eat a couple of cans of tuna with my home made olive oil mayo each day...it's cheap protein.

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If you're concerned about mercury poisoning, limit your fish consumption to sardines, anchovies and other small fish.

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I also eat fish for two meals per day, usually salmon or trout. Honest, I'm not worried about the cans or even the mercury, but I do worry about oxidative stress. I imagine that my and your PUFA intake quantities are pretty high, which can, no matter how clean or or antiinflammatory the fat, lead to oxidative damage. In order to minimize the oxidative damage potential of PUFAs, we want to keep omega 3 and 6 fats in good balance but also as low a percentage of fat in our diet as possible. I've read that we really only "need" PUFAs to be around 0.4 percent of calories (WAPF link below), and that our intakes shouldn't be all that much higher.

Given that salmon is one of my primary sources of fat, my ratio of PUFA to total fat might be around 8:22 (the ratio of PUFA to total fat in salmon). That's really high. If I eat a lot of salmon, and I do, PUFA probably constitutes a fair percentage of my total calories. 8g/1/2 fillet = 70 calories/1/2 fillet = at least 100/cal/day = 7-10 percent of calories.

About the same calculation applies for sardines.

The best way to "fight" excess PUFA consumption is to eat a diet rich in Arachidonic acid which is a form of omega 6 fat highly concentrated in foods with high cholesterol such as liver and eggs. That still doesn't account for all of it, though. You can also buy canned "meats" such as chicken and pork, so you might want to switch it up with those once in a while.

Here's a WAPF paper on the perils of oxidative stress and excess PUFA: http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/2021-precious-yet-perilous

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So the PUFA concerns you more than the mercury? Does mercury poisoning concern you at all? That's a lot of cans of fish a week. – thhq Jul 15 2011 at 13:48
"The best way to "fight" excess PUFA consumption is to eat a diet rich in Arachidonic acid" Not sure if I follow you here. The best way to fight excess PUFA consumption is to eat a diet rich in PUFA? – Phoenix Jul 15 2011 at 17:56
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 But that's why i eat sardines and anchovies, high in O3, and i try to eat Sardines in water but Sardines in Olive oil taste so good! – gimmeMoreLiver Jul 15 2011 at 21:04
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I prefer to pickle few kiloes cheap small fresh fish myself. Excelent snack on a warm day, or put into a salad. Apple cider vinegar works great. Tastes better than any canned stuff.

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 How do you do this, Jan? It sounds good.... – andrew Jul 15 2011 at 8:57
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 guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/23/… Last time i did it this way. I vary the receipt sometimes with my own spices, sometimes i even put the sugar. Not always. I tried the good eats rollmops receipt as well, that too is good. Smelt is the best fish that i like to pickle. Hard to source here tho, i usually do it with small baltic herring. Trout is fine too. – Jan Jul 15 2011 at 10:21
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You can buy anchovies in a jar. As for sardines, I believe vitalchoice.com has bpa free tins. Also, you can buy salmon in pouches. And you can always buy frozen fish, or fresh fish and freeze it.

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how long do the salmons in pouches last? – born2run012 Sep 19 at 12:38

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