The Canned Tuna Brand With The Lowest Mercury Levels Is Also Super Affordable

It's a solid source of protein, an easy way to make tuna salad, and pretty convenient to boot. Sure, eating canned tuna might make you feel a little bit like a cat, but there are worse things to be, right? So, what's the drawback for tuna? Well, those high levels of mercury might have something to do with it. This is by no means a problem exclusive to tuna, but it's something you should keep an eye on since mercury — like lead or arsenic — is one of those naturally-occurring elements you have no business putting in your body. 

The phrase "mad as a hatter" came about because hat makers, who used mercury-treated materials back in the day, were susceptible to the ill effects of mercury poisoning. (You don't want to end up like the Mad Hatter, do you?) Luckily, not only is Bumble Bee tuna relatively low in mercury, it's also quite affordable. With that said, though, you should still be careful.

In an analysis of five different popular tuna brands (Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, Safe Catch, and Wild Planet), Bumble Bee contained the lowest levels of mercury. It's safe to eat three 5-ounce cans of Bumble Bee light tuna per week, for reference. When it comes to the brand's albacore option (since albacore tuna are larger, longer-lived fish, they contain more mercury than light tuna), it's safe to eat two 5-ounce cans of Bumble Bee per week.

It's a good thing you can eat more cans of Bumble Bee because it's cheap enough to buy in bulk. A four-pack of Bumble Bee tuna in 5-ounce cans at Walmart comes out to roughly $7, while just one 5-ounce can of Wild Planet tuna (the one with the highest mercury levels, mind you) will run you just under $4 a piece. Coming in at number 6 (out of 13) on our ranking of canned tunas, Bumble Bee tastes quite nice, as well.

Just make sure not to get carried away. While it may seem like the trace amounts of mercury in canned tuna won't harm you, it can build up in your system, causing brain cell death, motor skill issues, and increased risk for heart disease. Children should eat tuna sparingly and avoid albacore. If you're pregnant, you shouldn't eat it at all. As tasty as a good tuna salad sandwich can be, it's not worth the risk for those who may be more vulnerable to the effects. (And if you do buy tuna, don't store it in the pantry — it has nothing to do with mercury, it just tastes better refrigerated when you make it into a salad.)