Fun with food #1: Tuna

In August I went to a workshop on wellness coaching and consulting (nystrength.com), and we discussed many things, but just like in other of Dr. Jack’s workshops, he throws random facts about foods, always including their health benefits as well. Sometimes I doubt he even realizes he does it. He talks off the cuff well, and it’s said in passing, or at least not as the main point. I always, always star these pearls of wisdom.

That brings us with today’s food: Tuna.

Tuna is a very lean  fish, but do you know why? Fish don’t sleep and have no eyelids, and are constantly moving, even when in “sleep-mode.” How cool is that to know?  That they are so lean because they don’t sleep and are always moving. I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely cocktail party conversation for me.

Also, tuna can swim in anywhere as they thermo-regulate, and eat a wide range of fish, so the taste of the fish differs depending on where it’s caught.  And because they can thermo-regulate and can always stay warm, they don’t need the fat other fish need.

People know about ahi tuna, but do they know what ahi means? It's Hawaiian for "fire," and they dubbed them fire fish because their silver reflections make it look like the water is on fire, and the fish move so quickly when trying to be caught that the wood on the fishing boat is burned by the fishing line.

Another fun fact: white sharks are afraid of them.

Does this excite you the way it does me?

By now it is no secret that there are a plethora of health benefits to eating fish. We hear about omega 3’s all the time, and the fish most often mentioned is salmon. I think the most known about food is walnuts, but salmon for fish. Salmon is wicked great, don’t get me wrong, but where’s the love for tuna?

Just some of the things tuna (and other omega 3 rich foods) helps protect us against: cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, alzheimer’s, cancer, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, insulin  levels, autoimmune diseases. It is also known to have cognitive and mood benefits, and I have read multiple times that it is a good food to eat before cognitive tasks or presentations.

Chef Don Doward was nice enough to provide us with an easy peasy, healthy tuna recipe:

Seared Tuna Steak Florentine

1- 4oz Tuna Steak

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Black and White Sesame Seeds

4oz Fresh Spinach

1.    Place Dressing into sauté pan

2.    Roll sides of tuna into sesame seeds

3.    Heat vinaigrette, place tuna into hot vinaigrette dressing

4.    Cook tuna 2-3 Mins each side. Tuna should be med.rare (red with a warm center)

5.    Place spinach into boiling water for 1 min. just to soften

6.    Drain spinach place on plate and tuna on top.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma