Gastronomy

World Tuna Day and the risks of its innumerable nutritional qualities

Tuna is one of the fish that even the least fish lovers like the most. Its smooth, lean meat makes it a delicious food that also has many benefits and properties. It has been feeding us for centuries, we even find cave paintings that refer to tuna fishing. But unfortunately, its consumption is increasing every year in an unsustainable way. That is why the United Nations decided to create in 2016 the World Tuna Day, which is celebrated every May 2. To highlight the benefits of this food, while raising awareness about its massive fishing and calling for responsible consumption to prevent the disappearance of this incredible fish.

Tuna is not only food, it is a magnificent animal that, despite having very few predators in the wild, we are endangering it due to its high consumption.

Did you know that…

Although it has not yet been proven, it is believed that tuna can develop and transmit knowledge, such as predator avoidance techniques.

Tuna, an endangered fish thanks to its high benefits

Although all fish are very healthy and are a great source of vitamins and minerals, tuna stands out from many of them. Although there are many benefits and properties of tuna, we are going to see them briefly:

Tuna is a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids, essential to maintain good health. It is also rich in phosphorus, magnesium, iron, iodine… In addition to different vitamins. All this means that tuna has a high protein value. It also helps us to protect the heart and reduce blood pressure.

Another advantage of consuming tuna is that it delays or reduces the risk of suffering cognitive deterioration.

And finally, tuna is a great food for slimming diets. Because, in addition to having very few calories, it is a very satiating fish.

World Tuna Day

Because it is a highly appreciated food due to its high nutritional value, its demand and consumption is increasing. This makes it essential to maintain a responsible consumption to prevent its disappearance.

That is why on December 7, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly decided to establish May 2 as World Tuna Day. The purpose of this day is to highlight the need for sustainable fisheries management and thus avoid the risk of reducing the tuna population.

Tuna fishing has grown enormously, from 0.6 million tons in 1950 to over 6 million tons in demand today. This has caused more than 30% of the main tuna species to be exploited at unsustainable levels. This would lead to their complete disappearance.

So, how to celebrate Tuna Day?

It is true that this does not mean completely eliminating tuna from our diet. Simply by maintaining a sustainable consumption, varying with other foods, and above all avoiding its overexploitation, we can greatly improve the state of these magnificent animals.

Because although it is a very healthy food, excessive consumption also has dangers and contraindications. Because due to their size and age, they are a fish with high amounts of mercury. A metal that is toxic in large quantities. That is why it is not recommended to consume more than two servings of tuna a week. However, given the great variety of blue fish we have, we can perfectly substitute it for many other very healthy fish and avoid excessive consumption of tuna.

If you also want to celebrate this day, or raise awareness about its consumption, use the hashtag #WorldTunaDay to tell us your ideas.

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