Tell daughter not to go overboard with tuna for lunch
Q. My 25-year-old daughter eats 4 to 5 ounces of canned tuna packed in water every day for lunch, Monday through Friday. Should she be concerned with the mercury in the tuna?
Concerned Mom, e-mail
A. I enjoy eating tuna, too. It offers great protein and is a source of essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA), but doing it every workday is pushing things a bit. Twice a week would be a reasonable upper limit for canned light tuna, and once a week if she is eating canned albacore.
Your tuna-holic daughter should probably be expanding her menu for lunchtime sustenance. The Environmental Protection Agency posts a list of mercury levels in commercial fish and shellfish at tinyurl.com/ysvcf. And the Food and Drug Administration has a "What you need to know" page at www.tinyurl.com/9lxkg.
You also might consider having her investigate one of the brands advertising that their products are lower in mercury, but keep in mind that this is low, not "no," so the advice to rotate foods still makes sense.
Q. My husband and I were told by a nutritionist that all oils turn into trans fat once they are heated to cook. She emphasized "all oils," including olive, canola, sesame, etc. If this is true, then we should not cook with oil at all. She mentioned that oils could be used safely in salads or anything that kept them cool. She suggested we use butter to cook instead of oils. Is this correct?
G.K., San Diego, California.
A. No. The idea that all oils turn into trans fats once heated is incorrect. Please note that anyone can call herself a "nutritionist." It is good that you had a healthy level of skepticism in place.
Q. What is it in asparagus that makes the urine smell? It is now coming into season, and both my husband and I enjoy it, but I always notice a telltale odor the next time I visit the bathroom. I notice it only after eating asparagus. My husband doesn't have the same problem.
G.A. Augusta, Ga.
A. Asparagus, garlic and onions are members of the lily family. These vegetables all have sulfur-containing compounds that can give rise to distinctive odors.
With asparagus, the peculiar odor isn't noticeable in the raw vegetable. Rather, it comes from metabolic byproducts that are eliminated through urine after the asparagus is eaten. While these harmless, yet odorous, compounds are produced in everyone, the ability to perceive the odor is determined by one's genes.
Q. I recently read your column about goji fruit. Three years ago, a Chinese friend in Washington, D.C. (where I lived at the time) introduced me to goji and praised its health benefits. From her garden, she supplied me with fresh goji leaves and suggested that I use them in making tea, in salads, soups, cooked vegetables, etc. I subsequently dried the leaves and made hot tea. In fact, in the summer I would dry a large supply to last through the nongrowing season. Later, I discovered the goji fruit at Whole Foods. Now, in Florida, I am growing my own goji plants. I sincerely believe that goji has many beneficial health properties. I enjoyed your column.
S.A., Jacksonville, Fla.
A. Our country is an amazing melting pot of cultures. I find it wonderful when neighbors share their food traditions. Goji fruit appears to be healthful food and can be enjoyed as such. We have many native fruits and vegetables of equal merit. Thank you for your story.