Easy Tuna Salad Recipe

Here’s a quick and easy heart healthy, stroke preventing recipe.  But first, let me explain why this tuna salad (or salmon) recipe is so important.

Women and Stroke Risk

Sadly, women are having more strokes than men according to the American Heart Association – 3.8 million women vs. 3.2 million men.  1 in 5 women have a stroke.  Ladies, this is NOT a place where we want equality!  Worse, more strokes are killing women than men now too.  Luckily, you’re reading this recipe from a two-time stroke survivor (although again, not the badge of honor I’d like to wear, but, better than the alternative!).

Diet and Stroke

The Nurses Health Study showed the average American diet increases our risk for stroke by 58%.  Yes, you read that correctly – 58% increase just from eating the wrong foods.  And, this is a study that started in 1976 and has continued into it’s third generation with over 280,000 participants.  This isn’t some weird one-off, paid for by a sponsor, small study.  So, we need to be paying attention to the results!

Here’s the good news . . . the study also showed that by adding the right foods you can decrease your risk by 30%.  Yes, you read that correctly too – 30% decrease by eating the right foods!  Hopefully you’re really paying attention now, ‘cuz that’s a big swing in your potential health.

Use this quick and easy tuna salad recipe to make your heart healthier and reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke!

Tuna or Salmon

Use whichever one you like.   If you find a great sale on canned tuna or canned salmon, stock up!  Both are high in Omega-3 fatty acid which reduce inflammation.   Both have been shown to decrease blood clots.

If it’s within your budget, purchase wild tuna or wild salmon because there’s some serious issues with genetically modified salmon (read more here and here).  Farmed fish may very well prove to be terrible nutritional choice (read more here).  First, farmed salmon has been shown to be five times more toxic and mice fed farmed salmon developed obesity and diabetes.  Second, due to the cramped nature of farming fish pesticides and antibiotics are used.  Plus, there’s been some serious health issues with the pellet food the fish are fed which contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).

I’ll be honest, I don’t really understand how a chemical the United States banned production of in 1977, according to the Center for Disease Control, is showing up in farmed salmon at levels eight times higher than in wild salmon but my health isn’t worth the risk.  And yours should be either.  The final, bottom line, is that farmed salmon just isn’t as nutritious as wild salmon.  Farmed salmon has 5.5 times more Omega-6 than wild salmon.  This isn’t good . . . we get enough Omega-6 in our diets; it’s the Omega-3 we want to increase.

Back to the Tuna Salad Recipe

Add a touch of plain yogurt for a hit of potassium which will provide a counter to your sodium level.  Mix all the ingredients up and place on a bed of organic spinach.  Spinach is such a nutritional powerhouse!  To understand just how amazing spinach is, watch this video.  Spinach is a great source for magnesium and studies show that for every 100 milligrams of magnesium you add to your diet you decrease your risk of stroke by 9%.  So add more spinach, white beans, avocado . . . they’re all great sources of magnesium and fabulous with this recipe.

Don’t forget anti-oxidant rich tomatoes (I like the cherry or grape tomatoes halved).  These decrease blood pressure and the risk of stroke.

So, off to the kitchen for a quick and easy heart healthy, stroke preventing tuna recipe . . . hope you enjoy it!

 

Tuna or Salmon Salad

Ingredients:
 1 can (6 oz) chunk light tuna or salmon in water, no salt added
 2 Tbsp plain, unsweetened yogurt
 2 tsp Dijon mustard
 2 stalks celery, diced
 ½ cup red onion, diced
 2 cups organic baby spinach leaves
 4 Tbsp white beans
 ½ avocado, diced
 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
 Pinch paprika, smoked is best (optional)

Directions:
1. Dice onion and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
2. Mix first five ingredients together.
3. Place baby spinach leaves on two plates. Top with white beans.
4. Scoop tuna mix on top spinach and white beans.
5. Place ½ of avocado and 10 cherry halves on each plate.
6. Sprinkle with a pinch of paprika.

Serves 2

 

Tuna Salad Video

If you’re more of a visual person, here’s the tuna recipe being made on Portland, Oregon’s AM NW.  Plus the bonus of a heart healthy homemade trail mix recipe.