Hormone Friendly "Tuna" Salad

cause I've been on a Joe and Juice Tunacado bender, but my hormones ain't happy with this mercury

Mhm okay so

about 2 months ago my sister introduced me to the Joe and the Juice Tunacado 🤯

Honestly, it felt like one of the best things I’ve had in a while

the toasted flatbread

the avocado

the pesto

the amazing tuna salad that brought me back to my childhood

and all of a sudden I was rushed back to being 8 years old, and my mom making me tuna melts on bagels in our family kitchen 🥹

so obviously, I got super attached to this tunacado situation

but, I also know that tuna is one of the higher mercury fish we consume

— tuna can have 15 x more mercury than sardines for examples —

and high mercury levels =

• disrupted thyroid function

• brain fog

• poor memory

• irregular cycles

and more

If you want to learn more, I just posted about the impacts of heavy metals like mercury on instagram here.

sooooo we needed to find a solution because I’ve worked too hard on my health, my hormones, my thyroid, etc. to introduce a heavy metal that consistently into my diet

pst. you can also read more about heavy metals in our products here

and so came the “tuna salad” roots to leaves remix

The Ingredients:

Here’s why we love this “tuna salad” spin:

• THE SALMON: unlike tuna, salmon is low in mercury and high in the omega-3 fatty acid, called DHA. This means it is not only a lower source of heavy metals, but a greater source of anti-inflammatory fats. Not only that, but canned salmon also gives you some added calcium (so for my non-dairy girlies, this is a dream). The best part? It honestly tastes SO similar to canned salmon.

• THE YOGURT: instead of mayo, we’re using an unflavored yogurt. I tend to use coconut yogurt since I’m DF, but Greek should work too. And that means we get less inflammatory oils and more probiotics for a gut boost.

• THE HERBS: I load in the herbs here. Dill and parsley are my fav but any will do. People tend to forget how powerful herbs are. They are strong detoxification properties that support our liver and clearance of heavy metals.

What Salmon To Get:

Ideally, we’re looking for wild salmon - wild salmon compared to farm will be higher in the healthy fat DHA, and lower in pesticides and heavy metals. Here are some of my fav brands

• Wild Planet — honestly, my fav

• Scout - also has smoked options

• Fishwives - not wild but I know it is popular and could add a cool flavor to this dish

The Nutritional Breakdown:

Per 1/2 the recipe:

• Protein: 20 g

• Fats: 13 g.

  • DHA: 1000 mg !!! (RDA is like 250 x day)

• Added Sugar: 0 g. (if using unsweetened chocolate chip cookies)

+ 18% of your daily calcium needs and nearly 50% of your daily vitamin K — anyone say bone health ??? 💪

The DHA can go a long way in supporting everything from period cramps to inflamed skin, so we are loving the high omega-3 content that this recipe packs in

Plus, only a few ingredients, one bowl, and ready in literally 5 minutes…

The Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are 😏 )

with that, we’re big on adjusting, so make alterations to your taste preferences

• 2 cans of wild salmon

• Handful of chopped celery (measure with your ♥️ )

• ~1-2 Tbsp coconut yogurt

• 1/4 cup of chopped herbs (I use dill and parsley)

• 1-2 tsp mustard

• 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp olive oil

• Optional add ins: dulse, chopped cucumber, chopped tomatoes, chopped carrots , chopped onions

METHOD:

1. Add drained canned salmon to a bowl

2. Mash with a fork

3. Add in all other ingredients

4. Mix well

erm, that’s it…

store in the fridge and enjoy :)

Tips and Tricks

If you don’t like salmon and just must have tuna

Aim for skipjack or chunk lite, which are lower in mercury. With that, try not to have tuna more than 1 x week.

If you’re not into adding in yogurt

You can keep the mayo then! You won’t need the extra olive oil probably, but I do recommend finding a high quality mayo. Sir Kensington has an avocado oil vegan mayo that ain’t too shabby.

If you’re trying to re-create the Tunacado

Literally take this recipe, add it to 2 slices of toasted whole wheat ciabatta, add on a smear of pesto + sliced avocado. Voila

If you’re not a sandwich gal

I add this onto my salads all the time for a quick and easy protein boost.

Hoping you enjoy this recipe as much as I do - cause I really do.

This recipe is on my Sunday meal prep rotation

It serves as an easy protein option, with little muss and fuss ♥️ while giving you that childhood nostalgia flare we all crave in the Fall.

Written while walking by a Joe and the Juice