Tuna & Greens

How the meals work

• Tuna is on the menu once a day, every day, and never at both meals.
• Most tuna is canned light or skipjack, an FDA/EPA Best Choice. Albacore (white) tuna is limited to one meal per week.
• The other meals rotate salmon, sardines, and chicken. Salmon and sardines are FDA/EPA Best Choices too.
• Greens are at every meal: spinach, kale, romaine, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, zucchini, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and peas.
• Olive oil and avocado most days, plus walnuts or almond butter now and then.
• Beans, lentils, chickpeas, berries, and whole grains show up a few times.
• Most meals take about 15 minutes with a skillet, sheet pan, pot, and knife.

Optional protein shake

An optional protein shake is 1 scoop, 30 g protein or less, with each meal and as a snack. Blend it with water or unsweetened almond milk. You can have one with Meal A, one with Meal B, and one as a daily snack. All of these are optional. Each day names a suggested recipe.

• S1 Green Basic. 1 scoop vanilla or unflavored powder, 1 big handful spinach, 10–12 oz water.
• S2 Berry Green. 1 scoop vanilla powder, ½ cup frozen mixed berries, 1 handful spinach, 10 oz unsweetened almond milk.
• S3 Cucumber-Mint. 1 scoop vanilla or unflavored powder, ½ cucumber, 1 handful spinach, a few mint leaves, a squeeze of lemon, 10 oz water.
• S4 Chocolate-Almond Greens. 1 scoop chocolate powder, 1 handful spinach or kale, 1 Tbsp almond butter, 10 oz unsweetened almond milk.

Choosing a powder: pick one that is third-party tested, such as NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Choice, with little or no added sugar. Check the label so that one serving has 30 g protein or less. No specific brand is needed.

Fish safety

This plan follows the FDA and EPA Advice about Eating Fish (revised October 2021). That advice sorts fish into Best Choices, Good Choices, and Choices to Avoid by mercury level.

Canned light tuna (including skipjack), salmon, and sardines are Best Choices. They make up most of the fish in this plan.

Albacore (white) tuna, canned or fresh, and yellowfin tuna are Good Choices. The chart allows 1 serving a week from this group, so this plan caps albacore at 1 meal per week (October 23 and October 29).

Bigeye tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, and Gulf of Mexico tilefish are Choices to Avoid (highest mercury). They are not in this plan.

Serving guide: about 4 oz, roughly the size of your palm.

The advice says to choose a variety of fish. This plan limits tuna to one meal a day and rotates in salmon, sardines, and chicken.

The chart's serving limits are written mainly for people who are or may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, and for children. This plan uses them as a conservative guide.

Source: U.S. FDA and EPA, Advice about Eating Fish.

Low-sodium tip

Choose canned tuna, salmon, and beans labeled low-sodium or no salt added. Drain and rinse canned beans and water-packed tuna to wash off some of the added salt. Use lemon, garlic, herbs, and black pepper for flavor instead of extra salt. Use soy sauce, olives, and salsa sparingly.