Paleo tuna salad is relatively cheap, super convenient and a great source of protein and omega-3s. However, a lot of times supermarket canned tuna come marked with words like chunky, light, whole and albacore cluttering the labels; finding the healthiest selection can be difficult. Mercury is somewhat of a concern, but it’s generally accepted that you can eat canned tuna six times a month with no impact on your health.

There are some buzzwords you should look for at the grocery store to make sure you’re getting the most nutritious tuna. There’s a lot more literature regarding canned tuna, but these are some basic steps to help guide you to the best choice.
- Look for tuna from small, American fisheries (like American Tuna or Dave’s Gourmet). They fish more sustainably and process their tuna minimally.
- Buy tuna in water, not oil. If you buy tuna canned in oil, when you drain it, many of the natural omega-3s from the fish go with it.
- Buy albacore or white tuna. It usually has higher omega-3 content than “light” tuna. Besides that, you don’t really know what you’re getting with light tuna–it could be a mix of three or four different varieties of tuna. When you buy albacore, you know that albacore tuna is the only fish in that can.
- Check the ingredients for additives and try to find a can that contains just tuna and water.
Ok got it? Cool, let’s make some Paleo tuna salad…
Paleo Tuna Salad
Difficulty: Easy
Time to Prepare: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- Juice of 1 lemon
- one 5-oz. can tuna, drained
- 1 Tbsp. chopped onion
- 1 Tbsp. chopped celery
- 1 Tbsp. shredded carrot
- 1 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups of organic mix greens (or any leafy green you prefer)
Directions
- With a fork, mash the avocado and combine with lemon juice.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients gently.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the organic mix greens onto a large plate or bowl and spoon the mixed tuna onto the greens.
- Enjoy!
Paleo tuna salad would go great after a breakfast that’s a little heavy on the carbs for a Paleoer, since this recipe has a lot of protein and healthy fats, with some carbs (the avocado). Still feeling hungry? Try some cauliflower rice to go with your tuna.
So what makes Paleo Tuna Salad “Paleo?”
- The tuna you picked is Paleo since:
- You bought it from a smaller less industrial company.
- It is either white or albacore tuna.
- It is free of preservatives.
- It would only get more Paleo if you had caught the tuna and cooked it yourself 🙂
- The mayonnaise used in traditional tuna salad is replaced with the avocado.
Tuna isn’t “Paleo” b/c a caveman would have never come in contact with that fish nor have the capacity to capture it.