WHAT'S THE HEALTHIEST CHOICE IN THE CANNED TUNA AISLE?

The diversity in tuna options is enough to make your head swim. There's 'chunk, solid, pouch, can... heck, even subtle details, like light versus white, can be nutritionally significant, says Brian St. Pierre, C.S.C.S., a sports nutrition consultant based in Maine. Albacore, or white tuna, delivers more than three times the omega-3s of skipjack, or light tuna. But because albacore are typically larger, they also have higher mercury levels. So balance risk and reward, and eat only one 6-ounce serving of albacore a week. (You can have 12 ounces of skipjack a week.) To limit your exposure to BPA, a harmful chemical in the linings of cans, check the label for the words "BPA-free" or opt for plastic pouches. See our favorite catches.

BEST IN WATER AND BEST IN OIL

Wild Planet Wild Albacore
This albacore packed in its own natural juices delivers 1,340 milligrams of DHA/EPA omega-3s in a 2-ounce serving. The oil version has a less intense taste, and the extra-virgin olive oil from Spain adds a dose of heart-healthy monoun-saturated fats. Because Wild Planet catches small albacore, it says its tuna has less than half the mercury of other albacore brands, so you can eat it more often.
120 calories in water, 190 in oil; $30 for six cons, wildplanetfoods.com

BEST GOURMET

Ortiz Bonito del Norte tuna in olive oil
Cooked once instead of twice like most brands, this Spanish albacore has a mellow taste. Add it to pasta with a little of its oil.
160 calories, $17, latienda.com

BEST FLAVOR

Island Trailers Albacore with jalapeno
Caught off the coast of Washington and packed in BPA-free cans, it has a clean taste with a fiery kick.
110 calories, $75 for 12 cans, islandtrollers.com

BEST ON-THE-GO

StarKist Flavor Fresh chunk light in water
A three-time MH 125 Best Foods taste-test winner, this tuna comes in an easy-open, no mess, BPA-free pouch.
80 calories per 2.6 ounces. $1.50, starkist.com

All nutritional data is for 2 ounces unless noted.

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