Cranberry & Tarragon Tuna Salad Recipe

August 16, 2017

If you follow me on Instagram, you will see there's no shortage of "salady" type meals. Egg salad, chicken salad, and tuna salads make up a large group of my go-to's. These proteins can be diced, shredded, and chopped as fine as you need for easier chewing and digesting. 

For weight loss surgery patients, tuna is an excellent source of protein. Besides the convenient portions it comes in, it's easy to make it into manageable sized bites due to it's "flaking" ability. When speaking about the protein content in tuna, as little as 3 ounces will give you 21 grams, as well as other valuable micronutrients such as Selenium. This is a trace mineral that helps protect against oxidative stress, supports thyroid function, and can help boost immunity.

As a bariatric patient or someone that's contemplating weight loss surgery, I would urge you to learn about the importance of B vitamins in supporting your neurological health, this is a deficiency that is unfortunately common but completely preventable! Tuna is very high in B12, B6, and B3.

Obviously, this doesn't mean that you ditch your vitamins because, with our limited capacity and ability to absorb, we cannot rely on those nutritional benefits from the tuna alone. However, tuna along with your supplementation serves as an excellent, easy, and affordable protein to incorporate into your bariatric diet. I hope that this tuna salad makes it into your meal rotation and that you learned a little about how it can give you nutritional support as well!

I hope you enjoy this delicious Cranberry & Tarragon Tuna Salad Recipe, it is one of my favorites so I wanted to share it with you!

Cranberry & Tarragon Tuna Salad Recipe

Makes 10 servings of a 2-ounce serving

Ingredients

• 2 cans of tuna
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons dried tarragon
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used about 3/4 cup, I like more mayo in mine)
• 1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Drain both cans of tuna and place into a mixing bowl. With a fork "flake" apart from the tuna.
2. Add the mayonnaise, cranberries, diced onions, tarragon, and S&P to the tuna.
3. Mix well and adjust the amount of the ingredients to suit your preference.
4. Serve over mixed greens, eat with veggies, romaine leaves, or crackers however you love to eat tuna salad!

Recipe Notes

The amount of mayo, cranberries, onions, and herbs can be decreased or increased to your preference, this is the great thing about these types of salads. For example, if you don't like your tuna with a lot of mayonnaise, start with 1/4 cup and adjust to your liking, the same goes for the onions and cranberries, and always use salt and pepper to taste. The best flavor, in my opinion, comes through after a day in the fridge, the flavors meld together wonderfully!

Nutritional Info Per Serving

Calories 116; Carbohydrates 2 grams; Fat 9 grams; Protein 7 grams

Check out Lori's recipes on ObesityHelp!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lori Newlon, NTP, RN, Bariatric Nurse and founder of The Bariatric Dish. She was able to successfully lose 160 pounds with the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. After struggling through her own dramatic weight loss and the many directly related health complications that accompanied it, she developed a passion for nutrition and healthful cooking (including some tasty treats!) which she uses to help maintain a healthy weight and nutritionally sound lifestyle twelve years after surgery.

Recipe Disclaimer: If you have specific dietary restrictions, allergies or a nutrition plan that you are following, make sure to read the ingredient list prior to consumption. All information on ObesityHelp.com is intended for informational purposes only. The information is not intended to be a replacement or substitute for consultation with a qualified medical professional. Please contact a medical professional with any questions and concerns.

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