Tuna and Egg Diet: What You Need to Know

This eating plan is considered a fad diet. Fad diets often promote quick weight loss that is unsustainable and may severely restrict what you eat. They may be harmful and generally do not have long-lasting health benefits. Talk to your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before making any major changes to how you eat.

The tuna and egg diet centers on two high-protein ingredients — tuna and eggs — as the foundation of most meals.

Proponents say this high-protein diet helps you feel fuller for longer, supports muscle growth, and may aid in weight loss, especially because both foods are low in calories and fat.

But while tuna and eggs certainly have their health benefits, there is no research supporting the effectiveness of this diet.

Additionally, the diet is severely restricted and limits your intake of other important food groups, which can make it challenging to follow beyond a few days or weeks.

How Does the Tuna and Egg Diet Claim to Work?

The tuna and egg diet is not a formal plan. It’s a combination of diets, like the boiled egg diet, tuna diet, and military diet, all of which focus meals around eggs or canned tuna, low-carb vegetables, and lean proteins like skinless chicken. Sometimes fruit is also allowed.

This diet is based on the idea that eating more protein and fewer overall calories will help you lose weight.

What Can You Eat on the Tuna and Egg Diet?

On this plan, most of your meals revolve around — yup! — tuna and eggs, with small amounts of other foods added to provide some variety.

Foods to Include

• Fresh, frozen, or canned tuna in water or oil
• Eggs (boiled, poached, baked, or scrambled with minimal added fat)
• Nonstarchy vegetables, such as leafy greens, green beans, broccoli, and carrots
• Small amounts of healthy fats, such as peanut butter
• Fruits, including bananas, apples, and grapefruit
• Small portions of cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, or vanilla ice cream
• Black coffee or unsweetened tea

Foods to Avoid

• Processed foods high in sugar or refined grains
• Fried foods cooked in butter or trans fats
• High-calorie condiments, such as full-fat mayonnaise, creamy sauces, and cream for coffee
• Sugary drinks and alcohol
• Most high-carb foods, such as pasta, rice, potatoes, depending on the version of the diet

Potential Benefits of the Tuna and Egg Diet

While the tuna and egg diet is highly restrictive, it offers certain short-term benefits linked to its high-protein, nutrient-dense foods and emphasis on whole, minimally processed ingredients.

• Satiety, Leading to Eating Fewer Calories The high protein found in the tuna and egg diet may help with satiety, reducing your overall calories. One study found that people who ate eggs and toast for breakfast over cereal and orange juice felt fuller for longer, eating fewer calories at lunchtime.

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• Nutrient Density Both tuna and eggs are nutritional powerhouses, providing a healthy source of protein. Eggs are rich in choline, folate, vitamin D, iodine, and B vitamins.

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   Tuna is also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and B2, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, magnesium, selenium, potassium, taurine, and iodine.

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• Less Reliance on High-Calorie, Processed Foods The tuna and egg diet focuses on whole foods — eggs, tuna, leafy greens, and fruits — and insists against ultra-processed foods. Eating plenty of whole and minimally processed foods is a great strategy for keeping your heart, and the rest of your body, in good shape.

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Potential Risks of the Tuna and Egg Diet

Despite these potential advantages, the diet’s focus on calorie restriction and a limited variety of “approved” foods raise concerns about its safety, sustainability, and long-term impact on health.

• Nutrient Deficiencies Many high-protein diets, such as the tuna and egg diet, are highly restrictive, limiting complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and certain fruits and vegetables, as well as the fiber, vitamins, and minerals they provide. This can cause a number of problems, such as headache and constipation.

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• Too Few Calories for Daily Needs Diets like the tuna and egg diet are incredibly low in calories, prescribing about 1,100 to 1,400 calories per day.

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   However, to maintain healthy energy levels, adult women need around 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, and adult men need about 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day.

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• Unsustainable Weight Loss Weight loss from the tuna and egg diet comes from its “extreme caloric reduction and rigid eating patterns,” which are unsustainable in the long run. This kind of weight loss is typically water weight, especially when measured in the short term.

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   That’s why people who tend to take this route end up regaining the weight they lost once they complete the diet.
• Mercury Exposure Tuna is a healthy, lean fish, but it contains the heavy metal mercury. While it’s fine to eat two to three servings of canned light tuna per week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends eating a variety of fish instead, including canned salmon and sardines, frozen fish, and fresh fish. If you prefer albacore tuna, also known as white tuna, limit this to one serving per week with no other fish that week. Albacore tuna contains three times more mercury than canned light tuna.

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   Mercury poisoning has been tied to damage to the heart, kidneys, and nervous system.

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• High Cholesterol Levels A single egg contains 237 milligrams of cholesterol, almost as much as a 12-ounce beef burger.

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   While most people can safely consume up to seven eggs per week without increasing the risk of heart disease, people living with diabetes or heart disease should be mindful of how many eggs they’re eating, how they’re prepared, and any other cholesterol consumption in their diets.

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• Potential Kidney Strain Another risk of high-protein diets may be strain on the kidneys, especially for people with or at risk of impaired kidney function. This is because the organ overworks to break down the waste products of protein.

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• Decreased Bone Health Many sulphur amino acids, mainly from animal protein, can lead to increased acidity, which may be detrimental for bone health in the long term.

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• Social Isolation The strict food rules can make dining out or social meals challenging.

Is the Tuna and Egg Diet Right for You?

While tuna and eggs can be part of a healthy, balanced diet, relying on them almost exclusively can lead to nutrient gaps and may not be sustainable.

Speak with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before starting any restrictive eating plan.

The Takeaway

• The tuna and egg diet may cause short-term weight loss, but it’s not a balanced or sustainable approach for the long run.
• It’s a protein-forward diet, but it’s restrictive, leading to nutrient deficiencies, including in complex carbohydrates, fiber, healthy fats, and vitamins, if followed for too long. At just 1,100 to 1,400 calories per day, it doesn’t provide enough calories to maintain healthy energy levels.
• Tuna and eggs can be healthy when eaten as part of a varied, balanced diet — not as the only staples.