The Philippine Daily Inquirer published an article last week about the tuna consumption during the Olympics in Beijing. According to them, Century Tuna, the leading Philippine canned tuna brand, was the product chosen to be used for the athletes’ food preparation, reaching over 140 kilos of consumption a day.

It was no surprise that Century Tuna was the brand of choice considering that one of the seven senior chefs selected by the International Olympic Committee was Ryan Jaranilla, natural from Lloilo City, central area of the Philippines.

“Being a Filipino, he made it a point to give each of his culinary creations a Pinoy (people originally from the Philippines) flavor. He created the Philippine mango crème brûlée, Pinoy garlic rice, adobo and vegetarian pancit. Jaranilla thought of including tuna as a main ingredient in his recipes because its high protein and healthy nature made it ideal for athletes”, the article concluded.

The demand for tuna dishes was so high among the athletes that an extra order had to be made and air freighted from General Santos directly to Beijing.

The reason for such popularity can be attributed to the low-fat and high protein content in tuna, in addition to its omega 3 docosahexaenoic acid-essential fatty acids that boost mental focus, memory function and even promote emotional balance.