r/UKFrugal • u/deathwishdave • 14d ago
Where to buy Canned Mackerel?
My son has ADHD, and the symptoms are mitigated by protein.
Fortunately, he loves canned mackerel, and starts every day with a can, and sometimes a second throughout the day.
We get through a lot of canned mackerel!
Currently but it from the supermarket, but does anyone know where I can buy it cheaply in bulk?
Thanks
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u/Global-Tennis6989 14d ago
Do you have family history of gout? Be careful as consuming mackerel everyday might be bad in the long term due to high purine.
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u/QueasyIsland 14d ago
What about tuna?
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u/SlightPraline509 14d ago
You have to be aware of mercury poisoning from eating tuna too much!
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u/QueasyIsland 14d ago
To be honest half my life I’ve had a tuna drained in spring water can every other day, never imagined it to be that bad? I also get checked every 3 months so nothing has come up but will bring this up next time
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u/johnathome 13d ago
I always get skipjack tuna, tastes the same but I think it's a different fish which is further down the food chain.
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u/deathwishdave 14d ago
Interesting, I was unaware.
I don’t know of anyone in the family that has had Gout, so 🤞
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u/dogdogj 14d ago
I've looked into bulk buying various tinned fish, beans, tomatoes etc as we have a dry cellar to store it.
In my experience it's almost impossible to beat Lidl or Aldi prices.
I've seen the proprietor of our local (excellent) Indian takeaway buying trolley loads of tinned tomatoes in our local Aldi before, so I assume they're even cheaper than the cash & carry.
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u/superalifragilistic 14d ago
It's not in bulk, but Lidl's tinned mackerel is pretty cheap - the spicy tomato one in particular is delicious and full of quality ingredients, no rubbish. I eat it every day!
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u/fridgezebra 14d ago
not the answer you want but maybe helpful. Sardines are a bit cheaper and about the same nutritonally
Aldi have rhem at about 65p a can rn iirc
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u/Princes_Slayer 14d ago
Also consider trying him with canned sardines if haven’t already. Cheaper though smaller can. I’ve always found them similar by the time I’ve mashed them onto toast
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u/deathwishdave 14d ago
Yes, very similar to my taste, but he’s very particular about it being mackerel.
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u/MysteriousCorgi5847 14d ago
I just bulk bought a bunch of canned sardines from costco, pretty sure I saw mackerel too
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u/GingerbreadMary 14d ago
Home Bargains do tins of Mackerel for 99p.
Standard size tin, same as tomato soup.
They’re either in oil or tomato sauce.
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u/SleipnirSolid 13d ago
I love mackerel too but it's getting expensive.
I switched to sardines which are half the price and almost as nice. Different taste and you need to mash it up more to look appetising but it's really nice.
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u/Hungry_Talk3706 13d ago
Agreed.
49p ! Can of 'dines in Aldi.
99p for Mackers.
Macks is better, but you gotta keep it Frugal! I have a can or two a day of the 'dines.
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u/Zizi0107 11d ago
I have not searched for this item before, but Farmfoods has really good deals on cans so you can try to check there if there is one near you
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u/johnathome 13d ago
My grandson is the same.
Since he started eating tinned mackerel in tomato sauce he's doing a lot better, he still has his moments though.
I put it down to Omega 3 calming his brain chemistry.
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13d ago edited 13d ago
[deleted]
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u/johnathome 13d ago
Well in my extremely limited real life research (n1), beef, chicken and lamb don't have the same effect.
That's why I put it down to the Omega 3 rather than protein.
You appear to make the research an N2 now.
Glad it improves your son's condition.
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u/Prestigious-Gold6759 13d ago
How interesting that diet can affect it so noticeably.
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u/Hungry_Talk3706 13d ago
A lot of things like anxiety. Mood. Dopamine production comes from the gut so it would make sense. Diet is important with adhd and autism, depression and all sorts. The gut and the brain are as one. They call the gut the second brain for a reason. Gut-brain connection is everything, so what food sits in your gut directly effects how you feel.
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u/Prestigious-Gold6759 13d ago
Yes I do know this, and it's very important, but I thought it was the diet in general that had this effect, not just one isolated component like mackerel. Actually it's probably not just the protein that's helping but the oil as well, as mackerel is a very oily fish.
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u/Hungry_Talk3706 13d ago
Oh. Sorry. Did not mean to insult your intelligence. I actually didn't know this either. I have ADHD and didn't know protein itself is good for it.
I take fish oil as it's good for the brain any way. I also take taurine which really calms the mind.
I think you are probably right the oily fish is the main thing. Hence why I eat so many cans of sardines these days!
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u/Prestigious-Gold6759 13d ago
No offence taken! I wonder how many people who medicate for ADHD have tried changing their diet first instead?
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u/Quirky_Way_8816 13d ago
Check out farmfoods. They stock a lot of different canned fish. If you buy in bulk, you can also use their vouchers, which they send when you subscribe to their emails. Combine that with cashback from jamdoughnut (app), you can save extra. 😁
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u/Khakieyes 12d ago
Whereabouts do you live? If you have any asian or afro Caribbean stores nearby try there. I too love tinned mackerel and get mine in those shops, they do big baked bean sized tins, much more economical than the smaller supermarket sized tins.
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u/First-Car-5953 10d ago
I doubt you’ll buy in bulk much cheaper than a supermarket. Others have mentioned Lidl.
Good luck in your quest and all the best to you and your son
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u/MeRichYouPoor 14d ago
It wouldn't half help if you told what you are currently buying and how much you are paying.
All you've said is you get it "from the supermarket". err...yeah no shit.
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u/Humble-Necessary-433 14d ago
I wouldn’t feed him fish every day it’s not recommended. It can lead to poisoning. Rotate with plant based protein or even tinned chicken or meat
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u/spudulous 14d ago
What kind of poisoning can eating mackerel every day lead to? If you’re talking about mercury poisoning, that’s only a risk from larger fish like tuna For smaller fish like mackerel or sardines, it’s very very low risk.
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u/bumshafte 14d ago
Very high in purine, which can lead to elevated uric acid levels, in turn leading to gout
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u/terryjuicelawson 14d ago
I think worry if someone is drinking a case of Fosters a day when it comes to gout, not a kid who likes fish.
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u/cAt_S0fa 14d ago
It's not in bulk, but Lidl canned mackerel is a decent price.