Is one of these meals clearly healthier than the other? Or are they relatively close in terms of how good they are for you?
Depends on the preparation.
Tuna prepared with olive oil, piled with spinach, tomato, onion, and avocado on (actually) whole grain bread
or
Tuna with a 1/2 cup of mayo on white bread
vs
wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce
or
Green lentil spaghetti and tomato sauce with zucchini, mushrooms, and eggplant
Big difference!
Clearly, there are a lot of variables that need to be taken into consideration, such as bread and pasta type, meat or vegetable content, mayonnaise or other as a binder….
My first thought jumped to the tuna sandwich though, seems like a better choice in my mind.
Definitely tuna sandwich. Pasta is mostly empty calories, Low quality protein and simple carbs. Depending what type of bread you use for the sandwich will make the difference of simple or complex carbs and fiber content . But for sure tuna due to the high level and quality of protein and all the vitamins and minerals the fish has .
Both, and Neither. It really depends on your body, and what nutrients it is requiring at the time of the meal, your digestion, intolerances, preferences…
“Healthy” is not a cut and dry term unfortunately. There are a lot of nuances involved.
Benefits? Are you trying to put on weight or consume calories? Or are you aiming towards the regular/typical daily calorie consumption? Lots of variables. Lifting weights four nights a week after a full day on your feet working construction you may want the pasta. Working at a desk all day ? Not hitting the gym? Then cost as well I imagine relatively the tuna sandwich would probably be a much cheaper option. And again it depends on what you prefer as a pasta or sandwich. Just curious. So many variables.
You could have spaghetti with protein pasta and a sauce full of fresh vegetables. You could have a tuna sandwich that’s 90% mayo and on cheap, rubbery bread. And vice versa.
Look at the calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients of the meal.
In general, protein, fibre, nutrients good. But you do still need some carbs, fat, salt, etc. Depends on your goals as well - are you gaining, losing weight? Neither? Trying to improve health conditions?
cant really make a distinction there. healthy is subjective and changes based upon ones needs and the variables in the meal. Take that with a grain of salt though because when it comes to certain things i think its fair to call one generally healthier, for example i wouldnt be afraid in saying that a blueberry is healthier than a jolly rancher. but there isnt enough of a difference between the two to make that kind of distinction.
Food quality is probably key. People are far too fixed on stuff that doesn’t matter.
But Spagh ball by far is the superior dish, especially for flavour.
White pasta (contry to narrow-minded “muh fibre” mentality) has the same fibre content as brown rice. Perfectly healthy. Clean starch.
Beef, higher in B vitamin, protein, no pollution concerns, essentially fatty acid profile is decent, bioavailable iron, list goes on. God’s gift.
Sauce, tomatoes are alright, can be a problem for many, decent vitamin C source. Only concern is quality, try to get one with little to no extra stuff, or make your own.
Extras: mushrooms for minerals, onions for minerals, garlic has heart health and immune properties, oregano is has some good anti microbiol and general health stuffs. If you add cheese, B vitamins, protein, minerals.
It’s a complete dish.