Sister Erin and I have a running ‘thing’ going. She loves sardines and I… avoid them. So, she’s decided to provide me a copy of every bit of ‘sardine’ info she can find. And some turn into posts like today’s, about what happens when you eat sardines every day for a week…
I can sum up my feelings about sardines by paraphrasing Marvin, the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy: “Sardines: Loathe them or despise them, you can’t get away from them!”
Not if you live at my house, anyway. Erin – dear, sweet Erin – just passed me a post by an intrepid online food explorer who ate sardines every day for a week – and lived to tell her tale.
The premise
Meaghan Cameron prefaces her dietary travelogue with some cogent comments. “Let’s get one thing out of the way, here: Sardines are not the most beautiful food in the world” she begins. “However, it’s worth trying not to judge them based on appearances.” I would add, trying not to judge them based on flavour would also be a good – if much more difficult – thing. But Cameron has more to say about that further on…
She also makes it clear that her week-long quest is an altruistic endeavour. She told herself: “Adding a serving of sardines into my day fits perfectly with my current Diet. […] I’ve been on a low-carb kick […] and have made an effort to add vitamin D without the use of supplements.”
Benefits
As we’ve discussed in previous posts in this space, sardines are a superfood. They deliver more vitamin D and calcium than a glass of milk, and pump you full of omega-3 fatty acids. In the retinue follow a host of other essential vitamins and minerals.
Sardines have been proven to help fight type 2 diabetes and broader systemic inflammation. And they have powerful antioxidant properties.
Drawbacks
The first thing Cameron worried about was heavy metal contamination. How much sardine was safe to eat? She admits she had fish like tuna and mackerel in the back of her mind, both of which are on the ‘avoid’ list due mercury content. But studies she found surprised, placing sardines on the ‘recommended fish’ list.
Like tuna, sardines are free-swimming sea fish. But unlike tuna, they are harvested relatively young, and don’t swim around for years, storing up heavy metals. Arsenic was also a concern in safety studies. Sardines do contain significant but not huge amounts of that potentially deadly substance.
The prevailing wisdom is, don’t eat more than one standard can per day. Appearance and flavour were obvious barriers to ‘full enjoyment’. But Cameron tried a number of different ‘flavours’ of sardines – different brands and different sauces – and eventually found one she could live with.
The overall experience
Cameron says that – overall – her can-a-day-for-a-week sardine experience was positive. Feeling ‘fuller’ She recalls… “I didn’t observe any immediate benefits. But I gradually realized that I would eat my next meal or snack much later than usual.”
Makes sense to me. Sardines are, above all else, concentrated protein. And a load of protein in your stomach triggers your body’s satiety, or fullness response. Feeling full longer is a great asset if you’re trying to control your total Calorie intake!
More alert?
“By the third day, I noticed I felt more alert. […] Considering the high vitamin D content of sardines, these little fish could have played a role.”
Indeed! One 3 oz. / 85 g can of sardines can provide as much as 70 percent of your daily recommended vitamin D requirement. And Cameron notes that vitamin D is not only a cognizance booster; it also helps lift depression. Which is why it’s so important in the short days of late fall, winter and early spring.
A surprising development…
“Around the fourth day, I started to get used to the funkiness of the fish.” Surprise! Cameron admits she came to like the lightly smoked ones. With a squeeze of lemon. She even recommends them as a topping for avocado toast…
My take
There many more good things happening when you eat a superfood like sardines than you’re consciously aware of. And that’s the secret to why they’re so good for you.
As for replicating Cameron’s ‘study’… I’ll pass. But Erin says she might just give it a try!
~ Maggie J.