This little fish with silvery blue scales is a nutritional treasure. Not only is it one of the cheapest seafood products, but it is also one of the main pillars of the famous Mediterranean diet whose preventive effects against cardiovascular diseases and cancer have been demonstrated, explains Dr. Laurence Plumey, physician. nutritionist at the Antoine-Béclère de Clamart hospital, whose latest book “How to lose weight happily when you don’t like sport or vegetables” has just been published by Eyrolles.
Why do you recommend eating sardines regularly?
Laurence Plumey. Like all fish, it is a good source of protein, just like meat. Except that those of sardines are more digestible, insofar as they contain little collagen and elastin, which are difficult to digest. A 100g serving of sardines provides around 20g of protein, or 30% of our daily needs. It is certainly less lean than cod, sole or trout because it contains around 10% lipids, like all fatty fish. But its fatty acids are of excellent quality. These are mainly omega-3s, which are beneficial for the health of the heart and arteries. The French consume only 1 g of omega-3 on average per day, or half less than the recommended intake. Eating sardines once or twice a week – and also mackerel, herring or salmon – can partly make up for this deficit.
What are its other virtues?
Sardines are also rich in vitamin D, which facilitates the absorption of calcium and its fixation in the bones. This vitamin also regulates the immune system and helps prevent many cancers. Several recent studies suggest that a sufficient concentration of vitamin D in the blood limits the progression to a severe form of Covid-19. Indeed, it increases the mobilization of immune cells to the site of infection while controlling inflammation, and helps to slow the toxic action of the virus on the functioning of the lungs, kidneys and heart. However, a large part of the population lacks vitamin D due to lack of sunlight, especially in winter.
Hence the interest in betting on sardines which, by themselves, largely cover our daily needs. It also contains significant amounts of vitamin B12, as well as zinc and selenium which slow cell aging by fighting against oxidative stress. Another advantage: as it is caught young and is located at the beginning of the food chain, it carries few toxic heavy metals, such as mercury. It is therefore an ideal fish for everyone, including young children and pregnant women.
Fresh or in a box, is it the same?
From a nutritional standpoint, the two are equal. Canned sardines contain slightly fewer vitamins than fresh raw sardines. But whether the cooking takes place in the factory or in your kitchen, the loss of vitamins is almost the same. In addition, the omega-3 and vitamin D contents of canned sardines are equivalent to those of fresh sardines. And when the sardines have macerated for a long time in their box, their bones are more readily eaten, which considerably increases their calcium content.
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