flabbybones
07-15-2005, 07:17 PM
In my quest for the ultimate healthy diet, I decided to put caution to the wind and try something that would potentially kill my taste buds: Sardines. I found canned Sardines in Walmart (Great Value brand) with no added salt. Ingredients state Sardines and Spring Water. Here's the nutritional breakdown:
Serving size: 1 can drained (95g)
Calories: 190
Total Fat: 12g
Sat Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 75mg
Sodium: 150mg
Carbs: 2g
Sugars: 0
Protein 18g
45% calcium
2% Vitamin C
10% Iron
The box has scary little googly eyed fish things on it that sent chills through my spine. I imagined opening the can to find whole, raw Sardines that would still be twitching as I pinched my nose and swallowed them whole. However, I came to find that these little Sardine guys already had their heads and tails cut off. Even though they still had ugly scales and bones insides of them, they tasted almost exactly like tuna to me. At this point I'm not even sure if it was cooked or raw. It's nothing like what I had expected. I kind of liked it.
What concerns me about Sardines vs. Tuna is protein content. Two cans of tuna equals roughly 65g protein while two cans of Sardines equals roughly 36g protein. The Tuna only has 300 calories while the Sardines have 380 calories. So basically, I have to eat twice as much Sardines (and calories) to get the same protein from tuna. Is it really worth it?
I made a little pro / con list..
Sardines pros: High in omega 3, low sodium if you get the no salt added type, rich with Calcium, scares your friends when you eat it, easy to open can
Sardines cons: Higher in calories, lower protein, somewhat more expensive (48 cents a can)
Tuna pros: High in protein, low in calories, dirt cheap source of protein (42 cents a can)
Tuna cons: Agruable risk for mercury, higher sodium unless you pay twice as much for low sodium type, not much omega 3, requires can opener
Serving size: 1 can drained (95g)
Calories: 190
Total Fat: 12g
Sat Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 75mg
Sodium: 150mg
Carbs: 2g
Sugars: 0
Protein 18g
45% calcium
2% Vitamin C
10% Iron
The box has scary little googly eyed fish things on it that sent chills through my spine. I imagined opening the can to find whole, raw Sardines that would still be twitching as I pinched my nose and swallowed them whole. However, I came to find that these little Sardine guys already had their heads and tails cut off. Even though they still had ugly scales and bones insides of them, they tasted almost exactly like tuna to me. At this point I'm not even sure if it was cooked or raw. It's nothing like what I had expected. I kind of liked it.
What concerns me about Sardines vs. Tuna is protein content. Two cans of tuna equals roughly 65g protein while two cans of Sardines equals roughly 36g protein. The Tuna only has 300 calories while the Sardines have 380 calories. So basically, I have to eat twice as much Sardines (and calories) to get the same protein from tuna. Is it really worth it?
I made a little pro / con list..
Sardines pros: High in omega 3, low sodium if you get the no salt added type, rich with Calcium, scares your friends when you eat it, easy to open can
Sardines cons: Higher in calories, lower protein, somewhat more expensive (48 cents a can)
Tuna pros: High in protein, low in calories, dirt cheap source of protein (42 cents a can)
Tuna cons: Agruable risk for mercury, higher sodium unless you pay twice as much for low sodium type, not much omega 3, requires can opener