Been reading up on them and was pretty convinced by their nutritional info, however I’ve recently learnt that they may contribute to arsenic and Mercury poisoning. Are they safe to eat?
Edit- thnx for the replies but does someone know about their arsenic levels
They(sardines, not canned tuna) are pretty much as safe as you can get when it comes to this.
The following link is to a graph I had made that shows how much of your weekly mercury limit is contained in 100g of various seafood.
https://i.redd.it/v2y1yytvh9l91.png
edit: clarification
I think so but who really knows. The rule of thumb for the mercury is the smaller the fish the less mercury because it accumulates up the food chain. Tuna has a lot of mercury but with salmon it’s much less of a concern. Sardines must be very low mercury but you should be able to fact check that pretty easily
Absolutely. From reputable countries and companies, though. Especially Portugal, they’re world famous for their quality canned fish. Canada, US, EU, all good.
I, personally, would pass on Chinese and other eastern countries canned goods, simply because of different levels and types of and lacking of health regulations. And not just canned fish, but especially farmed fish.
I’ve been told sardines are one of the safer canned fish in regards to mercury. Although (not my account) my boss’s friend gave herself mercury poisoning eating canned Tuna every day so, I think it largely depends on the fish. Fresh water has less than saltwater
Eat them for 4 to 6 months and then get blood. work by your doctor and that’ll let you know if your mercury levels are up or down. It’s far more important to track the blood work than just reading things online.
Regarding Sardines, they are very safe from Mercury issues and have high nutritional content. BUT…depending on what they are packed with could reverse any benefit. Many sardine varieties are packed in cotton seed oil, olive oil, mustard, hotsauce, etc. Strongly advise to avoid anything but those packed in water. Cotton seed oil is highly processed and causes inflammation. The olive oil used to can sardines is also very low quality. I get the ones packed in water and still do a quick rinse with them.
So before becoming vegan I actually considered a pescatarian diet but after researching more on fish I wouldn’t eat them if paid. Maybe 100 years ago, but nowadays our fish are filled with plastic and toxins.
FWIW my naturopath told me that the benefits of the nutritional content outweigh the mercury concerns, but he didn’t recommend canned fish on a frequent basis. What he did recommend though is only buying non smoked fish because of carcinogens and avoiding any that comes in olive oil, because companies could be using rancid oil.
I think many fish have levels of mercury at least, but generally safe quantities if you aren’t over consuming, very interested if someone knows more specific information. I am not sure about Arsenic though. I think it has less to do with them being canned and more to do with the type of fish and environment they lived in however.
Yes, but don’t overconsume. Canned foods can be just as nutritious as fresh and frozen foods because canning preserves many nutrients. The amount of minerals, fat-soluble vitamins, protein, fat and carbohydrates remain relatively unchanged by the process of canning. But, because the canning process requires high heat, canned goods may have less water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and B vitamins. However, the heating process that may harm some vitamins can actually increase the overall antioxidant content of the food.
Fish in general has high levels of selenium which can help the body process mercury efficiently. I’d be more worried about microplastics in sardines . From the mercury standpoint they’re about as good as you’re gonna get
