If you are trying to increase the amount of fish in your diet, chances are you may have overlooked -- or even ignored -- canned sardines. These little fish have gained a bad reputation without merit. Canned sardines can be a valuable addition to your kitchen pantry. Given the chance, they may win over even the toughest skeptics.
Nutrition
Canned sardines are packed with many nutrients. Just one serving -- a 3.75 oz. water-packed can -- contains 19 g of protein, helping to build and maintain lean body mass. It also contains important minerals, providing 20 percent of the daily value for calcium and 10 percent of the daily value for iron of a typical 2000-calorie diet. Sardines are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, the type of fat that is protective against heart disease, stroke and other medical conditions. Canned sardines contain 140 calories per serving, making it a flexible addition to any diet.
Cost
It is not always common that foods that are good for you are also affordable. Canned sardines are just that: healthy and inexpensive -- one can costs as little as a dollar in 2011. And because they are canned, they have a long shelf life, allowing you to stock up and always have them on hand for a quick snack or to round out a meal.
Versatility
Canned sardines can be incorporated into many different recipes and types of cuisines. Due to their extremely soft texture, the fish can be mashed to mimic tuna for salad or used as a topping for crackers. Toss them onto a pile of greens and fresh vegetables to make a hardy, nutritious salad, add them to tomato sauce over pasta, or simply wedged them between two slices of bread smothered with mustard. Of course, they can be eaten straight from the can.
Sustainability
In addition to being nutritious, cheap and versatile, canned sardines are also good for the environment. Restrictions on the amount of sardines that can be caught annually allow plenty of them left to reproduce, allowing populations to thrive. Also, a tuna requires about seven times its weight in sardines to grow -- a disproportionate ratio that requires a lot of energy from the environment. Instead of reaching for a can of tuna, try a can of sardines.
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