Dear Low-Carbers:

I read that sardines are a great source of Omega-3. Does anyone know what the minimum meal portion should be to get the benefits?

Thanks much.

Sheldon

Hi Sheldon!

I love sardines - you can buy excellent canned ones here called 'shproti' in Russian. The fact that no one had answered your querie got me trawling the web.

At this address:
http://www.usaweekend.com/food/eatsmart/

I found the following:

Buy the fattiest fish. Try mackerel, anchovies, herring, sardines, salmon, tuna and turbot. Frozen and canned are OK, the USDA says. Eat enough. Daily, if you eat 2,000 calories, get at least 650 milligrams of omega-3, experts say.

A week's quota might be ONE of these:

6 ounces fresh mackerel*
10 ounces canned sardines
11 ounces pickled herring
12 ounces fresh salmon*
13 ounces canned salmon
14 ounces fresh tuna*
24 ounces canned albacore tuna

* weight before cooking

Cook correctly. Deep-frying destroys the benefits. Best cooking methods: bake, broil, poach, steam, stir-fry, saute or stew.

I hope this helps! I'm certainly going to up my sardine intake.

Best wishes,
Robert

Hi, RCFletcher.

Thanks for the information. That's a lot of sardines at one meal! The cans I buy are 3.75 ounces each.

I buy them already skinned and boned and packed in olive oil. The brand is Reese, and they are great.

Thanks again.

Sheldon

Oops. You said a week's quota! LOL! That's more like it. I'll have no trouble eating that many in a week.

Sheldon

I LOVE sardines, but I miss the crackers...

How about a rice cake?

Sheldon

Rice cake = high carb item.

Only 6 grams per cake. I put peanut butter or butter on it to balance the insulin.

Sheldon

For me, the rice cake would be WAY too many carbs - for something so little! I could have a whole chicken for that rice cake!