Sardines aren’t for everyone. I get it. But you never know until you try. And most people don’t even give ’em a shot!My dad is one of the only people I know who has always loved sardines. I never understood this growing up. Sardines are probably the fishiest fish in terms of taste and smell. And nobody likes that fish smell, definitely not 8 year olds. Sorry for calling you gross, Dad. We’re all adults now, and I’ve come around to the idea of eating sardines on a regular basis. Partly because they’re pretty damn good, but mostly because they are incredibly nutrient dense.
I’m not gonna go through all the health benefits of sardines on this post, but here are the major takeaways:
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids. I’m sure you hear recommendations to eat more omega-3s all the freakin time. But you know what, you probably should. Courtesy of the food industry (thanks guys!), our collective omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is way off. Omega-6’s are found in vegetable oils. Nuts too, but whatever. Vegetable oils are subsidized and cheap, thus widely used. When I say widely used, I mean WIDELY used. Pretty much everything you buy at the grocery store will have some sort of vegetable oil in it. Why is this bad? Well, despite the fact that the oil is likely already damaged from the extracting process, vegetable oils are loaded with pro-inflammatory omega-6s. Now, don’t get me wrong. We need omega-6s for regular bodily functions and and we need inflammation to heal. But when we’re constantly inundated with highly refined soybean oil infused reduced fat white cheddar cheez-its, the omega-3s can’t balance out the omega-6s. You feel?
- Selenium. Who knows what this is? I didn’t until a few months ago, but holy crap this stuff is powerful. It’s mostly known for it’s antioxidant power, but I’m more interested in it’s role in thyroid function. Selenium deficiency can lead to poor thyroid function and hormonal imbalances – something I’ve dealt with personally. Selenium is mostly found in meat and fish. So to my pescatarian friends, eat more sardines. And brazil nuts. Because those randomly have a lot of selenium too? But sardines first. Brazil nuts last.
- B-12. Sardines provide over 300% of your daily B-12 requirements. So that’s good. B-12 does a lot in our bodies, so it’s hard to say what it’s most important role is. Maybe proper brain function? That seems important. Are you constantly fatigued or have brain fog on the reg? Maybe you’re B-12 levels are a bit low. Or maybe you’re dying. Hard to say. Better check WebMD. Just kidding, eat some sardines.
Anyways, sardines are awesome. We’re all adults. Time to eat some sardines and get over the smell. If you’re respectful of your office-mates, you might want to take your lunch outside. If you’re like me and enjoy having meat at every meal, despite my vegan office-mate’s objections, eat at your desk. Her tofu is just as offensive to me. Ok bye.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 can sardines (in water or in olive oil)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons homemade mayo (I use this recipe)
- 2 teaspoons spicy mustard
- 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 1/4 jalapeño, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- juice of 1/4 lime
- 4 large collard leaves
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a skillet. Prepare an ice bath in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- One at a time, place the collard greens in the boiling water for 10-15 seconds per side. Remove and place in an ice bath for 20-30 seconds. Remove from ice bath and set aside.
- Place sardines in a medium sized mixing bowl. Smash with a fork and leave in the spine for extra calcium! I promise you won’t notice.
- Add mayo, mustard, red onion, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapeño, chili powder, and lime juice.
- Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon the sardine salad into the collard leaves and roll.
