The health benefits of sardines include the prevention of heart diseases, and age-related macular degeneration. They also help strengthen bones, boost the immune system, improve insulin resistance, and rejuvenate the skin.
What are Sardines?
Sardines are small, oily fish that belong to the family called Clupeidae. They are also known by the name pilchards in some places. They generally come in the form of canned fish and are commonly known as canned sardines. Although they are regarded as a single species, there are actually 21 types of fish that fall under the category of sardine.

The most popular species of sardines include Sardina, Sardinops, sardinella, and dussumieria. These fish are found mostly in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. According to a report, in the past, they were the most harvested fish around the world. [1]

Sardines were one of the easiest fish to obtain and they were known to man for a few millennia. However, they rose to popularity during the early 18th century in Europe after the introduction of the canned version. The craze of eating these fish slowly crept to America as well, where they became very popular by the late 19th and early 20th century. The concept of canned fish became an instant hit in the United States. People actually found it to be one of the best ways to store food.
According to USDA, fish oil made from sardines contain energy and fats. [3] Vitamins include thiamin, riboflavin, niacin

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, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. The fatty acids found in them include total saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and cholesterol. These fatty acids, vitamins, and trace mineral elements help in the prevention of many diseases and promote overall health.
Health Benefits of Sardines
The presence of macro and micro-nutrients, in these fish, without having a high-fat content makes them very useful for our body. Below are some of its most important benefits.

Prevention of Heart Diseases
Sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are helpful in preventing heart diseases. [4] Research by the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota has shown that omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) break down bad or LDL cholesterol in the body and thus help in preventing heart diseases. [5]

Omega-3 fatty acids are also known to break down arterial plaque, which blocks arteries and increases blood pressure. By clearing the plaque, these fatty acids help in controlling blood pressure as well.


1- Wash the sardines with cold water.

2- Hold the sardine belly up in your left hand. Using your right hands detach the head of the sardine. Then with your index finger, starting at the point where the head meets the body, go through along the belly of the sardine to open it and remove the guts.

3- Using your thumb, gently scrape the the skin toward the head to remove the scales.

4- Rinse the sardine clean and then pat dry using paper towels.

5- With your thumb, gently press the sardine backbone inside the belly cavity towards the tail. Then grasp the backbone between your thumb and forefinger and carefully lift it up and away from the fillet to remove it. Discard the backbone.

6- You have a nice sardine filet that you can already use. However, if you want to do further cleaning follow the next steps.

7- Flip the filet with bottom down, and pinch the small fin in back of the fish and gently remove it.

8- Finally, with your finger nails, gently peel the very thin skin on silver side of the fish. The fresher the fish, the easier it is to peel this skin. If it’s hard to peel, just skip this step. Rinse the sardine. Now you have an absolutely clean sardine fillet!

9- You can use these fillets for grilling or follow the next steps to make sardine kefta (ground meat).

10- Use a manual potato masher to mash the sardines because if you use an electrical grinder it will make the texture very mushy. Place the sardine fillets in the manual potato masher and mash them into ground meat.

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