What about sardines?

[Rookie]

I may be posting this in the wrong place but I'm not sure where else I can get some opinions on this subject. 

My current consists of 100% plant-based foods, with one exception - sardines. Rationalisations about my concerns for my vitamin B12 intake, lack of taste in my diet when I have no plantain and/or dates, and fish not being meat, tends to pull me towards consuming them. They make their way into my diet about once a month. They're extremely small fish and are priced pretty cheaply at £0.40 for 120g (84g drained). 

What I want to know is simply - how bad is it for the body for me to be eating sardines? I notice no real changes in how I feel on a moment-to-moment basis unless I eat them everyday for a few days. I don't notice any bloating, feelings of being sick, apathy, increased reactivity or anything else that junk foods would otherwise give me. 

I've tried researching this online multiple times, but there are tonnes of deceptive studies out there...

[Moreira]

Its ok if you eat them once in a while. Blue fish cannot be eaten everyday because can lead to mercury accumulation in the body I've experienced that.

[SgtPepper]

According to a quick internet search. they're safe because they don't live long, so they don't contain concentrates of mercury.

They're considered the safest fish to eat as well as the most sustainable.

I'd just avoid canned stuff unless its a high quality brand and you have no other choice.

[Rookie]

Thanks for the speedy responses guys. 

@Moreira Sorry to hear about your experience with mercury. Do you mind elaborating on what exactly you experienced as a result of mercury accumulation? 

@SgtPepper The information I researched led me to the same conclusions too, but I'm wary of any non-plant based foods that sound like they're too good to be true, or a "good/great" alternative to meat. I'll slowly eat up my current supplies and hope for the best. 

[SgtPepper]

9 hours ago, Rookie said:

Thanks for the speedy responses guys. 

@Moreira Sorry to hear about your experience with mercury. Do you mind elaborating on what exactly you experienced as a result of mercury accumulation? 

@SgtPepper The information I researched led me to the same conclusions too, but I'm wary of any non-plant based foods that sound like they're too good to be true, or a "good/great" alternative to meat. I'll slowly eat up my current supplies and hope for the best. 

Why is that? Fish is a great source of nutrients and humans have been fishing and eating fish forever. Additionally if majority sources are saying sardines are safe, why do you disbelieve. Can't it be just as likely that sardines are in fact safe? 

[Rookie]

@SgtPepper Because of my doubts on 1) The conductors of the research, who may have financial incentives to portray sardines in a positive light and thus obscure the truth, and 2) The method in which the supposed benefits have been derived from whatever studies were conducted. 

False studies I've seen from Food Industry, Pharmaceutical Industry and Tobacco Industry, and a bunch of others, have led me to be highly skeptical whenever I read any kind of research paper. Some the utter bollocks the Food Industry pumps out in regards to terrible foods being marketed as healthy, just led to me to being skeptical about sardines. I love them, but what I read seems to be too good to be true. 

But maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong in this case; It's rare that I can eat something now that both tastes good and doesn't kill me in the long-run. 

[Moreira]

On 5/1/2019 at 8:51 PM, Rookie said:

Thanks for the speedy responses guys. 

@Moreira Sorry to hear about your experience with mercury. Do you mind elaborating on what exactly you experienced as a result of mercury accumulation? 

@SgtPepper The information I researched led me to the same conclusions too, but I'm wary of any non-plant based foods that sound like they're too good to be true, or a "good/great" alternative to meat. I'll slowly eat up my current supplies and hope for the best. 

In my breakfast time at work I used to eat rice with some kind of canned blue fish (tuna, sardines,mackerel) because its high in protein and omega 3. Ive been eating this 5 days a week for 2 years. I read about metal toxicity symptoms and realized it was for the blue fish. I noticed a big memory loss, mistakes in my job, difficulty for concentration tasks, mental fog, physical exhaustion and dizzyness.

Now I eat for breakfast millet or quinoa with nuts and a spoon of honey, I feel great, my mind works properly, and less tired.

[Rookie]

@Moreira God, I can only imagine how hard that must've been to suffer through, but I'm glad you're feeling healthier now. Ironically mackerel was one of the foods my mother tried to get to me eat because she thought that eating sardines = eating any type of fish... 

When my next batch of sardines comes in, I'll be sure to avoid anything more than 3 servings a week.

Stay healthy, brother!