Why You Shouldn’t Do A Sardine Fast

Dr. Ruth Machin crams in a lot of information here:

Not so fast!

Popular on social media at time of writing, a “sardine fast” involves eating nothing but canned sardines for three days, which puts the body into ketosis because sardines contain essentially no carbohydrates.

This does work for short-term weight loss (but): weight drops partly because calorie intake is low, but predominantly because eliminating carbohydrates depletes glycogen stores and causes rapid water loss, with each gram of stored glycogen binding approximately three to four grams of water.

So, congratulations, you’re losing water weight, you’re suffering a sardine-only diet and the best result is dehydration.

“But aren’t sardines nutritionally dense?”

Yes, and so are Brussels sprouts, but you shouldn’t eat just those, either.

Notably, sardines provide protein, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium from their edible bones, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, and are associated with benefits for heart and brain health, but canned sardines usually also contain a relatively large amount of salt, which is not great either, and that’s before we get started on their practically* complete lack of fiber.

^{*Because in nature, little is pure, so most edible things have at least trace amounts of most common nutrients. But a microgram of fiber here and there isn’t going to do anything for you.}

So, by all means enjoy them in moderation if you will, but as part of a healthy balanced diet, please!

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Take care!