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Sardines on a Bagel

15:06 recording · EN · 2 speakers

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Brief overview

Sardines are cheap, mercury-free, nutrient-dense fish that Chuck liked the taste of but couldn't stomach.

  1. Great flavor, hard textureChuck liked how sardines tasted but couldn't get past whole little fish in a tin, and plans to fry them next.
  2. No mercury worry with sardinesThey eat plankton instead of other fish, so mercury never bioaccumulates the way it does in tuna.
  3. Nutrient-dense, but not for everyoneOne tin brings about a third of your calcium plus omega-3s, yet purines and canned bisphenols make moderation wise.
Executive Summary AI
  • Josh and Chuck open this Short Stuff on sardines because Chuck finally tried a tin, weeks after Josh told him to during a chat about tinned tuna and salmon for light lunches.1:19
  • Chuck's verdict: the flavor was fine and not unlike tuna, but the texture and the sight of whole little fish in a metal tray skeeved him out, so he saved his Ess-a-Bagel half; both men agree frying them Spanish tapas style or grilling them might fix it.2:47
  • The big advantage over tuna is mercury: sardines eat only plankton, so they never bioaccumulate the mercury that builds up as fish eat fish, while Josh warns that more than about one tin of tuna a week is not great and cites Jeremy Piven's mercury poisoning from too much sushi.4:23
  • On nutrition, the tiny edible bones supply roughly a third of a person's daily calcium from one tin according to the U.S. government, plus vitamin D, B12, phosphorus, selenium, protein and omega-3s that are low in saturated fat, though Josh stopped taking daily omega-3s after a recent meta-analysis linked them to higher atrial fibrillation risk for people with a family history.7:39
  • The downsides: sardines are high in purines and uric acid, so people with gout, kidney stones, high blood pressure or chronic kidney disease should go easy, and like anything canned they come with bisphenols, with the hosts reminding listeners they are not doctors or nutritionists.12:32
Key Quote
“You said try sardines.”
— Chuck1:32
Key Quote
“I have zero recollection of telling you to try sardines, and I find them difficult to eat because of the texture.”
— Josh1:49
Key Quote
“You did not mention any of that when you told me to try sardines.”
— Chuck1:59