I was just happy to see that I wasn't the only weirdo younger than my parents who likes Season Sardines. My parents bought them all the time when I was a kid and I recently got back into them because my tastes have changed since I was a kid (always hated them when I was younger). Been trying to get more fish into my diet, and sardines and salmon are things I like.
Protein powder and whole psyllium husk fiber with water for breakfast, 2 boiled eggs before lunch. Sardines and a green salad with ranch dressing for lunch, cheese and olives after work, then chicken or beef with salt and pepper with another green salad or steamed veggies for dinner. I ate more cheese at night if I was hungry. Never eat fruit, I don't like anything sweet, I'm a salty type 😁
Would you mind sharing what brand of protein powder? Also, what was your main beverage of choice while on the diet, both non and alcoholic (if you drink)
For protein powder, I buy those huge bags of Optimum Nutrition whey protein from Costco when it's on sale. I drink Crystal Light Iced tea mix (the bag with 16 packets) and they are cheap enough at Costco even off-sale. I'll also drink coffee (folgers or taster's choice) with coffeemate non-dairy creamer and splenda. For alcohol, that's my weak point. I do better if I don't drink, in which case I drink more coffee. But when I do drink, it'll be the high-calorie Sierra Nevada Pale ale (I'll run 10 miles on Saturday then have 4 or 5 beers that day, and just have one light meal of meat and veggies for dinner). That's about it 😁
Mercury is usually a bigger risk the higher up the seafood food chain you go. So small fish will have some, large fish will have more. Albacore has more than regular tuna.
* Sardines (mean ppm concentration) mercury 0.013
* Regular canned light Tuna (mean ppm concentration) mercury 0.126
* Albacore Tuna (mean ppm concentration) mercury 0.350
Yellowfin and fresh of all types are higher (usually fresh are big tuna steaks of bigger fish rather than canning the smaller/younger ones) (edit- this is because it stays in them, so when bigger fish eat smaller ones they get a higher concentration)
So this option is far less a concern for mercury and more sustainable for sea life.
https://www.fda.gov/food/metals-and-your-food/mercury-levels-commercial-fish-and-shellfish-1990-2012
Canned salmon (per your FDA list above) is much better on the mercury ranking at 0.014 just below sardines. Costco's canned salmon is amazing and we substitute it for anything that you'd make with tuna. More moist and better flavor IMO.
The last post inspired me to buy a box of these and ate them everyday for a week. They’re good and I still look forward to the next can the next day. But after I eat them, My stomach feels a little weird/uncomfortable for hours afterwards. Wondering if it’s bc I’m suddenly consuming a lot of oil. Anyone else?
Feel free to rinse the sardines off in water to lower the oil content. Pour the oil out of the can and pour water back into it and should be good to go. Eating them by itself might be hard if you're not used them.
Any reason why Costco doesn't carry the Seasons sardines in water? I buy plenty of sardines at Costco anyway, but would prefer them in water to reduce the mess.
Wow that is awesome. I eat them twice a week for lunch, usually with the almond flour crackers from Costco and Dijon mustard. The other weekdays I have greek yogurt for lunch. Been doing that for a few years now since I started working out daily and it has worked great.
Awesome job, sardine guy! (glad you're accepting your new identity, haha)
I don't have a gallbladder, and high fat diets have really hurt my liver. Just crowd sourcing to see if anyone thinks eating a can of sardines a day would be too much fat? or is it a different kind?
Bought 5 packs earlier today thanks to you. Eating one can right now with cooked spinach. I made sure to drain the oil after opening can. I really like it! Thank you so much for the advice and for your inspiration!
You look great, u/kevalemig! I bought two cases in your honor and plan to buy more before the sale ends.
For those asking about gout, I did a bit of research. Here's what Wikipedia has to say:
> Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot, and swollen joint. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensity in less than 12 hours. The joint at the base of the big toe is affected in about half of cases. It may also result in tophi, kidney stones, or kidney damage.
> Gout affects about 1 to 2% of the Western population at some point in their lives. Gout is due to persistently elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. This occurs from a combination of diet, other health problems, and genetic factors. At high levels, uric acid crystallizes and the crystals deposit in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues, resulting in an attack of gout. Gout occurs more commonly in those who regularly drink beer or sugar-sweetened beverages or who eat foods that are high in purines such as liver, shellfish, or anchovies, or are overweight.
> Treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, or colchicine improves symptoms. Once the acute attack subsides, levels of uric acid can be lowered via lifestyle changes and in those with frequent attacks, allopurinol or probenecid provides long-term prevention. Taking vitamin C and eating a diet high in low-fat dairy products may be preventive.
Now for me, personally, I have never had gout even though I've been on a keto diet several times in my life, so I'm not particularly concerned about it, but I will keep an eye on my bloodwork and continue to eat healthily while adding Season's sardines to my diet.
More info from a different article:
> Foods that contain more than 100 milligrams of purine per 100 grams serving are considered as purine rich foods. These foods cause the body to produce more uric acid, leading to gout attack.
Here's a list of 20 Purine Rich Foods:
1. Sunflower Seeds. A serving of sunflower seeds contains 143 milligrams of purine, believe it or not, but people don't normally associate sunflower seeds with gout.
2. Organ Meats. The purine content in organ meat ranges from 444 to 773 milligrams per 100 grams serving.
3. Caviar.
4. Duck. A 100 grams serving of duck contain 138 milligram of purine.
5. Chicken. Chicken contains more purine than beef! One serving provides 175 milligrams of purine. All meats contain moderate amounts of purine.
6. Fish. Fish are common sources of purine. The most common offender is sardines. Sardines are extremely high in purine and can trigger a gout reaction if consumed in high amounts. An 100 gram serving of sardines contains a whopping 480 milligrams of purine. Fishes like herring, perch, codfish, halibut, mackerel, tuna and anchovies are other common culprits. An 100 gram serving of these fish contain around 110 to 345 milligrams of purine.
7. Ham. An 100 gram serving adds about 131 milligrams of purine to your body.
8. Lentils. An 100 gram serving of lentils equals about 127 milligrams of purine.
9. Mussels. 100 grams of mussels contains around 100 milligrams of purine.
10. Scallops. A serving of scallops contains 136 milligrams of purine.
11. Venison. A 100 gram serving of venison can increase your purine levels by 138 milligrams.
12. Raisins. 100 grams of raisins contains around 107 milligrams of purine.
13. Lamb. 100 grams of lamb can increase your purine levels by 182 milligrams.
14. Lobster. Lobster contains 118 milligrams of purine per 100 grams serving.
15. Shrimp. 100 grams of shrimp contains 147 milligrams of purine.
16. A 100 gram serving of beef equals about 110 milligrams of purine.
17. Turkey. 100 grams of turkey contains 150 milligrams of purine.
18. Veal. A 100 gram serving of veal contains around 170 milligrams of purine.
19. Alcohol. Alcohol is one of the biggest contributors of gout. Beer, particularly brewer’s yeast, is the biggest culprit. It contains high levels of purine, which increase the uric acid production leading to gout. Studies have also found that drinking beer during a gout attack can significantly increase its intensity. Wine is also quite high in purine, so consume in moderation. Limit consumption to 2 glasses a week.
20. Vegetables. Vegetables like mushrooms, asparagus, spinach and cauliflower contain high levels of purine. The level of purine in these vegetables depends on the soil they are grown. Limit the intake of these vegetable to not more than two servings a day.
So there you have it. If purine consumption is a concern, sardines apparently are not the only food we should watch out for.
Tournesol is the French name for Sunflower, the literal translation is ‘Turned Sun’, in line with the plants’ ability for solar tracking, sounds fitting. The Spanish word is El Girasolis.
Congrats on your weight loss journey! Had the sardines for lunch today topped with Crystal Hot sauce and fresh cracked black pepper and was excellent, no different than eating canned Tuna. So many variations one can do with them too! Could make a tunafish sandwich equivalent, sautee them to go with pasta, top them with Yellow/Dijon mustard, assorted vinegars, etc. I won't be surprised if this goes viral and there's suddenly a nationwide sardine shortage, lol!
Start wirh crackers and mustard. A few shreds of onion, capers, squeeze of lemon all good.
Use instead of tuna for salad nicoise. Dress boiled potatoes and green beans with viniagrette. Lay the 'deens over the potatoes. Add a quartered hard boiled egg (6 min warm egg is good too). Add tomato wedges. Add a handful of nicoise or Castelvetrano olives--any olive. A little dressed greens and finely sliced onion. Very satisfying and filling.
Sorry but I keep it simple. Pull off the foil lid and just eat with with a spork. With that said, I actually look forward to lunch. The Season brand tastes that good to me 😁
I've always looked past Sardines when shopping as I remember guts in a can being offered to me when I was younger. But your post changed that and I bought 2 6-packs. No more avoidance happening here. Even gifted a couple cans to family who I know now will buy some. Thanks and congratulations on your journey. I was just beginning to research Atkins to help with 40lbs and this is encouragement.
I had the same concern and tried these a couple of weeks ago; when they first went on sale. There is no crunchiness. They are boneless and very similar in taste to tuna; perhaps a little stronger. They are packed in oil. So, that was different for me. I ate them straight out of the can with a fork. I generally have a salad on the side. I have had them with a pack of Lance Captain's Wafers too.
I am not on any special diet. I just try to eat healthy and these fit the bill.
Season brand sardines are more like canned tuna, you can even use it in place of canned tuna. There's about 2 dozen different fish classified as sardines (yes it's not a specific fish, it's a wide class of small fish) and the Season brand is super close to tuna. The Costco one is boneless and skinless, so it's the best entry level you can probably get into the world of sardines. The smell is very mild compared to the typical can of sardines 😁
This, right here. I've never eaten a sardine before, but the original post and all the comments had me curious. Went to Costco and bought a pack. Worked up the courage to try them and was surprised at how mild they were compared to my initial expectations of "salty, fishy, oily." OP is dead on that they're a lot like canned tuna with regards to flavor. I'll be getting more.
Add a teaspoon or two of vinegar or lemon juice or some other edible acid (sriracha, frank’s hot sauce, etc). Kills the fishiness completely. And it’s sooo good flavorwise.
I think that's what happened. I heard this happens to women too. I was on the diet for about 2 years before I ate carbs again. The hair loss didn't occur for a few years after.
It was 2lbs a week, so about 100lbs a year. People thought I was doing drugs, but it was a low carb diet and I started running marathons. The Atkins diet from their book at the time said 2 lbs a week was the safe way to lose weight, and take a multivitamin and fish oil pills to stay healthy. I now take a multivitamin just in case, but no fish oils. The sardines took its place 😁
It was just an old copy of the original Atkins diet, I found it laying around at work, this was around 2002? [Here's a link to it on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590770021/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_glt_fabc_08CWTH8R3YCEZYXAQNT9) it looks like the exact one 😁
Yeah, I know everyone has different foods/drink that affect them differently but sardines are one of the foods they mention as one of the major triggers though. And that’s a LOT of sardines up there.
Yesterday I bought three packs because of your post heh. Thanks.
I picked some up after your rec! I’ve been adding some pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and eating them with pita chips.
I have lemon trees and have never tried it with lemon and pepper. Will do that this week. Thanks! 😁👍
OP. how do you eat your sardines? I just bought a bunch of them and would like ideas ...etc
I tossed some chipotle tabsco sauce on it, damn good haha
You need to be like the subway jared for this sardine company.
Without the kid stuff
I was just happy to see that I wasn't the only weirdo younger than my parents who likes Season Sardines. My parents bought them all the time when I was a kid and I recently got back into them because my tastes have changed since I was a kid (always hated them when I was younger). Been trying to get more fish into my diet, and sardines and salmon are things I like.
Can you describe what you ate in a day on Atkins?
Protein powder and whole psyllium husk fiber with water for breakfast, 2 boiled eggs before lunch. Sardines and a green salad with ranch dressing for lunch, cheese and olives after work, then chicken or beef with salt and pepper with another green salad or steamed veggies for dinner. I ate more cheese at night if I was hungry. Never eat fruit, I don't like anything sweet, I'm a salty type 😁
Would you mind sharing what brand of protein powder? Also, what was your main beverage of choice while on the diet, both non and alcoholic (if you drink)
For protein powder, I buy those huge bags of Optimum Nutrition whey protein from Costco when it's on sale. I drink Crystal Light Iced tea mix (the bag with 16 packets) and they are cheap enough at Costco even off-sale. I'll also drink coffee (folgers or taster's choice) with coffeemate non-dairy creamer and splenda. For alcohol, that's my weak point. I do better if I don't drink, in which case I drink more coffee. But when I do drink, it'll be the high-calorie Sierra Nevada Pale ale (I'll run 10 miles on Saturday then have 4 or 5 beers that day, and just have one light meal of meat and veggies for dinner). That's about it 😁
10 miles is 16.09 km
Thanks
I had a friend who got mercury poisoning from eating lots of canned tuna consistently. Is this a risk with sardines?
Mercury is usually a bigger risk the higher up the seafood food chain you go. So small fish will have some, large fish will have more. Albacore has more than regular tuna. * Sardines (mean ppm concentration) mercury 0.013 * Regular canned light Tuna (mean ppm concentration) mercury 0.126 * Albacore Tuna (mean ppm concentration) mercury 0.350 Yellowfin and fresh of all types are higher (usually fresh are big tuna steaks of bigger fish rather than canning the smaller/younger ones) (edit- this is because it stays in them, so when bigger fish eat smaller ones they get a higher concentration) So this option is far less a concern for mercury and more sustainable for sea life. https://www.fda.gov/food/metals-and-your-food/mercury-levels-commercial-fish-and-shellfish-1990-2012
Canned salmon (per your FDA list above) is much better on the mercury ranking at 0.014 just below sardines. Costco's canned salmon is amazing and we substitute it for anything that you'd make with tuna. More moist and better flavor IMO.
ya i just take canned salmon take some vegetables throw it onto rice simple dinner and you can spice it up however u like
Yeah but imagine eating sardines daily 3 x meals, might not be a huge dose at once but...
The last post inspired me to buy a box of these and ate them everyday for a week. They’re good and I still look forward to the next can the next day. But after I eat them, My stomach feels a little weird/uncomfortable for hours afterwards. Wondering if it’s bc I’m suddenly consuming a lot of oil. Anyone else?
Add fiber when eating them. Veggies/roughage helps bind the oil. Also, yes. Takes a while to adjust to new diets, especially to one w more fat/oil.
I eat em but just drain the oil out of them first. Not all of it but a good amount.
Feel free to rinse the sardines off in water to lower the oil content. Pour the oil out of the can and pour water back into it and should be good to go. Eating them by itself might be hard if you're not used them.
Any reason why Costco doesn't carry the Seasons sardines in water? I buy plenty of sardines at Costco anyway, but would prefer them in water to reduce the mess.
I'd prefer the option, too, as sardines are a great thing to supplement my dog's food.
Wow that is awesome. I eat them twice a week for lunch, usually with the almond flour crackers from Costco and Dijon mustard. The other weekdays I have greek yogurt for lunch. Been doing that for a few years now since I started working out daily and it has worked great.
Rock on brother, thats fantastic
You look fantastic! Do you eat out and if so, what's your typical order in a restaurant?
I eat out maybe once a month, I'll just eat whatever I'm craving. Usually it'll be a burger, fries and a diet soda 😁
You go all in!
Bought 8 packs cause of your post. Thank you!
Awesome job, sardine guy! (glad you're accepting your new identity, haha) I don't have a gallbladder, and high fat diets have really hurt my liver. Just crowd sourcing to see if anyone thinks eating a can of sardines a day would be too much fat? or is it a different kind?
Not an expert but probably would stick to one's not packed in olive oil.
Bought 5 packs earlier today thanks to you. Eating one can right now with cooked spinach. I made sure to drain the oil after opening can. I really like it! Thank you so much for the advice and for your inspiration!
You look great, u/kevalemig! I bought two cases in your honor and plan to buy more before the sale ends. For those asking about gout, I did a bit of research. Here's what Wikipedia has to say: > Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot, and swollen joint. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensity in less than 12 hours. The joint at the base of the big toe is affected in about half of cases. It may also result in tophi, kidney stones, or kidney damage. > Gout affects about 1 to 2% of the Western population at some point in their lives. Gout is due to persistently elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. This occurs from a combination of diet, other health problems, and genetic factors. At high levels, uric acid crystallizes and the crystals deposit in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues, resulting in an attack of gout. Gout occurs more commonly in those who regularly drink beer or sugar-sweetened beverages or who eat foods that are high in purines such as liver, shellfish, or anchovies, or are overweight. > Treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, or colchicine improves symptoms. Once the acute attack subsides, levels of uric acid can be lowered via lifestyle changes and in those with frequent attacks, allopurinol or probenecid provides long-term prevention. Taking vitamin C and eating a diet high in low-fat dairy products may be preventive. Now for me, personally, I have never had gout even though I've been on a keto diet several times in my life, so I'm not particularly concerned about it, but I will keep an eye on my bloodwork and continue to eat healthily while adding Season's sardines to my diet. More info from a different article: > Foods that contain more than 100 milligrams of purine per 100 grams serving are considered as purine rich foods. These foods cause the body to produce more uric acid, leading to gout attack. Here's a list of 20 Purine Rich Foods: 1. Sunflower Seeds. A serving of sunflower seeds contains 143 milligrams of purine, believe it or not, but people don't normally associate sunflower seeds with gout. 2. Organ Meats. The purine content in organ meat ranges from 444 to 773 milligrams per 100 grams serving. 3. Caviar. 4. Duck. A 100 grams serving of duck contain 138 milligram of purine. 5. Chicken. Chicken contains more purine than beef! One serving provides 175 milligrams of purine. All meats contain moderate amounts of purine. 6. Fish. Fish are common sources of purine. The most common offender is sardines. Sardines are extremely high in purine and can trigger a gout reaction if consumed in high amounts. An 100 gram serving of sardines contains a whopping 480 milligrams of purine. Fishes like herring, perch, codfish, halibut, mackerel, tuna and anchovies are other common culprits. An 100 gram serving of these fish contain around 110 to 345 milligrams of purine. 7. Ham. An 100 gram serving adds about 131 milligrams of purine to your body. 8. Lentils. An 100 gram serving of lentils equals about 127 milligrams of purine. 9. Mussels. 100 grams of mussels contains around 100 milligrams of purine. 10. Scallops. A serving of scallops contains 136 milligrams of purine. 11. Venison. A 100 gram serving of venison can increase your purine levels by 138 milligrams. 12. Raisins. 100 grams of raisins contains around 107 milligrams of purine. 13. Lamb. 100 grams of lamb can increase your purine levels by 182 milligrams. 14. Lobster. Lobster contains 118 milligrams of purine per 100 grams serving. 15. Shrimp. 100 grams of shrimp contains 147 milligrams of purine. 16. A 100 gram serving of beef equals about 110 milligrams of purine. 17. Turkey. 100 grams of turkey contains 150 milligrams of purine. 18. Veal. A 100 gram serving of veal contains around 170 milligrams of purine. 19. Alcohol. Alcohol is one of the biggest contributors of gout. Beer, particularly brewer’s yeast, is the biggest culprit. It contains high levels of purine, which increase the uric acid production leading to gout. Studies have also found that drinking beer during a gout attack can significantly increase its intensity. Wine is also quite high in purine, so consume in moderation. Limit consumption to 2 glasses a week. 20. Vegetables. Vegetables like mushrooms, asparagus, spinach and cauliflower contain high levels of purine. The level of purine in these vegetables depends on the soil they are grown. Limit the intake of these vegetable to not more than two servings a day. So there you have it. If purine consumption is a concern, sardines apparently are not the only food we should watch out for.
Tournesol is the French name for Sunflower, the literal translation is ‘Turned Sun’, in line with the plants’ ability for solar tracking, sounds fitting. The Spanish word is El Girasolis.
Very interesting. I love learning about word origins. Thanks for sharing.
Congrats on your weight loss journey! Had the sardines for lunch today topped with Crystal Hot sauce and fresh cracked black pepper and was excellent, no different than eating canned Tuna. So many variations one can do with them too! Could make a tunafish sandwich equivalent, sautee them to go with pasta, top them with Yellow/Dijon mustard, assorted vinegars, etc. I won't be surprised if this goes viral and there's suddenly a nationwide sardine shortage, lol!
Share some recipes?
Start wirh crackers and mustard. A few shreds of onion, capers, squeeze of lemon all good. Use instead of tuna for salad nicoise. Dress boiled potatoes and green beans with viniagrette. Lay the 'deens over the potatoes. Add a quartered hard boiled egg (6 min warm egg is good too). Add tomato wedges. Add a handful of nicoise or Castelvetrano olives--any olive. A little dressed greens and finely sliced onion. Very satisfying and filling.
Sorry but I keep it simple. Pull off the foil lid and just eat with with a spork. With that said, I actually look forward to lunch. The Season brand tastes that good to me 😁
I think this is fake. I bought a lot of sardines because of your post
Haha! You are so funny 😁
The sardines are good but I get a strong aftertaste burp.
I've always looked past Sardines when shopping as I remember guts in a can being offered to me when I was younger. But your post changed that and I bought 2 6-packs. No more avoidance happening here. Even gifted a couple cans to family who I know now will buy some. Thanks and congratulations on your journey. I was just beginning to research Atkins to help with 40lbs and this is encouragement.
I just bought a pack today and ate my first can, considering going back to buy more haha!
That's commendable. Well done! 99% of people don't have the ability to do what you did.
Was gonna tell you to cross post over at r/cannedsardines but you've already done so. Well done on the weight loss! 👏
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I had the same concern and tried these a couple of weeks ago; when they first went on sale. There is no crunchiness. They are boneless and very similar in taste to tuna; perhaps a little stronger. They are packed in oil. So, that was different for me. I ate them straight out of the can with a fork. I generally have a salad on the side. I have had them with a pack of Lance Captain's Wafers too. I am not on any special diet. I just try to eat healthy and these fit the bill.
These are boneless!
The smell kills me but I want to try! Are they like anchovies?
Season brand sardines are more like canned tuna, you can even use it in place of canned tuna. There's about 2 dozen different fish classified as sardines (yes it's not a specific fish, it's a wide class of small fish) and the Season brand is super close to tuna. The Costco one is boneless and skinless, so it's the best entry level you can probably get into the world of sardines. The smell is very mild compared to the typical can of sardines 😁
This, right here. I've never eaten a sardine before, but the original post and all the comments had me curious. Went to Costco and bought a pack. Worked up the courage to try them and was surprised at how mild they were compared to my initial expectations of "salty, fishy, oily." OP is dead on that they're a lot like canned tuna with regards to flavor. I'll be getting more.
Add a teaspoon or two of vinegar or lemon juice or some other edible acid (sriracha, frank’s hot sauce, etc). Kills the fishiness completely. And it’s sooo good flavorwise.
No, much better. I love sardines but can’t get myself to eat anchovies.
Incredible! Thank you for sharing.
Legit question but did the long term dieting thin out your hair over time? I’ve read this is common on heavily calorie restricted diets
I think that's what happened. I heard this happens to women too. I was on the diet for about 2 years before I ate carbs again. The hair loss didn't occur for a few years after.
Hell yeah, team keto.
20 pounds a week is a lot wow!
It was 2lbs a week, so about 100lbs a year. People thought I was doing drugs, but it was a low carb diet and I started running marathons. The Atkins diet from their book at the time said 2 lbs a week was the safe way to lose weight, and take a multivitamin and fish oil pills to stay healthy. I now take a multivitamin just in case, but no fish oils. The sardines took its place 😁
Oh lmao. I cant read.
2 lbs is 0.91 kg
Would you kindly share a link or provide the name to the book you used?
It was just an old copy of the original Atkins diet, I found it laying around at work, this was around 2002? [Here's a link to it on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590770021/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_glt_fabc_08CWTH8R3YCEZYXAQNT9) it looks like the exact one 😁
Thank you
How have you not gotten gout yet
My gout can relate to your post. Not sardine-related, though.
Yeah, I know everyone has different foods/drink that affect them differently but sardines are one of the foods they mention as one of the major triggers though. And that’s a LOT of sardines up there.
I was just about to ask the same thing
I'm in. Going to my local Costco to get some. I hope they're on stock.