Are tinned sardines and pilchards high in omega 3 fatty acids, and do pilchards contain more than sardines?
Sardines and pilchards are both oily fish, so they are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which can help to prevent heart disease. Pilchards and sardines are both small fish in the herring family. Since they are essentially the same fish, they have a similar omega 3 content. The canning process doesn’t reduce the amount of omega 3 in sardines or pilchards, so both canned and fresh sardines and pilchards count as oily fish. Canned tuna doesn’t count as oily fish because most of its oils are lost during the canning process. This is because tuna is cooked before it’s canned and most of the oil is lost during the cooking process. In contrast, oily fish such as salmon and sardines are cooked whole in the can and, as a result omega 3 levels are not affected. Some brands of sardines and pilchards say on the can that they contain omega 3 fatty acids. But all canned sardines and pilchards will contain omega 3, whether or not it says so on the can. A snack of sardines or pilchards on toast is
