Fish and seafood
Sardines on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 25 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), tinned, drained, for around 208 calories. One tin, about 90 g (3.2 oz), gives roughly 22 g of protein for 187 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from sardines alone you would need about 120 g (4.2 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How sardines sits on a GLP-1
A tin of sardines is 22 g of protein, calcium from the bones, and omega-3 fats, in something that costs very little and lives in the cupboard. The flavour is the obstacle, and on a GLP-1 strong flavours are either exactly what you want or completely impossible, with very little middle ground.
When your appetite is small
Mash them onto hot toast with lemon and pepper. The bread carries the flavour, the lemon cuts the oil, and the whole thing is about 25 g of protein in two small slices.
Three ways to prepare it
Mashed on toast with lemon
The standard for a reason. Soft, fast, and no cooking beyond the toaster.
Stirred through tomato pasta
Sardines dissolve into a tomato sauce and stop tasting like sardines, which is useful if the flavour is the problem.
Mixed with ricotta as a spread
The dairy softens the flavour and adds another 8 g of protein to the stop.
What to eat it with
Lemon, tomato, parsley, capers, bread. They need acid and starch, and they do not need anything else.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sardines | about 25 g | 208 kcal | this page |
| Tinned salmon | about 22 g | 150 kcal | See the page |
| Mackerel | about 24 g | 205 kcal | See the page |
| Anchovies | about 29 g | 210 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, tinned, drained, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Sardines in all three countries, sometimes sold as pilchards in Australia and the UK when the fish are larger. Sardines in spring water are leaner than sardines in oil, with the same protein.
Questions people ask
Are sardines a good protein on a GLP-1?
Very good, if you can eat them. One tin is about 22 g of protein plus calcium and omega-3, and it keeps in the cupboard for years.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.