I found this article quite interesting and well written, thank you for the contribution.
Here’s a couple considerations I have not seen brought up:
1. You write: “Supplements can be expensive and difficult to obtain, especially EPA/DHA and certain carninutrients.”
I agree that algae omega 3 supplements are quite expensive, on the range of 15-20 eur/month or more. Reading this I was hoping for a cheaper way to supplement that would still be ethical. However, sardines and anchovies (at least where I live) are still several times more expensive than just supplementing. For someone who is mostly worried about omega-3s, cost wise it would not make sense to switch from supplements to whole fish.
I did a quick calculation using the available cheapest fish (canned sardines in oil) from my local Rewe for 15.44 eur/kg, and these omega 3 algae oil supplements: https://norsan.de/shop/omega-3-vegan/ (picked because the manufacturer undergoes independent testing). Assuming 0.9mg combined EPA/DHA per 100g for the fish, my result is that a daily dose of 400mg combined EPA/DHA would cost 26ct per day via algae oil, and 62ct per day with whole fish.
2. The amount of fish one needs to consume
If I assume that 400mg of combined EPA/DHA per day would be sufficient intake, then I need to consume around half a tin of sardines (45g) per day. That sounds a little much to be honest, and seems harder to integrate into my diet than just adding 1ml of algae oil to my food, especially given the strong fishy taste of sardines/anchovies (that might not be to everyone’s taste) and would be harder to mask than a small amount of oil. Given that you argue against supplements partly on grounds of it being hard to remember to take, this seems a valid point to mention.
3. Protein content
In general, despite there being rightful discussion about meat prices being far too low, animal products are still per kg quite expensive compared to vegan protein sources like lentils and beans, so I wouldn’t recommend someone switch to fish for the protein mostly. Assuming my local supermarket’s prices, the cheapest sardine protein is almost on par with protein from the cheapest vegan fake meat brand I could find, and more expensive than smoked tofu, canned chickpeas/kidney beans/brown lentils, TVP and mixed nuts or peanuts in terms of protein content.
Note that I’m not saying it isn’t worth it, just leaving this comment to add to the discussion. I just naively assumed from the post that because sardines are “cheap” fish, they would be cheaper than other sources. Once I did the math, I’m less convinced than before that it’s worth it.
There are of course still other considerations, as you have explained extensively:
Fish have nutritional benefits other than omega-3s, which would together be much more costly and arduous to supplement if one were to consider that worth doing
Even if one doesn’t make themselves eat a whole tin of fish every other day, you’d still get some health benefits from a lower dose of omega-3s
Thanks a lot for your comment and for taking the time to run the numbers. :)
A few thoughts in response to your points:
The 0.9 g EPA/DHA per 100 g you used is on the lower end, and many sources put sardines higher. We used ~1.4 g as an average in the table, which changes the calculation somewhat. But more importantly, sardines don’t just replace EPA/DHA supplements. They also replace the protein source of a meal (often the most expensive component) and provide several other nutrients, that would otherwise have to be supplemented (e.g. B12) or that are not essential but beneficial (e.g. carninutrients).
I agree that incorporating half a tin of sardines per day wouldn’t be very practical for most people. If you look at it weekly though it’s 315 g, which corresponds to about three meals where sardines are the main protein source. Whether that’s easy to manage will differ a lot between individuals and probably depend heavily on how pleasant or unpleasant one finds the taste. It can be quite strong (mostly true for canned sardines, not fresh ones), but it also varies by brand (I’d recommend e.g. “Fish Tales”), and people can also aquire the taste over time. I agree that for some people taking supplements is behaviourally easier than having about 3 sardine (or mussel) meals per week.
One important point here is that sardine prices vary quite a lot by country. In Germany they’re relatively expensive, whereas in countries like France or the UK they’re often noticeably cheaper. Beyond that, I think again it’s important to consider that sardines don’t just provide protein, but also EPA/DHA and several other micronutrients, which might otherwise need to be supplemented. That effectively reduces their price compared to looking at protein alone.
I found this article quite interesting and well written, thank you for the contribution.
Here’s a couple considerations I have not seen brought up:
1. You write: “Supplements can be expensive and difficult to obtain, especially EPA/DHA and certain carninutrients.”
I agree that algae omega 3 supplements are quite expensive, on the range of 15-20 eur/month or more. Reading this I was hoping for a cheaper way to supplement that would still be ethical. However, sardines and anchovies (at least where I live) are still several times more expensive than just supplementing. For someone who is mostly worried about omega-3s, cost wise it would not make sense to switch from supplements to whole fish.
I did a quick calculation using the available cheapest fish (canned sardines in oil) from my local Rewe for 15.44 eur/kg, and these omega 3 algae oil supplements: https://norsan.de/shop/omega-3-vegan/ (picked because the manufacturer undergoes independent testing). Assuming 0.9mg combined EPA/DHA per 100g for the fish, my result is that a daily dose of 400mg combined EPA/DHA would cost 26ct per day via algae oil, and 62ct per day with whole fish.
2. The amount of fish one needs to consume
If I assume that 400mg of combined EPA/DHA per day would be sufficient intake, then I need to consume around half a tin of sardines (45g) per day. That sounds a little much to be honest, and seems harder to integrate into my diet than just adding 1ml of algae oil to my food, especially given the strong fishy taste of sardines/anchovies (that might not be to everyone’s taste) and would be harder to mask than a small amount of oil. Given that you argue against supplements partly on grounds of it being hard to remember to take, this seems a valid point to mention.
3. Protein content
In general, despite there being rightful discussion about meat prices being far too low, animal products are still per kg quite expensive compared to vegan protein sources like lentils and beans, so I wouldn’t recommend someone switch to fish for the protein mostly. Assuming my local supermarket’s prices, the cheapest sardine protein is almost on par with protein from the cheapest vegan fake meat brand I could find, and more expensive than smoked tofu, canned chickpeas/kidney beans/brown lentils, TVP and mixed nuts or peanuts in terms of protein content.
Note that I’m not saying it isn’t worth it, just leaving this comment to add to the discussion. I just naively assumed from the post that because sardines are “cheap” fish, they would be cheaper than other sources. Once I did the math, I’m less convinced than before that it’s worth it.
There are of course still other considerations, as you have explained extensively:
The benefit of fish oil / algae oil as a standalone is dubious, there might well be other benefits only gotten from whole fish (see eg https://www.akdae.de/arzneimitteltherapie/arzneiverordnung-in-der-praxis/ausgaben-archiv/ausgaben-ab-2015/ausgabe/artikel/2019/2019-03-04/supplemente-mit-omega-3-fettsauren-gibt-es-evidenzbasierte-indikationen , though I only did a quick google search)
Fish have nutritional benefits other than omega-3s, which would together be much more costly and arduous to supplement if one were to consider that worth doing
Even if one doesn’t make themselves eat a whole tin of fish every other day, you’d still get some health benefits from a lower dose of omega-3s
I hope that’s helpful to someone :)
Thanks a lot for your comment and for taking the time to run the numbers. :)
A few thoughts in response to your points:
The 0.9 g EPA/DHA per 100 g you used is on the lower end, and many sources put sardines higher. We used ~1.4 g as an average in the table, which changes the calculation somewhat. But more importantly, sardines don’t just replace EPA/DHA supplements. They also replace the protein source of a meal (often the most expensive component) and provide several other nutrients, that would otherwise have to be supplemented (e.g. B12) or that are not essential but beneficial (e.g. carninutrients).
I agree that incorporating half a tin of sardines per day wouldn’t be very practical for most people. If you look at it weekly though it’s 315 g, which corresponds to about three meals where sardines are the main protein source. Whether that’s easy to manage will differ a lot between individuals and probably depend heavily on how pleasant or unpleasant one finds the taste. It can be quite strong (mostly true for canned sardines, not fresh ones), but it also varies by brand (I’d recommend e.g. “Fish Tales”), and people can also aquire the taste over time. I agree that for some people taking supplements is behaviourally easier than having about 3 sardine (or mussel) meals per week.
One important point here is that sardine prices vary quite a lot by country. In Germany they’re relatively expensive, whereas in countries like France or the UK they’re often noticeably cheaper. Beyond that, I think again it’s important to consider that sardines don’t just provide protein, but also EPA/DHA and several other micronutrients, which might otherwise need to be supplemented. That effectively reduces their price compared to looking at protein alone.
Hope this is helpful!