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  6. Sardines vs. Tuna

Sardines vs. Tuna — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are sardines and tuna different?

  • Sardines are higher in vitamin B12, calcium, iron, phosphorus, copper, and vitamin D*; however, tuna is richer in vitamin B3, selenium, and vitamin B6.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin B12 for sardines is 275% higher.
  • Sardines contain 96 times more calcium than tuna. While sardines contain 382mg of calcium, tuna contains only 4mg.
  • Tuna has less cholesterol.

Fish, sardine, Atlantic, canned in oil, drained solids with bone and Fish, tuna, yellowfin, fresh, cooked, dry heat are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Sardines vs Tuna infographic
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Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 28% 115% 35% 110% 62% 36% 210% 40% 14% 287%
Tuna
Tuna
3
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 30% 1.2% 47% 35% 14% 12% 143% 7% 1.7% 590%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +9450%
Contains more IronIron +217.4%
Contains more CopperCopper +332.6%
Contains more ZincZinc +191.1%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +47.1%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +730.8%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +32.7%
Contains less SodiumSodium -82.4%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +105.3%
~equal in Magnesium ~42mg

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate 0% 72% 11% 41% 20% 52% 98% 39% 39% 1118% 6.5% 7.5%
Tuna
Tuna
3
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate 0% 30% 7.3% 5.8% 34% 32% 414% 20% 240% 294% 0.25% 1.5%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +140%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +45.5%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +603.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +65.7%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +92.2%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +280.4%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +2500%
Contains more FolateFolate +400%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +67.5%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +320.8%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +521.6%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Sardines Tuna DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 8.94µg 2.35µg 275%
Vitamin B3 5.245mg 22.07mg 105%
Selenium 52.7µg 108.2µg 101%
Vitamin B6 0.167mg 1.038mg 67%
Calcium 382mg 4mg 38%
Polyunsaturated fat 5.148g 0.175g 33%
Cholesterol 142mg 47mg 32%
Iron 2.92mg 0.92mg 25%
Phosphorus 490mg 333mg 22%
Fats 11.45g 0.59g 17%
Copper 0.186mg 0.043mg 16%
Vitamin D* 193 IU 82 IU 14%
Vitamin D 4.8µg 2µg 14%
Vitamin E 2.04mg 0.29mg 12%
Sodium 307mg 54mg 11%
Protein 24.62g 29.15g 9%
Monounsaturated fat 3.869g 0.138g 9%
Zinc 1.31mg 0.45mg 8%
Vitamin B2 0.227mg 0.137mg 7%
Vitamin B5 0.642mg 0.334mg 6%
Saturated fat 1.528g 0.205g 6%
Vitamin B1 0.08mg 0.134mg 5%
Calories 208kcal 130kcal 4%
Potassium 397mg 527mg 4%
Manganese 0.108mg 0.013mg 4%
Vitamin K 2.6µg 0.1µg 2%
Folate 10µg 2µg 2%
Magnesium 39mg 42mg 1%
Vitamin A 32µg 22µg 1%
Protein per 100 calories 12g 22g N/A
Calories per 10 g protein 84kcal 45kcal N/A
Weight per 100 calories 48g 77g N/A
Unsaturated / Saturated Fat ratio 5.9 1.5 N/A
Trans fat 0.02g N/A
Choline 75mg 77.6mg 0%
Tryptophan 0.276mg 0.313mg 0%
Threonine 1.079mg 1.224mg 0%
Isoleucine 1.134mg 1.287mg 0%
Leucine 2.001mg 2.27mg 0%
Lysine 2.26mg 2.565mg 0%
Methionine 0.729mg 0.827mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.961mg 1.091mg 0%
Valine 1.268mg 1.438mg 0%
Histidine 0.725mg 0.822mg 0%
Omega-3 - EPA 0.473g 0.015g N/A
Omega-3 - DHA 0.509g 0.105g N/A
Omega-3 - DPA 0g 0.005g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.002g N/A

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
25% 11% 60% 4%
Protein: 24.62 g
Fats: 11.45 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 59.61 g
Other: 4.32 g
Tuna
Tuna
2
29% 69%
Protein: 29.15 g
Fats: 0.59 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 68.98 g
Other: 1.28 g
Contains more FatsFats +1840.7%
Contains more OtherOther +237.5%
Contains more ProteinProtein +18.4%
Contains more WaterWater +15.7%
~equal in Carbs ~0g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
14% 37% 49%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 1.528 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 3.869 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 5.148 g
Tuna
Tuna
1
40% 27% 34%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.205 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.138 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.175 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +2703.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +2841.7%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -86.6%

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References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Sardines - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/175139/nutrients
  2. Tuna - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172006/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.