Why do sardines provide significant calcium if consumed entirely, including the small bones?
Answer
Because they are consumed whole, including the bones
The substantial calcium benefit derived from eating sardines stems directly from the practice of consuming the entire fish, especially the soft, edible bones. These bones are naturally rich in elemental calcium, making sardines a powerful source of this mineral, which is frequently noted as being scarce in the typical modern diet. If a person only consumes the fillets and discards the skeletal structure, they bypass this key advantage, rendering the nutritional justification for eating them less compelling from a bone health perspective.
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