Rachael Davis
We’ve all seen the exclusion diets that have gained a strong foothold on social media. Whether it’s scarlet carnivores saying they’re full of energy or talking heads saying we should be frightened of fruit, if you can imagine it then there’s probably someone out there doing it.
This one’s particularly unusual, though: a woman who exclusive ate sardines for three months whilst sticking to strict fasting principles.
Speaking to Dr Annette Bosworth, affectionately known as Dr Boz, Jane Crummett, 62, saying ‘people think I’m absolutely nuts’.
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We wouldn’t say that, although there’s something fishy going on. Not in a suspicious way, of course, but in a… fishy way.
Have you ever wondered what would happen to your body if you strictly only ate sardines for three months? Well... neither have I.
The ‘72-hour sardine fast’ was originally thought up by Dr Box, with Crummett happening upon the idea and deciding to give a go.
Essentially, the concept aims to accelerate your metabolism and make your body more efficient at burning fat.
Crummett, a retired military therapist, said she ate four cans of sardine a day over three months. The sardines she went for had some added MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil which can help with energy levels.
Crummett appeared on Dr Boz’s YouTube channel to share the effects. She said that she started out at 196 pounds (88kg) but dropped to 161 pounds (73kg) over the three-month diet.
She said she was eating around 1,500 calories per day via the sardines, and that when she adopted the diet she was suffering foot pain, inflammation and what she called a ‘food addiction’.
The diet seemed to help relieve the foot pain, lowered her blood sugar, and has given her a greater sense of energy.
Of course, this kind of diet is very much an extreme one that comes with various risks.
Speaking to SurreyLive, Dr Masarat Jilani from healthy company Jude explained some of those potential pitfalls.
“The history of dieting is full of single-food diets, and the viral sardine fast is just the latest,” she said.
"There is a lot of nutritional good in sardines, they are full of healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and B12, as well as calcium.
"That said, eating sardines alone is not a healthy choice. Firstly, they contain zero fibre. Fibre is crucial for gut health and digestion. A diet based solely on sardines could lead to constipation."
She added: "The way sardines are canned means they are usually preserved in either salt or oil. If they are salted sardines, you will be consuming an excessive amount of sodium, which can raise your blood pressure and put strain on your kidneys.
"They also contain heavy metals and mercury—though not in the same amounts as larger fish. Sardines are generally low in these contaminants.
"However, if consumed in large quantities over time, the accumulation of these trace metals could still be a concern, especially as part of a sardine-only diet or fast.”