A 62-year-old health coach has claimed that a bizarre diet of sardines and vegetable oil helped her lose 10kg and relieve symptoms of an agonising pain condition.
The 1.70m-tall paramedic weighed 13 stone in May this year, meaning her body mass index (BMI) was firmly in the overweight category.
However, in just 10 days of following her canned fish diet, she had lost almost 100 pounds, which was “all liquid.”
By day 70, I was down to 63 kilos and 3 kilos, just 900 grams of weight loss to classify it as a healthy weight.
Jane, 62, lost 30 pounds in two and a half months thanks to a diet based solely on sardines.
Additionally, she claims the high-protein diet also helped resolve pain caused by a common foot problem known as plantar fasciitis.
The condition causes pain in the sole of the foot, around the heel and arch, especially when walking.
Scientists are not sure exactly what causes the condition, but it is known that carrying excess weight makes it worse due to excess pressure on the feet.
Speaking with social media doctor Annette Bosworth, better known as Dr. BozThe woman said her foot pain had gone “from 10 to 2” after the sardine diet.
“Within the first week I was crying (in pain),” said the woman, whom Dr. Boz referred to as Jane.
Sardines have long been recommended by experts for their high calcium content, which can help keep bones strong in old age.
“Initially my goal was to reduce pain, but now I’m recognizing even more the problem I have with volume addiction,” she said in a video posted on Dr. Boz’s YouTube channel, where she has nearly 700,000 subscribers.
‘I’m learning that I can eat small plates of food and still feel satisfied.’
Jane explained that she decided to start the diet when her previous carnivore eating plan stopped helping her lose weight.
The former military worker had gained two and a half stone in a year due to the excess calories she was consuming on the low-carb, meat-heavy diet.
When she first discussed the idea of a sardine-only diet with her friends and family, they thought she was “crazy” and “depriving” herself of nutrition.
“My sister is a nurse, so the first thing we did was think about how she was going to get enough nutrition,” she said, adding that she takes a multivitamin daily.
Jane recorded her blood sugar levels throughout the experiment and found that they decreased as time went on.
Jane said she was also concerned about the amount of heavy metals, such as mercury, in the amount of sardines she was eating.
Mercury is a naturally occurring heavy metal that can accumulate in the bodies of fish in the form of methylmercury, which is highly toxic.
However, studies carried out in the UK show that the level of metal in our canned fish is practically negligible.
“Sardines are the smallest fish,” Jane said. “We don’t think they contain much mercury because they don’t live very long.”
His diet consists of four cans of sardines a day, along with two tablespoons of a type of vegetable oil called MCT at each meal.
MCT oil is a tasteless, laboratory-made substance extracted from palm kernels and coconuts.
Some diet influencers on social media argue that the fat in MCT oil can help with weight loss because the body breaks it down more effectively than other fat molecules.
Jane kept her energy intake strictly controlled to ensure she never ate more than 1,500 calories per day.
The pictures show Jane at her heaviest last year, before she embarked on a carnivore diet that saw her lose two and a half stone.
The NHS recommends that women consume around 2,000 calories and men 2,500 to maintain their weight.
Detailing her daily diet, Jane said she starts with her first stomach-churning can of sardines very early, at 8 a.m.
At lunchtime, around 12 noon, “double down” and opt for two cans along with four tablespoons of MCT oil.
Exceptionally, he makes sure his last meal of the day is before 3pm, when he eats his last can.
“I realized on the 30th,” he said. “The sardines satisfied my hunger.”
‘I didn’t need to wonder where my next meal would be or where it would come from.
“I wasn’t hungry and I went to the cupboard… it was like a light went on. I’m not hungry, I don’t need to eat.”
Jane measured her blood sugar levels daily throughout the experiment and reported that after just five days, her levels had “dropped” into a healthier category.
A persistent blood sugar level above 7 mmol/l before eating is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Jane says her daily fasting blood sugar level dropped from 9 mmol/l before the experiment to between 6 and 7.
As for whether she’s getting bored of eating sardines every day, Jane said she’s “very happy” to eat canned fish so often.
“I’m not done. I’m going to keep going,” he said.
Sardines and other fatty fish are thought to be especially nutritious due to the multitude of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients they provide, despite being relatively low in calories.
The NHS recommends eating fish such as pilchards or sardines as they are high in vitamin D and calcium, which are essential for strong bones.
A can of sardines also contains almost 20 grams of satiating protein, vital for strong muscles and ensuring satiety. This is just under half the amount the NHS recommends an adult woman consumes daily.
One can contains approximately 230 calories, making it a relatively slimming food option.
Some scientists who advocate an abundance of oily fish in the diet argue that it can improve brain health and even protect against dementia, due to high levels of omega-3 fats.
However, a number of recent analyses have concluded that fish oil supplements containing omega-3 have little impact on dementia risk.
