This month we take a closer look at one of the less common varieties of canned fish.

A little fishy
There's nothing new about sardines, but the fact that they have been largely overlooked in the omega-3 stakes is, well, just a little bit fishy! Sardines are a great health bargain as they are easy to find, versatile, relatively inexpensive and pack a powerful omega-3 and vitamin D punch.

Packed with omega-3's
For example, King Oscar sardines in olive oil contain approximately 2000mg of DHA and EPA per 100g, compared with canned tuna and salmon in the range of 200-400mg/100g. There's no doubting that tuna and salmon are still excellent sources of long chain omega-3's (EPA and DHA), however, you can certainly boost your omega-3 intake with sardines.

Hailed for their heart health benefits and their role in helping to reduce the symptoms of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, long chain omega-3's are now being studied for their mind and mood benefits too. Further analysis of data from a Framingham study showed that the top 25 percent of plasma DHA concentrations were associated with a significant 47 percent reduction in the risk of developing dementia.

Additional benefits
Sardines contain calcium from their edible bones and are very low on the food chain, so they're likely to have lower levels of contaminants than other deep sea fish. Sardines are also one of the richest dietary sources of bone building vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with chronic medical conditions such as some cancers and auto immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

Some sardine diet ideas

• Gourmet pizza with sardines, rocket and fresh shavings of parmesan.

• Wholegrain toast with sardines in tomato sauce and freshly chopped parsley.