Nick NorwitzMD PhD, Oxford-Harvard | Metabolic Health Educator | “Stay Curious”

I Ate 1000 Sardines. And My Mercury Levels…

8 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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0:34

In this short vlog, the creator recounts his month‑long experiment of eating 1,000 sardines (about 77 servings) and highlights the key takeaways. He notes a controversial claim that 77 sardine servings contain as much mercury as a single serving of swordfish. He reports dramatic personal health improvements: omega‑3 blood levels rose to “dolphin” levels, he felt more energetic, experienced heightened mental focus, better workout performance, and reduced body fat. The only negative outcome was a strong sardine odor that affected his girlfriend, suggesting a social cost to the diet. He ends with a tongue‑in‑cheek consideration of repeating the experiment despite the relationship risk.

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Seventy-seven. That's how many servings of sardines you need to eat to equal the amount of mercury in one serving of swordfish. This was a popular point of controversy after my 1000 sardines diet video. Yes, I ate 1000 sardines in a month, and honestly, it was fantastic. One, I enjoyed them. Two, my omega-3 blood levels shot to dolphin levels and I was energized, my brain was on fire, my workout performance was excellent, my body fat dropped. In fact, the only downside was that I stunk. Apparently, I smelled like sardines and my girlfriend couldn't get over it. So maybe I'll do it again, but I might end up single.