Wild Planet No Salt Added Sardines in Water: 18g Protein, Labelgrade B+ (83/100)
B+ 83 / 100 — A two-ingredient can — sardines and water, nothing else. 18g of complete protein per 3 oz at 140 calories, with the omega-3s, calcium (bones included) and vitamin D that make sardines a nutritional outlier. The 'no salt added' version drops sodium to ~70mg per serving, well below the ~200-400mg of most canned fish. The only thing keeping it from an A-range grade is the fat-driven calorie count, which is the whole point of an oily fish.
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Wild Planet No Salt Added Wild Sardines in Water deliver 18 g of protein for 140 calories in a 3 oz (85 g) serving — about 21 g per 100 g — from a can with exactly two ingredients: sardines and water (USDA FDC 1858913). It earns a B+ (83 / 100). The headline isn’t the protein, though; it’s the sodium. By skipping the curing salt that nearly every canned fish carries, this can lands at ~70 mg of sodium per serving and a perfect A+ on that dimension — three to five times lower than the tuna and salted sardines it sits next to on the shelf. The only thing keeping it out of the A range is the calorie count, and that comes from the omega-3-rich fish oil that is the entire reason to eat a sardine.
Why the B+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B+ | 82 / 100 | 21 g per 100 g — strong for a whole canned food, though the natural fish oil keeps it just below ultra-lean water-packed tuna (~23-25 g) |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | Two ingredients: sardines and water. No oil, no brine, no additives — about as clean as a label gets. The cap below A is structural, not a knock |
| Saturated fat load | B+ | 80 / 100 | 2.5 g per serving (2.9 g per 100 g) — moderate. The 8 g total fat is mostly the unsaturated omega-3s, not the saturated portion |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 69.7 mg per serving — exceptional, and the reason to buy this SKU. No salt added; most canned fish runs 3-5x higher |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g sugar, 0 g carbs — structural for plain fish |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — unavoidable for any pure animal protein |
The fiber “F” is structural: no animal protein has fiber, and the formula scores everything on the same scale rather than pretending fish should. The honest, deliberate trade-off is the saturated-fat and calorie hit — at 140 calories this is meaningfully heavier than a can of water-packed tuna. But you’re not paying those calories for nothing; you’re paying them for the fish oil, which is where the omega-3s live. For an oily fish, a B+ that dings only fat and fiber is about as high as the math goes.
The whole point is the sodium
Sodium is the single biggest knock against canned fish, and this product exists specifically to remove it. Because nothing is added during canning, the ~70 mg per serving is just what the fish carries naturally. To put that in context against products in the same category:
- This can: ~70 mg per 3 oz
- King Oscar Sardines in Pure Spring Water: 200 mg per 85 g can (a clean, water-packed rival — and still ~3x this)
- Wild Planet’s own Sea Salt sardines: ~250 mg per serving (same fish, salt added)
- Most canned tuna and salted sardines: 200-400 mg per serving
A 3 oz serving here is about 3% of the 2,300 mg daily ceiling; even the whole can (~102 mg) stays low. That makes this one of the very few shelf-stable, no-prep proteins that fits a low-sodium or DASH plan without compromise — most of the convenient options (deli meat, jerky, tuna in brine) are exactly the foods those diets tell you to cut.
What rides along with the protein
A plain protein number undersells a sardine. Per 3 oz, alongside the 18 g of protein you get:
- Omega-3s (EPA/DHA) carried in the 8 g of natural fish oil — the reason the calories sit where they do, and the reason cardiologists single sardines out.
- ~150 mg of calcium from the soft, edible bones that stay in the can — the kind of calcium you throw away when you buy a boneless fillet. That’s meaningful for a protein source; chicken and tuna give you almost none.
- Vitamin D and B12, which come standard in oily fish and are hard to get from most lean proteins.
- Low mercury. Sardines are small and short-lived, so they accumulate far less mercury than tuna or larger fish — you can eat them often without the accumulation worry that limits albacore.
Very few whole foods stack protein, omega-3s, vitamin D and calcium into one shelf-stable package. The scoring model rewards protein density and dings fiber and sodium; it gives no explicit credit for that micronutrient bundle, so if you weight those, the food is even better than an 83 suggests.
Sardines or tuna?
This is the real decision most shoppers are making at the shelf, so it’s worth being direct. If your only goal is the leanest possible protein-per-calorie, water-packed tuna wins — it’s lighter (~60-90 cal for similar protein) and a touch higher in protein density. But tuna gives you almost none of the omega-3s, bone calcium or vitamin D, and its salted cans carry several times the sodium of this one. Sardines trade a little leanness for that micronutrient package and for lower mercury. If you want protein plus the nutritional extras — and especially if you’re watching sodium — this no-salt can wins both contests outright.
Salted or no-salt?
If you don’t need to watch sodium, Wild Planet’s Sea Salt version is the same fish with salt for flavor (~250 mg per serving) and tastes a little more seasoned straight from the can. Choose the no-salt can if you’re managing blood pressure, eating sardines daily, or simply prefer to add your own salt to taste — you can always salt up a low-sodium food, but you can’t unsalt a brined one. Note that Wild Planet also packs these sardines in olive oil and in marinade (lemon, harissa), which add ingredients, calories and fat and shift the panel; this page is only the plain water, no-salt SKU.
Ingredients
Sardines (Sardinops sagax or Sardinops melanostictus) and water. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 1858913 — no salt, no oil, no additives.)
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 3 oz (85 g)
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (3 oz (85 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 140 |
| Protein | 18g |
| Total Fat | 8g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 0g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 69.7mg |
| Cholesterol | 40mg |
| Calcium | 150mg |
| Iron | 1.8mg |
| Potassium | 105mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to No Salt Added Wild Sardines in Water (4.4 oz (125 g) can) · UPC 829696000893. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Wild Planet No Salt Added Sardines?
18 g per 3 oz (85 g) serving — about 21 g per 100 g, or 6 g per ounce (USDA FDC 1858913). The 4.4 oz can holds roughly 27 g. It's a complete animal protein with all nine essential amino acids, and it comes packed in plain water rather than oil, so the protein-per-calorie is close to the drained fish itself.
How is the sodium only ~70 mg when most canned fish is so salty?
Because no salt is added during canning. The only two ingredients are sardines and water, so the ~70 mg per serving is the sodium that occurs naturally in the fish — nothing is curing it. For comparison, the salted version of these same Wild Planet sardines runs about 250 mg, King Oscar's water-packed sardines about 200 mg, and many tuna and sardine SKUs land in the 200-400 mg range. At ~70 mg this is one of the lowest-sodium shelf-stable proteins you can buy, which is why it earns a perfect A+ on the sodium dimension.
Is this a good fit for a low-sodium or DASH diet?
Unusually good. A 3 oz serving uses about 3% of the 2,300 mg daily sodium ceiling, and even the whole can (~102 mg) stays low. Most convenient, shelf-stable proteins — deli meat, canned tuna in brine, jerky — are sodium traps; this one delivers 18 g of protein, omega-3s and calcium while barely touching your sodium budget. For someone watching blood pressure, that combination is rare.
Are sardines actually that healthy, or is it marketing?
They're a genuine nutritional outlier. Per 3 oz you get ~18 g protein, the EPA/DHA omega-3s that ride along in the 8 g of natural fish oil, vitamin D, and ~150 mg of calcium because the soft edible bones stay in the can. Very few whole foods stack protein, omega-3s, vitamin D and bone calcium in one package. As a small, short-lived fish, sardines also sit far lower on the mercury scale than tuna.
Why is the fat 8 g and the saturated fat 2.5 g — should I worry?
No. Sardines are an oily fish, and that oil is the point — most of the 8 g of total fat is the unsaturated omega-3 fat you're eating sardines for. The 2.5 g of saturated fat (about 2.9 g per 100 g) is modest. That natural oil is the only reason the calories (140) sit higher than water-packed tuna; it's the one thing keeping this from an A-range grade, and it's a feature, not a flaw.
Is it keto- and paleo-friendly?
Yes, cleanly. 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 18 g protein and 8 g fat per serving fit ketogenic, paleo, Whole30 and carnivore frameworks without qualification — two ingredients, no breading, no additives, no oil.
Whole-can or per-serving numbers?
The label serving is 3 oz (85 g), but the can holds 4.4 oz (125 g), so most people eat about 1.47 servings. Whole-can that's roughly 27 g protein, ~205 calories, ~3.7 g saturated fat and ~102 mg sodium. Every number on this page is per the 85 g serving unless stated otherwise.