Sprat

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

A small fish you eat whole. The bones are the point.

Stage by stage

Intake (Whole fish chewed): Flesh, skin and soft bone are chewed together rather than filleted apart.
Digestion (Bone mineral dissolved): Gastric acid solubilises hydroxyapatite from the skeleton, releasing absorbable calcium and phosphate.
Absorption (Minerals enter circulation): Calcium, iodine, selenium, haem iron and B12 are absorbed together from one food.
Over time (Bone, thyroid and blood): Calcium feeds bone remodelling while iodine and selenium support thyroid hormone synthesis and activation.

Time to effect

Months: Bone mineral responds over months of regular intake; thyroid-related minerals shift within weeks.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

208 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £11 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 90
Protein: 18.7g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 1.6g
of which saturated: 0.5g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 675mg

Food vs. supplement

A calcium tablet supplies one mineral. A whole small fish supplies calcium at comparable absorption plus protein, iodine, selenium, B12 and some vitamin D, which is the stronger case where the food is palatable.

Kitchen tip

The bones are the nutritional argument, so any preparation that involves filleting removes most of what makes this fish worth eating.

Common myth

"Sprats are an oily fish, so they are a good omega-3 source." In reality: At 1.6g total fat and under 300mg omega-3 per 100g, sprat is lean. Its real distinction is mineral density — calcium from the edible skeleton, plus selenium and iodine — not long-chain omega-3.