Sprats: This Is How Healthy the Saltwater Fish Is

We will tell you why sprats are so healthy, what nutrients they contain and what you should consider when eating sprats. Sprats belong to the herring family and are more commonly known as ‘Kiel sprats’. They are also called Breitlings and are mainly fished in the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Sprats – that’s why they are so healthy

In Germany, sprats are mainly offered and consumed smoked. They belong to the oily fish family and are also a good source of protein.

• When raw, 100 grams of sprat contains about 215 kcal. Smoked, the fish are slightly higher in calories at around 240 kcal.
• The protein and fat content is raw at 16 grams and smoked at 18 to 19 grams per 100 grams of fish.
• Sprats have a high vitamin D content . 100 grams of sprats contain around 10 micrograms of vitamin D. With this amount of fish you already cover your entire daily vitamin D requirement .
• Especially in the darker months of the year, eating sprats is a good way to cover your daily vitamin D needs and prevent deficiency symptoms.
• There is also plenty of vitamin B12 in sprats. 100 grams of sprats contain an average of 7 micrograms of vitamin B12. To cover your daily requirement of this vitamin, 3 micrograms, i.e. a little more than 40 grams of sprats, are enough.
• Sprats are also a good supplier of vitamin E, vitamin B2 and vitamin B3 and, as marine fish, have a high content of minerals such as iodine and sodium.

What else you should know about eating sprats

Basically, it makes no difference whether you eat smoked sprats or prepare them differently.

• Smoked fish contains more calories per 100 grams due to the loss of water, but the nutrient content per portion also increases.
• Vitamins and minerals are hardly or not at all lost during smoking, since the temperature in the smoker is between 30 and a maximum of 60 degrees Celsius.
• Since sprat has a high content of purines, gout sufferers should eat the fish in small quantities and without the skin.
• In terms of sustainability, there is hardly anything wrong with sprat, as the fish is mainly caught in the Baltic and North Seas.
• According to WWF, stocks in these areas are in good, sustainable condition. Nevertheless, the WWF estimates the overall fishing pressure in the Baltic Sea as too high.