Functional foods are food frequently considered to be fortified, whole, enhanced or

enriched foods that offer health benefits beyond provision of essential nutrients such as vitamins,

proteins, minerals among others. Functional foods are often consumed at efficacious levels as

part of a varied diet on a regular basis. One of the best functional foods I like is Fatty Fish. Thus

is because it helps in sharpening the mind and strengthening the heart. Besides, it is also good in

belly-flattening. Some of the examples of fatty and oily fish foods include salmon, mackerel,

sardines, tuna and tilapia among others. For this assignment, I am going to focus on Sardines as a

functional food as it is the highest in omega-3 and contains the lowest mercury. The fact that it

has low mercury makes it much healthier compared to other fatty fish such as Tuna which is also

rich in omega-3 but has high mercury level (9 Fatty Fish High In Omega-3 (and Low In

Mercury, 2019).

RECIPE FOR SARDINE AND CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

INCREDIENTS

1 green onion minced

¼ cup minced fresh dill

1 can oil-packed sardines drained

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

¼ minced fresh parsley

8 oz cream cheese softened

½ teaspoon pepper

1 tbsp hot pepper sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD/PROCEDURE

1. Put all the sardine, cream cheese, onion, 2 tbsp (25ml) parsley, lemon rind, lemon juice,

hot pepper, and pepper sauce in a food processor and blend.

2. Scrap down side of the bowl once or twice.

3. Scrape into serving bowl.

4. Then cover it with a plastic wrap.

5. Thereafter refrigerate for 2 hours (Refrigerate for up to 3 days)

6. Garnish the result with the remaining parsley.

7. Then serve (Kitchen, T. C, 2005).

 The preparation of the above recipe has been tremendously successful. The ingredients used

such as pepper, pepper sauce, lemon rind and lemon juice gave the food tasty and more

delicious. Besides, the cheese used made it look silky and gave it a tender texture and moist. My

final product or outcome looked very yummy and attractive. However, for future modification, I

would add a little coconut milk to make a smooth sauce then simmer for about five minutes

before adding it to my drained sardine. This is because coconut oil is good for weight loss, heart

health and also boosts the immune system. The recipe I have just prepared is healthy and

nutritious as it contains both DHA and EPA fats that are not only helpful to the brain and heart

but also reduces inflammation. Also they contain selenium which is needed by the body for

glutathione production (Wells, K., & Wells, K. W, 2019).

 References

Wells, K., & Wells, K. W. (2019, July 30). 8 Reasons to Eat Sardines (& How to Make Them

Tasty): Wellness Mama. Retrieved from https://wellnessmama.com/252465/sardines-benefits/

Kitchen, T. C. (2005, July 14). Sardine and Cream Cheese Spread. Retrieved from

https://www.canadianliving.com/food/recipe/sardine-and-cream-cheese-spread

9 Fatty Fish High In Omega-3 (and Low In Mercury). (2019, July 01). Retrieved from

https://www.nutritionadvance.com/fatty-fish/