While tuna and sardines may dominate the canned fish offerings at your local supermarket, there's more to the food group than you think -- canned salmon, for example.

Research suggests that consuming canned tuna may provide a wide range of health benefits, from improving blood vessel function to boosting weight loss. Besides containing high-quality protein, selenium and potassium, canned tuna also possesses omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.

If you eat animal sources of protein, fish and chicken are your healthiest options. Canned sardines are a convenient and inexpensive way to include more fish in your diet. Often bypassed in favor of the more popular canned tuna, sardines are a concentrated source of protein, along with a number of other nutrients.

Canned tuna is a lean, inexpensive source of protein. But like most fish, tuna contains traces of mercury. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends certain people limit their intake of certain fish, including tuna.

The sardines diet not only can help with weight loss, but it also has advantages for general health. Detailed in the 2006 book, "The Sardine Diet,"

The American Heart Association encourages eating at least two servings of fish a week to benefit from the heart-healthy nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids found in most fish.