So I went to a restaurant with my family last night and we all sat at the sushi bar when we ordered our sushi...and just watching the people make it, I became inspired to see if I could make sushi of my own! Can't say it'll happen as I don't know if we even have the supplies where I live (I live in a small town no where NEAR the coast), but it got me thinking...is sushi really as healthy as everyone makes it out to be? I know for as filling as it is, it's very low in calories and depending on what you order (I had only the sushi for dinner last night, and that alone filled me up), just about the only part of it that doesn't seem completely healthy would be the sticky rice.
I dunno. I guess it's just that sushi seems too good to be true--I mean, it tastes great (when prepared right) and it's apparently very healthy. I just want to know what other peoples' takes on how healthy sushi really is. (My personal favourite is the California Roll. < 3)

It depends... an 8 piece California roll will have around 300 calories. Sometimes the crab meat will be mixed with mayo and that can up the cals a little. Also, there are plenty of healthy options for sushi, but there can also be some unhealthy ones as well- like a philidelphia roll, which contains cream cheese. And I know other kinds can be tricky with fat due to the kind of fish.

I keep it pretty simple when I go, sticking to avocado & cucumber or veggie or california rolls. It does fill me up, though! We had sushi for lunch at work yesterday and just off of several pieces of cucumber/av and cali rolls I was full until breakfast this morning.

The sticky rice is white rice, but for a roll or two, the amounts are fairly harmless.

I think the only thing that is even questionable in the sushi would be the rice. Otherwise, yes it's super healthy. Especially the seaweed.

Sushi is super easy to make! Especially the California roll. You just need some sticky rice, seaweed sheets, and whatever fillers you want. I don't particularly care for fish, but I'll use crab or imitation crab sometimes, avocado, carrots, zucchini, whatever you like. Spoon up a ball of sticky rice (I usually use my hands) take the ball, dab it in the middle of the stack of seaweed sheets. This is good for picking up only one sheet. Place on a bamboo mat, or wax paper if you don't have the mat. Spread out the rice, put your toppings on and roll up using the mat or paper to roll evenly. Then slice the roll into individual pieces and eat!

It's so funny that I know how to make this because I really don't like sushi all that much. I learned to make it when I visited Korea for two weeks in college. I loved it then! I don't know what was different, though!

You can make sushi at home with brown rice if you have a rice cooker. The healthiness factor will depend on what you are putting in your maki rolls and what kind of fish you use for your nigari sushi. I personally think that the fatty fish can be worth the calories since it is good fat, but that's up to you.

If you can't find the supplies check asianfoodgrocer.com. I've ordered from them before and they have most things.

"Healthy" is really a not a term that can be determined objectively, it's going to vary based on what your health needs are and the rest of your diet. There really aren't many "eat as much as you want" healthy foods, because too much of a good thing, even water, is always possible. Though as part of a generally balanced diet, sushi (if chosen carefully) is great.

You also need to remember that sushi isn't a single food, but a style/preparation method. It's alot like asking whether sandwhiches are healthy - they can be, but from a health standpoint, a turkey sandwhich on whole wheat is very different from a 1/2 lb greaseburger with double cheese.

When it comes to sushi, you need to know your filling and topping ingredients and how the sushi is prepared. Cream cheese is going to add calories. Anything with "crunch" or tempura in the title probably means deep-fried. Some fillings are prepared with mayonaise. Likewise tuna can be very fatty (generally the fattier the tuna, the more expensive the sushi). Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're taking the fat and calories into account or not eating huge portions.

If you google "sushi calories" or "sushi nutrition information" you will find websites that list the nutritional value of the most popular restaurant sushi items.

If you want to reduce the carbs, some sushi restaurants will use brown rice if requested. Other lower carb options at Japanese restaurants and sushi bars are sushimi (just the raw fish, not the rice), and octopus, squid, or seafood salads, edamame, yakitori (grilled chicken).

I love sushi and, as such, it's a staple of my diet (even ON diets, etc.) The difference between brown rice and white in a roll won't make a huge difference; down to a few grams of fibre maybe, but it can be a taste thing too. If you want to try making your own, Whole Foods sells sashimi grade fish meats and I recommend them highly. Even with the rice, it's vital and healthy carbs but if you're watching carb intake just try making sashimi like someone here suggested and spicing it up with some awesome side dishes like edamame and such.

I love sushi also! It is my fav. thing to eat out! I usually get sashimi though. Most places don't make maki rolls with brown rice around here and white is not on my plan. I personally consider sushi and esp. sashimi healthy. But again, it depends on what you ordered. A godzilla roll ( deep fried tempura roll) is not that healthy....but its good!

Good luck trying to make it. I tried one time and it was a lot harder than it seemed. My rolls didn't look very pretty but they were still good!

I loooooove sushi! I am addicted to it!

As for how healthy it is, I think everyone above me has covered that pretty well.

But, I think that even the worst, deep-fried roll you can get is probably still better than almost anything on the Carl's Jr menu, or loading yourself up with greasy junk food from other fast-food places.

(And even if it's not, shhhhh! Don't tell me that! Lalalalalaaaa! Not listening! )

I'll have to say that sushi (is amazing) and it's like anything else, its the extras that will get you. Fish rice and nori (the wrapper) yum yum, actually i made sushi for lunch heres the calories
1/4 c. (dry) sushi rice 160
1 sheet Nori 10
Fake crab 1 leg 45
1 t Rice vinegar 10 cals
soy sauce for dipping 10
Total for the roll 235
a strip of zucchini that I didn't count a dab of wasabi in the rice vinegar that I didn't count. probably 2 calories combined.

I love me some brown rice, and I would rather eat brown. But sushi just isn't sushi without sticky rice.

when we were in vancouver bc, there was a vancouver roll. I don't remember what was in it, but the fish was high fat, there was delicious sauce all all all over it, it was probably a 1500 cal plate, it was delicious tho

Oh, and I saw one of those "learn to cook" kits for sushi at walden books. It would be perfect for someone who is just starting or wants to cook for fun. Plus it was on clearance for $6.

Alright, thanks guys! =D Yeah, if I can find the stuff to make it here, I might have to try that...or see how expensive it is to order it or something. o-o There's really only one place to get sushi in this town, unless you want to go to the grocery store and buy the nasty packaged stuff, and the restaurant we go to to have our sushi is pretty expensive--it'd be great to have sushi more often, seeing as we're only going once every other week as it is so expensive! =/