I do love the freshwater eel (Unagi) though (it's usually grilled, with a teriyaki type glaze), I just try to get it in nigiri (usually served in pairs, just little "fingers" of rice with the fish topping) because the serving is small.
I did order it once in a temaki, a handrolled sushi, in which the nori (seaweed wrapper) is rolled into an ice cream cone shape and the fillings added. Oh, my that was like the best fish sandwhich I had ever had. The portion of grilled eel and rice was pretty large, though.
I would disagree that sushi is always healthy, in the sense that "healthy" can only be considered in the context of a person's entire diet and lifestyle. There are some foods that have so little nutritional value that they can be more truthfully than not be labeled "unhealthy," but those are relatively rare. Even a McDonald's Big Mac wouldn't necessarily be "unhealthy" if a person were underweight/starving. If a person is starving - calories are the "first order of business," healthwise. In the US, that's rarely a problem.
Even the "healthiest" food is unhealthy if it is eaten to the exclusion of other foods. To a person who is very overweight, high calorie foods are unhealthy, even if those foods contain a lot of nutrients (so in that sense, sushi can be "unhealthy," deep-frying and adding large amounts of mayo - do make sushi unhealthy (for me, and for others needing to watch their weight or fat intake).
I spent several years as a super morbidly obese person eating only "healthy foods." I can truthfully say that a "whole foods diet," is not a healthy diet for a 400 lb woman, if that diet allows her to maintain her weight.
Rice is a healthy food, the "all-rice" diet isn't healthy, and to a person trying to follow it, rice would become unhealthy.
I think most of us interpreted the question to be "is sushi a healthy choice for weight loss?" (which is a better question than "is sushi healthy?")
For weight loss and maintenance, the calorie count in sushi DOES have to be considered (unless a person is of average or underweight - well, I guess even then the calories matter, perhaps in a different direction).
Also, since sushi only has to contain the vinegared rice in order to be legitimately called sushi - all other fillings are optional and limitless (and can be healthy or not). Sushi can contain ingredients that (for the average American) would be quite unhealthy. I've seen or eaten fried chicken, egg salad or barbecued pork shushi - even "dessert sushi" containing candy bars (I haven't eaten dessert sushi, but have seen it on the food or travel channel).
So sushi usually isn't "unhealthy," but it cetainly CAN be.
I always thought of sushi as a treat I'd get when I get to go out with my friends (A once a month or less endeavor) and usually at one sit in I could probably only eat 6-10 pieces and some miso soup. Of course the specialty rolls that are fried and cream cheesed are a bit on the high caloric side and probably defeats the sushi experience. But I don't think you can do much damage with them unless you eat them very frequently...
I like to make my own version of a dynamite roll at home with brown rice. I steam the rice, then drizzle it with rice vinegar and a little salt. Spread the rice on nori, add a thin layer of chili mayo (I make it myself with half-fat mayo and chili sauce) then top with grilled shrimp (no tempura or frying), julienned cucumber, and green onions. Roll up, chill, then slice and serve with soy sauce and wasabi. Sooooo good!
Making it at home means I can make it a lot healthier - brown rice instead of white (I actually can't stand white rice anymore, the brown has a much nicer taste!), no sugar in the vinegar, grilled not fried shrimp, and low-fat mayo. The rolls taste just really nice, and I prefer them now to traditional dynamite rolls - they're lighter-tasting, but still with loads of flavor and a good kick from the chili.
You can make so many other varieties this way - crab and cucumber is also really good, with a small amount of avocado right in the centre.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaplods
I would disagree that sushi is always healthy, in the sense that "healthy" can only be considered in the context of a person's entire diet and lifestyle. There are some foods that have so little nutritional value that they can be more truthfully than not be labeled "unhealthy," but those are relatively rare. Even a McDonald's Big Mac wouldn't necessarily be "unhealthy" if a person were underweight/starving. If a person is starving - calories are the "first order of business," healthwise. In the US, that's rarely a problem.
Even the "healthiest" food is unhealthy if it is eaten to the exclusion of other foods. To a person who is very overweight, high calorie foods are unhealthy, even if those foods contain a lot of nutrients (so in that sense, sushi can be "unhealthy," deep-frying and adding large amounts of mayo - do make sushi unhealthy (for me, and for others needing to watch their weight or fat intake).
I spent several years as a super morbidly obese person eating only "healthy foods." I can truthfully say that a "whole foods diet," is not a healthy diet for a 400 lb woman, if that diet allows her to maintain her weight.
Rice is a healthy food, the "all-rice" diet isn't healthy, and to a person trying to follow it, rice would become unhealthy.
I think most of us interpreted the question to be "is sushi a healthy choice for weight loss?" (which is a better question than "is sushi healthy?")
For weight loss and maintenance, the calorie count in sushi DOES have to be considered (unless a person is of average or underweight - well, I guess even then the calories matter, perhaps in a different direction).
Also, since sushi only has to contain the vinegared rice in order to be legitimately called sushi - all other fillings are optional and limitless (and can be healthy or not). Sushi can contain ingredients that (for the average American) would be quite unhealthy. I've seen or eaten fried chicken, egg salad or barbecued pork shushi - even "dessert sushi" containing candy bars (I haven't eaten dessert sushi, but have seen it on the food or travel channel).
So sushi usually isn't "unhealthy," but it cetainly CAN be.
Well I agree with that and completely get where you are coming from but I didn't say to eat only sushi, I said watch how much you have.
You should never have a diet exclusively of anything. I think it is all about balance. Good points though.
Well I agree with that and completely get where you are coming from but I didn't say to eat only sushi, I said watch how much you have.
You should never have a diet exclusively of anything. I think it is all about balance. Good points though.
I didn't mean that you did - I was only disagreeing with the statement that "there's nothing unhealthy about sushi," and my point was that that isn't necessarily so, and gave some examples of how sushi (or any food at all) COULD be unhealthy. And that for a person needing to lose weight, calorie content is one of the factors that determines whether a food is unhealthy.
In general, I think the question "is _________ healthy" really is far too generic to be able to provide a very meaningful answer. It's a bit like asking "is ______ good?" The answer very much depends on an implicit second question, which is "Good for what?"
Because there are a lot of potential sushi ingredients that are incompatible with a variety of dietary needs (that is, incompatible with a "healthy" diet), you have to ask "healthy in what way," before saying yes or no. Sushi can be "unhealthy" in a variety of ways - by eating it in excess, by eating sushi that includes ingredients that are very high in sodium, fat, calories...
The point I really was trying to make, is that it is important not to think of foods as generically "healthy" or "unhealthy," without understanding the bigger context. The "good for what?" part of the question.
Living in Japan, I thought I'd be qualified to answer the sushi question, but now I see how wrong I am. Sushi in the States is no longer sushi, is it? Tempura? Blazing? Dynamite? Mayonnaise? Cream cheese?!? Fried?!?!! What the heck?!?! They really should change the name. I guess it's how Americans must feel when they see mayo, corn, squid and such on the pizza here. Gotta love it.
Last edited by redballoon; 10-17-2009 at 08:54 PM.
Is sushi healthy? It is about as healthy as Greek or Indian food - you have some really great options (as opposed to say, a BBQ house), but don't be fooled, there is a lot of crap food served in North American sushi restaurants.
First, good quality sashimi (raw fish, no rice) is great, no doubt about that!
Remember that a regular sushi roll has about one cup of white rice in it (I know, seems crazy!), so if you have 3 rolls, that's a lot of white rice!
redballoon is correct with her menu of mayo, cream cheese, fried everything not being REAL sushi.
It's like Chinese food - a Chinese person doesn't touch Honey Garlic Pork or stuff like that. If you go to a real Chinese restaurant, you will see they all share steamed fish, white rice, steamed or sauteed veggies, with the treat usually being a 1/4 or 1/2 duck. I worked in a Chinese restaurant in high school and we never ate what we served, we only ate what the cooks made.
So chow down, but make good choices! You really can't go wrong with sashimi and a small bowl of rice, plus seaweed or even a sunomono.
Sushi is my favorite lunch! I don't eat it very often but when I do i make it as healthy as possible.
First, I order a side of edamame for some awesome protein and fiber. Then, I usually just order a Rainbow roll which is california roll with raw fish on top. The avocado is a healthy fat compared to the 'spicy' sushi rolls that are just seasoned mayo and for me i feel like it's a healthy alternative to the fried rice at hibachi places as well.
IMO, sushi is healthy in moderation. Like some of you above had mention, brown rice sushi rolls are better. Avoid tempura, eel, mayo, etc...
I only go for tuna or salmon sashimi about 3-6oz depending on what other protein intake I've had throughout the day. And I'll usually enjoy a salad, no dressing. YUM!!
They really should change the name. I guess it's how Americans must feel when they see mayo, corn, squid and such on the pizza here. Gotta love it. 
