Is sushi good for you?

  • Is sushi good for you as a meal? Also, if it is, can someone recommend a good "variety" that has few calories, but a lot of protein and nutrients? Thanks,
    tracy
  • I think sushi is great. At the very basics it is - rice, vegetables, seaweed and fish (often raw fish).

    If you are trying to eat sushi during weight loss, I would suggest avoiding or limiting the following:

    The "spicy" sauce in spicy tuna rolls
    California rolls (if they are made with crab salad and mayo and not just crab)
    "Crunchy/spider" rolls or anything with fried shrimp or fried crab
    The sweet sauce on eel rolls
    Scallop rolls (made with a creamy sauce)
    Ask for all rolls without any mayo
    Cream cheese (Philadelphia rolls often have smoked salmon and cream cheese)

    Usually, at a sushi place, I order the following:

    Sashimi (sliced raw fish, no rice) - I like hamachi (yellowtail tuna) and salmon especially
    Seaweed salad
    I don't think rice is bad for me, but I don't end to eat a lot of it. I try to limit sushi dinners to 1 roll (6 pieces). If I get nigiri sushi (fish on little rice "pillows") I rarely eat the rice pillows. Some sushi places make sushi with brown rice, which is kinda cool.

    I love:
    California rolls
    Ume rolls - made with pickled plum
    Vegetable rolls
    Caterpillar rolls - salmon rolls with rice with avocado wrapped around the outside

    I ate sushi 2-3 times a week while losing weight, I think it's great! Here's a good link with more info
  • My favourite type is plain sashimi - raw fish on top of rice - it's SO good. One thing I'd like to point out is that some fish are very high in mercury, which can have health effects later in life (it's especially dangerous if you're pregnant or may have children in the future - it can build up in your bloodstream). Tuna is the most popular sushi fish that is high in mercury, which is a bummer 'cause it's my favourite! King mackerel is one of the highest of all fish, and is available as sashimi. This definitely doesn't mean you can't eat the stuff, but limit it to a maximum of three servings per week (try and avoid these fish altogether if you're pregnant or nursing).

    Otherwise, enjoy! And try some o****ashi - a spinach and sesame seed salad - it's super tasty.