Is Sushi Actually Good For Us?
There is no doubt that Sushi is not just for high end out of the way restaurants in big cities any more. No matter where you are these days you can pretty much be assured of finding fresh Sushi. Whether that be in a local Japanese restaurant or from the neighborhood supermarket, Sushi is now mainstream and that really is good news.
Sushi can be a very healthy addition to your diet, especially when it’s filled with vegetables, omega-3-rich seafood such as salmon and tuna, and small amounts of heart-healthy avocado.
As with most foods though, tasty additions can make the healthfulness of sushi debatable. In its purest form the health benefits are easy to see but include tempura batter and condiments such as mayo and cream cheese, and suddenly that little mouthful is significantly boosted with unhealthy fats and calories.
For example, a shrimp tempura roll drizzled with spicy mayo can contain more than 500 calories and more than 20 grams of fat, whereas your typical California roll containing crab has 3 times less fat and half as many calories. See how easy it is to go from good for you to oh so bad for you?
The little pot of soy sauce you harmlessly dip your roll into is unfortunately sodium-rich, in fact just one small tablespoon contributes about 900 milligrams of sodium, or about 40% of the daily recommended sodium limit. To give you some idea how high that is, if you were to eat 10 salted pretzel twists you would be consuming 744 milligrams of sodium. It is always prudent, therefore, to ask for a low-sodium version or just don’t have any at all, enjoy the flavors of the ingredients in the roll instead of the soy sauce.
We all know that white sushi rice is wonderfully sticky but beware, it’s typically made with sugar and salt along with vinegar and is a source of refined carbohydrates. Always ask for brown rice which, whilst maybe still containing sugar, is at least rich in whole grains and gives us a fiber boost as well as making us feel full quicker.
Obviously if you are pregnant or if you have an impaired immune system, don’t risk eating the raw seafood variety.
I will finish this article the same as I started it though. Sushi is wonderfully healthy and a great addition to your diet but, as with most foods, keep it simple with brown rice and seafood rich and you can enjoy as often as you like!