Lose weight and stay lean while eating sushi?

I have to credit this post to a friend of mine who recently asked me if I thought sushi was a healthy choice for a meal. My answer to this question is revealed below however let’s first take a second to talk about this unique dish. What exactly is sushi? Sushi is a Japanese cuisine that consists of rice shaped into small rolls or pieces and topped with ingredients such as fish, vegetables, and egg.

I know that not everyone likes sushi. The idea of putting something raw and gooooey in your mouth doesn’t appeal to many people and they are quick to dismiss the dish as gross or disgusting. What many “sushi haters” fail to realize is that not all sushi contains raw fish. Many dishes such as shrimp tempura and California rolls are served cooked or with vegetables only and taste pretty amazing. Even many of the sushi dishes containing raw fish can taste great with the addition of spicy and tangy sauces, ginger, rice, avocado, and yes tempura batter. Take some fried shrimp tempura and dip it in some spicy mayo sauce and it is DEL”OOOOH”cious. Unfortunately fried and saucy sushi dishes such as this aren’t the healthiest meal in the world. In fact four pieces of shrimp tempura contains 50 grams of fat and nearly 600 calories, which brings me back to my friends question of whether sushi is a healthy choice or not. When I say a “healthy choice” I am referring to whether or not sushi is an ideal option for weight loss or weight management. The answer as you would expect is yes and no. Sushi can certainly be a healthy alternative for any diet or weight loss plan as long as the right type of sushi and correct portion size is consumed. You obviously want to stay away from any fried sushi such as tempura and fattening sauces such as spicy mayo sauce. Save these choices for a “cheat meal” or “junkier day” of eating.

[Here are a couple of pictures I thought were interesting of sushi assorted to form cakes]
Now in order to learn how to make healthy sushi choices lets break down the structure of a typical sushi roll. A sushi roll which usually consists of six to eight pieces of sushi contains three main ingredients, sea weed, rice, and fish or vegetables. Sea weed is virtually calorie less with zero fat and a gram of carbs per serving. The rice in sushi is usually white rice, which isn’t an ideal carb choice because of its high glycemic value. (see my “don’t fear carbs” post to learn about the glycemic index) As for the fish, I believe any fish is healthy to eat and the same holds true for the fish in sushi as long as isn’t cooked in oil or any unhealthy sauces or batters. So we can conclude that sushi in its simplest form is a pretty healthy choice. The only recommendation I would make is to order sushi with brown rice rather than white rice. Brown rice has a lower glycemic value and is a healthier option. The choice of brown rice over white rice can be compared to choosing 100 percent whole wheat or whole grain bread over white bread.

Sushi is basically a different way of eating fish and rice and what’s wrong with that? Nothing! Sushi only begins to become unhealthy with the addition of unhealthy ingredients such as, tempura (fried batter), full fat mayonnaise, cream cheese, and other unhealthy sauces and dressings. For instance, many people are misled into thinking the dish the California roll is always a healthy option. The California roll is a sushi roll that usually consists of cooked crab meat, white rice, and avocado, which with the substitution of brown for white rice would be a very healthy meal. The problem is that many restaurants mix the crab meat with full fat mayonnaise. When ordering this dish or any sushi dish I would recommend asking for just the meat or vegetable with brown rice. For the California roll specifically I recommend ordering just the meat with brown rice and cucumber or lettuce instead of avocado to save some calories (avocado is a healthy fat but contains a significant amount of calories).

Another problem I have found with sushi is that it is not very filling and surprisingly high calorie. This can be attributed to the fact that sushi usually contains a lot of rice(a high calorie carb) and little meat. One California roll which consists of 6 to 8 pieces of sushi can contain up to 300 calories and 40 carbs which is pretty close to a full meal. I don’t know about most people, but one California roll definitely will not fill or satisfy me and I usually end up ordering two or three rolls which can become pretty calorie dense. I don’t however believe this to be an issue for those trying to maintain their weight. Therefore I have two recommendations to consider when eating sushi.

For those trying to maintain their weight and live healthy I say enjoy and eat sushi! Even if it means occasionally ordering a few extra rolls. Just remember to try and avoid sushi made with tempura and heavy sauces and try and substitute brown for white rice. Make the bulk of your sushi order with the basic ingredients of brown rice and fish and leave one or two rolls for the sushi with added sauces. For those trying to lose weight I recommend only sticking to the basic sushi order of fish, brown rice, seaweed and a vegetable such as cucumber, lettuce, or tomato. Also make sure to be aware of the calories and stick to one to two rolls. Ask for a salad or vegetables on the side if the meal doesn’t fill you or even a piece of lean meat. This way you can satisfy your sushi cravings and stick to your diet. Save the saucier rolls for your junkier days of eating.

What I like to do is make my own sushi. Who said sushi had to contain raw fish anyways. I simply pick a piece of fish I desire to eat such as salmon, tuna, or halibut and cook it. After I have cooked the meat I cut it up into small pieces like canned tuna. I then mix it with sauces such as mustard, wasabi, fat free or light mayo, and hot sauce and add some seasoning to taste. I then take brown rice and seaweed that I buy at giant, stick them together and roll the fish in the fish to get homemade sushi. One thing I like about making my own sushi is that it allows me to add more meat and less rice. Check out the video below for an example of how to make sushi. Just note that making sushi is very easy and know that you don’t need all the tools used in this video. Enjoy!