The Raw Truth About Healthy Sushi

 

Traditional Japanese sushi is a dieter's dream, thanks to its heart-friendly, low-fat ingredients. But this is America, and we like to supersize. What started out as truly lean cuisine now arrives on platters for one that could easily feed a family of four. Likewise, Japanese sushi kitchens don't use oil or mayo, but chances are your favorite sushi bar serves fried shrimp cooked in trans fats and spicy tuna full of mayo. What's a calorie-counting sushi lover to do? For starters, don't tackle a 20-piece sushi boat yourself! Next, get the skinny on the four fattest and leanest choices right here.

The Heavy Weights:
1. Tempura rolls: Any tempura dish is a big-time fat fest. A shrimp tempura roll, for example, can deliver 500 calories and 20 grams of fat, not to mention the boosted cholesterol from the breading and frying.

2. Spicy tuna and other mayo-based rolls: Before you order, ask if the minced fish is mixed with mayonnaise. If so, that delicate roll may harbor as many as 450 calories and 11 grams of fat.

3. Philadelphia rolls: Think they make those in Japan? Calories for a roll start at 300 and rise, depending on how much cream cheese is used. Here’s a hint: Two tablespoons of cream cheese add 10 grams of fat (6 saturated), and some recipes use four times that amount.

4. Dragon rolls and pretty much anything else made with eel and/or toro: Just 1 ounce of raw eel has 3 grams fat, and toro -- sliced from the fatty belly of tuna -- packs a shocking 7 grams per ounce. The fat is the heart-healthy omega-3 kind, so if eaten sparingly, an occasional indulgence may be okay.

The Lean and The Clean:
1. Assorted sashimi: Sashimi is sliced fish a la carte, and by omitting the rice, you save 30 calories per piece. Plus, by eating an assortment of fish -- white, red, oily -- You get the flavors and benefits of each. For instance, delicate white fish has fewer calories, while richer mackerel and salmon have more omega-3s.

2. Veggie rolls: Cucumber rolls and tangy pickled vegetable rolls are free of fat and provide a pleasantly crunchy contrast to the soft texture of fish sushi -- and at only about 150 calories a roll. For a vegetarian entree that packs heart-friendly fat as well as some iron and protein, try a shiitake, avocado, and pickled-ginger roll. Yummo!  As a bonus, that little sheet of seaweed holding your roll together gives you calcium, vitamins C and K, and folate.

3. Edamame (soybeans): Okay, fine.  They’re not actually sushi, but you will find them at any sushi bar and they’re great for you. Soybeans are full of fiber, folate, iron, and protein. Half a cup of steamed edamame has 127 calories and an amazing 11 grams of protein.

4. Tako (octopus) or ika (squid): Though they are high in cholesterol, both are even higher in protein, B vitamins, iron, selenium, and taurine, an amino acid that helps keep your arteries, heart, and eyes healthy.  They contain almost no fat and only 25 calories an ounce.

There you have it -- sushi the way it ought to be: naturally healthy.  Enjoy!

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