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How healthy is sushi?

post #1 of 49
5/31/07 at 12:38am
Thread Starter 
I'm on a cutting diet right now. Basically, I try to eat about 500 calories below maintenance, with a protein/carb/fat ratio of 40/40/20. I also try to keep my insulin levels low because spikes in insulin are counterproductive to burning fat.

But lately, I've taken a liking to eating sushi and sashimi as part of my diet. For example, I'll have two pieces of the salmon nigiri sushi and then about 5 ounces of salmon sashimi. It seems to me that this meal provides a lot of protein with almost no fat and just the right amount of carbs. I realize that the rice is white rice and that can spike insulin, but what the hell.

But, what concerns me is that this meal seems to be too good to be true. Am I missing something that makes eating sushi and sashimi less healthy than I think it is?
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post #2 of 49
5/31/07 at 1:14am
According to my dietetics resource manual:

salmon nigiri sushi (2 - 38 gram pieces):

136 calories
10 grams protein
2 grams fat
18 grams carbs

salmon sashimi (5 ounces):

240 calories
32.5 grams protein
12 grams fat
0 carbs

IMO - not bad at all. Of course the sodium level can be very high if you are concerned about that.
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post #3 of 49
5/31/07 at 1:36am
Lots of protein, but it lacks the fiber and vitamins of many vegetables and fruits. Japanese food seems to lacks vegetables in general.
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post #4 of 49
5/31/07 at 1:37am
There's been a lot of talk about heavy metals (the bad kind) and growth hormones and etc. in farmed fish. Especially Salmon, IIRC. Not that I really give a crap about that, I smoke a pack a day... but you might ask the sushi chef where the fish comes from, whether its farmed or wild, etc ... politely.
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post #5 of 49
5/31/07 at 1:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by overdog View Post
Japanese food seems to lacks vegetables in general.
Um... compared to what? Last time I checked, the Japanese ate a lot of cucumber, radish, cabbage, eggplant, mushrooms, sprouts, onion, spinach, sweet potato, bamboo, and a whole world of different kinds of pickles.
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post #6 of 49
5/31/07 at 2:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by overdog View Post
Lots of protein, but it lacks the fiber and vitamins of many vegetables and fruits. Japanese food seems to lacks vegetables in general.

Actually, this is not true. Japanese cuisine taken as a whole has plenty of vegetables. If we're talking about sushi and sashimi in particular, then yes, vegetables are rather lacking. Still, sashimi is reguarly eaten on a bed of shredded daikon, and it's good to treat this as more than a mere garnish. I've read that it can help cleanse your body of the toxins in the fish, and while I can't vouch for this, it somehow rings true.

I've also read that raw fish contain enzymes that aid in digestion and enable your body to absorb more of the nutrients than is possible with cooked fish or meat. Consider also that nori, the seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls, is very high in nutrients and has far more calcium than milk in a form that's easier for the body to absorb. I've also heard the same thing about farmed salmon that Slim mentioned, but weighed against the health benefits, it seems rather minor.
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post #7 of 49
5/31/07 at 2:16am
One aspect of sushi to be careful of is the soy sauce...very high in sodium. Don't be dunking so heavily.
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post #8 of 49
5/31/07 at 2:32am
Yea I was just gonna chime in and say that Japanese cuisine is packed with veggies.
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post #9 of 49
5/31/07 at 2:35am
There's this interesting article on sushi on the latest Vanity Fair issue, the one with Bruce Willis on the cover. I haven't read it yet, but my wife pointed to me that it was saying that salmon is not to be made into sushi because it traverses fresh and salt water. Sheesh, let me get back to you on that once I read it tonight.
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post #10 of 49
5/31/07 at 2:44am
Sushi and Japanese food in general is very healthy. It's definately one of the healthiest, if not THE healthiest diet in the world. Remember Japan has the lowest rate of obesity in the world, a big part of that is the diet. Not a whole lot of fat asses over there, the majority of the population is very lean.

The stuff western diet "experts" spout off about rice is quite frankly, a load of shit. White rice is a staple around the world, and I see zero evidence of rice contributing to weight gain. Hell, they'll eat white rice up to 4 times a day in Japan.

I recommend eating virtually nothing BUT japanese food while cutting, that way you won't have the insane hunger pangs from eating food that tastes like drywall every day. (healthy western diet.) Drink lots of green tea too.

Check out "Japanese women don't get fat" for more ideas. It's a great book written for women, but it's really all about the japanese diet and its health benefits.
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post #11 of 49
5/31/07 at 2:51am
You get your carbs and protein with sushi and its low calorie but that doesnt make it necessarily super healthy...

What about vegatables? Also a lot it is raw which might be a potential health hazard (I know this might stretching it...)
Also I dont think you could consider it a go to diet because you probably arent getting your essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. I mean adding to your diet and taking worse stuff out might be good but its not like its all that great.
White rice thats used in much of sushi isnt going to hurt you but its not lke its proving any extra benefits like whole grain rice does...
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post #12 of 49
5/31/07 at 2:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by acidicboy View Post
salmon is not to be made into sushi because it traverses fresh and salt water. Sheesh, let me get back to you on that once I read it tonight.

WTF?

You'd be hard-pressed to find a sushi bar in Japan that didn't make salmon sushi (or sashimi) based on any such objection.
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post #13 of 49
5/31/07 at 3:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nantucket Red View Post
WTF? You'd be hard-pressed to find a sushi bar in Japan that didn't make salmon sushi (or sashimi) based on any such objection.
These are probably made-up rules by the same places that make "California Rolls" and try to pass it ( or spider/dynamite/etc. rolls) off as "Japanese".
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post #14 of 49
5/31/07 at 3:10am
Quote:
There are sardines and there are salmon, fresh from Norway and Japan. The salmon is not to be eaten raw, Tom explains, as its movement between freshwater and salt water renders it the host to many parasites. I ask him why I see no shark for sale. Shark, he says, can be eaten raw when fresh from the hook, but its muscle tissue is loaded with urea, which breaks down fast after death, releasing levels of ammonia that stink and can be toxic.
Here's the article: If You Knew Sushi
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post #15 of 49
5/31/07 at 3:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lance konami View Post
Sushi and Japanese food in general is very healthy. It's definately one of the healthiest, if not THE healthiest diet in the world. Remember Japan has the lowest rate of obesity in the world, a big part of that is the diet. Not a whole lot of fat asses over there, the majority of the population is very lean.

This kind of response is not very helpful IMO. "Lean" here, as I understand, merely infers "not obese/obviously and visibly out of shape". This kind of simple weight control can be easily attained through diet manipulation; in fact one can eat a lot of crap and still lose weight/stay slim as long as he/she maintains a caloric deficit. Retaining/Increasing muscle mass while minimizing body fat level, which I think the OP's firmly interested in, is a rather different beast.

And no, definitely not all sushi are healthy, in my limited exposure to Japanese cuisine. Most tempura recipes, for one, are anything but.
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