Is Eating Sushi Healthy? Plus the Best & Worst Sushi to Order

By Sylvie Tremblay, MSc

Sushi may seem like an incredibly healthy meal because it’s made up of seafood which provides high-quality protein. However, depending on the choices you make you could end up with a lunch or dinner that is very high in carbs and does not contain any significant vegetables.

What Are the Health Benefits of Sushi?

Sushi is a quick and easy source of protein. If you’re looking for a high-protein meal or snack, choose tuna, salmon or rainbow rolls, which can have 20 or more grams of protein per roll.

The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish benefit your cardiovascular health, plus they're natural anti-inflammatory compounds and play a role in brain function. Choose salmon, trout and tuna if you’re looking to get omega-3 fatty acids.

Sushi Can Be Very High in Sodium

One of the major drawbacks of sushi is its relatively high sodium content. While the nutrition information for sushi differs from roll to roll, and from restaurant to restaurant, many sushi rolls have a significant amount of sodium.

For example, a lobster shrimp roll at one popular American sushi restaurant has 1,030 milligrams of sodium. That's an excessive amount of salt, given that the upper intake limit for sodium is 2,300 milligrams, and more than half of the people in the U.S. are limited to a daily intake of 1,500 milligrams because of high blood pressure and other health conditions or other factors.

Tempura rolls, king crab rolls and calamari rolls also contain more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Why Sushi Rice Tastes So Good – It’s the Added Sugar!

Ever wonder why sushi rice tastes so good? Traditional sushi rice is made with sugar and rice vinegar. On average there is one tablespoon of sugar for each cup of cooked sushi rice. And each sushi roll contains about one cup of white rice in it. So, the rice in one roll alone contains 240 calories. And most people will have more than one roll as their meal.

Traditional white sushi rice is also high in refined carbohydrates, which aren't your healthiest option. White rice digests quickly and causes a spike in blood sugar that leaves you hungry shortly after eating.

And while USDA dietary guidelines allow for up to half of your daily grain intake to come from refined carbohydrates, you're better off choosing a whole-grain option. Consider asking for sushi made with brown rice. Brown rice is higher in fiber, which makes it more filling than white rice, and eating whole grains lowers your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

The healthiest choice is to go for sashimi (raw fish without rice) over maki sushi, which are the rolls.

reprinted from Livestrong.com