- Location
- balancing on the edge . . . .
Maybe Rich knows something
HEALTHY EATING OUT IN ATLANTA / CAROLYN O'NEIL
Sushi by the (nutritional) numbers
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/08/07
Remember the old joke about sushi? Someone who obviously wasn't hip to the sushi bar scene would say, "You know what we call raw fish around here? We call it bait!"
Well, today with seared raw tuna appetizers and sushi rolls showing up on restaurant menus from Dallas to Des Moines, sushi has gone mainstream, and Americans have a pretty big appetite for little pieces of raw fish. And since contemporary sushi bars are often populated by the sleek and stylish set— or those who aim to become sleeker by eating bits of fish and a bowl of edamame beans — let's take a look at some basic sushi bar nutrition.
Technically speaking ...
If you've watched a genuine Japanese sushi master at work, you know that there's an art and science to fashioning fish into these beautiful bites. The term "sushi" has become a generic term for the whole menu of offerings at sushi places but, technically sushi refers to the Japanese style of nigiri sushi, where a piece of raw fish or shellfish is placed on a bed of hand-formed, short-grain sticky rice.
Order maki and you'll get your sushi wrapped in seaweed called nori, which contains some calcium, a little fiber and is actually a decent source of vitamin A.
Sashimi refers to raw fish served without any rice, which saves you about 30 calories per piece.
A lot of sushi bars are offering brown rice nigiri now, which has a few less calories than white rice and adds some fiber to each bite. (Count 2 grams of fiber per half-cup brown rice, the amount used to make a typical cut roll.) Of course, there will be more calories in any roll that contains fried fish and the new-age addition of mayonnaise to flavor some sushi rolls.
Sashami item per ounce
The main focus is the fish so here's a chart showing the statistics. Note that eel, sardines and mackerel are higher in fat and therefore calories than most other choices. The numbers are based on one ounce servings, but the size served to you may be between one and two ounces. And if you order any of these on rice, don't forget to add 30 calories. (Note: All low or no carb)
Amaebi(sweet shrimp) 30 calories/ .5 fat grams/ 5. 8 grams protein
Anago(conger eel) 67 calories/ 4. 2 grams fat/ 6.7 grams protein
Hamachi (young yellowtail) 41 calories/ 1.5 grams fat/ 6.5 grams protein.
Maguro (bluefin tuna) 19 calories/ 1. 4 grams fat/ 6.6 grams protein
Saba(mackerel): 58 calories/ 3.9 grams fat/ 5. 3 grams protein
Sake ( Salmon ) 52 calories/3.1 grams fat/ 5. 6 grams protein
Shiro Maguro (white tuna albacore) 49 calories/ 2.1 grams fat/ 7.2 grams protein
Calorie counts for rolls
Avocado Roll: 140 calories/ 5.7 grams fat/ 28 grams carb/ 2.1 grams protein
California Roll: 255 calories/ 7 grams fat/ 38 grams carb/ 9 grams protein
Spicy Tuna Roll: 290 calories/11 grams fat/ 26 grams carb/24 grams protein
Shrimp Tempura Roll: 508 calories/ 21 grams fat/ 64 grams carb/ 20 grams protein
Kappa Maki (cucumber roll): 136 calories / 0 grams fat/30 grams carb/6 grams protein
Sushi sides
And since there's more to enjoying sushi bars than sushi here's how other popular menu items stack up nutritionally.
Edamame soy beans 1/2 cup / 100 calories/ 3 grams fat/ 9 grams carb/ 8 grams protein
Ginger (gari) 13 grams/9calories/ 0 fat
Miso soup 3/4 cup/ 76 calories/1. 3 grams fat/ 3.3 grams protein
Nori (seaweed) 1 sheet/ 13 calories/ 9 fat/ 1. 3 grams protein
White rice 1/2 cup /121 calories /0 fat
Brown rice 1/2 cup/ 109 calories/ 0 fat
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon 10 calories/ 0 fat
Wasabi 4 grams/ 4 calories /0.2 grams protein
Fish and Fat
Omega 3 fatty acids, the kind of fat in fish, (while packing the same number of calories per gram as butter) is classified as a healthy fat. Omega-3's which are in higher concentrations in oilier fish like tuna and salmon, lower risk of cardiovascular disease and have been linked to helping all sorts of ailments from eczema to depression.
Sources: A compilation of data from USDA, www.sushifaqs.com and "Dining Lean — How to Eat Healthy When You're Not at Home" (3rd edition) by Dr. Joanne Lichten.
HEALTHY EATING OUT IN ATLANTA / CAROLYN O'NEIL
Sushi by the (nutritional) numbers
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/08/07
Remember the old joke about sushi? Someone who obviously wasn't hip to the sushi bar scene would say, "You know what we call raw fish around here? We call it bait!"
Well, today with seared raw tuna appetizers and sushi rolls showing up on restaurant menus from Dallas to Des Moines, sushi has gone mainstream, and Americans have a pretty big appetite for little pieces of raw fish. And since contemporary sushi bars are often populated by the sleek and stylish set— or those who aim to become sleeker by eating bits of fish and a bowl of edamame beans — let's take a look at some basic sushi bar nutrition.
Technically speaking ...
If you've watched a genuine Japanese sushi master at work, you know that there's an art and science to fashioning fish into these beautiful bites. The term "sushi" has become a generic term for the whole menu of offerings at sushi places but, technically sushi refers to the Japanese style of nigiri sushi, where a piece of raw fish or shellfish is placed on a bed of hand-formed, short-grain sticky rice.
Order maki and you'll get your sushi wrapped in seaweed called nori, which contains some calcium, a little fiber and is actually a decent source of vitamin A.
Sashimi refers to raw fish served without any rice, which saves you about 30 calories per piece.
A lot of sushi bars are offering brown rice nigiri now, which has a few less calories than white rice and adds some fiber to each bite. (Count 2 grams of fiber per half-cup brown rice, the amount used to make a typical cut roll.) Of course, there will be more calories in any roll that contains fried fish and the new-age addition of mayonnaise to flavor some sushi rolls.
Sashami item per ounce
The main focus is the fish so here's a chart showing the statistics. Note that eel, sardines and mackerel are higher in fat and therefore calories than most other choices. The numbers are based on one ounce servings, but the size served to you may be between one and two ounces. And if you order any of these on rice, don't forget to add 30 calories. (Note: All low or no carb)
Amaebi(sweet shrimp) 30 calories/ .5 fat grams/ 5. 8 grams protein
Anago(conger eel) 67 calories/ 4. 2 grams fat/ 6.7 grams protein
Hamachi (young yellowtail) 41 calories/ 1.5 grams fat/ 6.5 grams protein.
Maguro (bluefin tuna) 19 calories/ 1. 4 grams fat/ 6.6 grams protein
Saba(mackerel): 58 calories/ 3.9 grams fat/ 5. 3 grams protein
Sake ( Salmon ) 52 calories/3.1 grams fat/ 5. 6 grams protein
Shiro Maguro (white tuna albacore) 49 calories/ 2.1 grams fat/ 7.2 grams protein
Calorie counts for rolls
Avocado Roll: 140 calories/ 5.7 grams fat/ 28 grams carb/ 2.1 grams protein
California Roll: 255 calories/ 7 grams fat/ 38 grams carb/ 9 grams protein
Spicy Tuna Roll: 290 calories/11 grams fat/ 26 grams carb/24 grams protein
Shrimp Tempura Roll: 508 calories/ 21 grams fat/ 64 grams carb/ 20 grams protein
Kappa Maki (cucumber roll): 136 calories / 0 grams fat/30 grams carb/6 grams protein
Sushi sides
And since there's more to enjoying sushi bars than sushi here's how other popular menu items stack up nutritionally.
Edamame soy beans 1/2 cup / 100 calories/ 3 grams fat/ 9 grams carb/ 8 grams protein
Ginger (gari) 13 grams/9calories/ 0 fat
Miso soup 3/4 cup/ 76 calories/1. 3 grams fat/ 3.3 grams protein
Nori (seaweed) 1 sheet/ 13 calories/ 9 fat/ 1. 3 grams protein
White rice 1/2 cup /121 calories /0 fat
Brown rice 1/2 cup/ 109 calories/ 0 fat
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon 10 calories/ 0 fat
Wasabi 4 grams/ 4 calories /0.2 grams protein
Fish and Fat
Omega 3 fatty acids, the kind of fat in fish, (while packing the same number of calories per gram as butter) is classified as a healthy fat. Omega-3's which are in higher concentrations in oilier fish like tuna and salmon, lower risk of cardiovascular disease and have been linked to helping all sorts of ailments from eczema to depression.
Sources: A compilation of data from USDA, www.sushifaqs.com and "Dining Lean — How to Eat Healthy When You're Not at Home" (3rd edition) by Dr. Joanne Lichten.
