Sushi

Ellitamaria
Ellitamaria Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What kind of sushi do you eat and how do you maintain balance without going overboard in calories? I went out to eat delicious sushi with my fiance and we ended up eating WAY TOO MUCH, but because it sits light in our stomachs we felt great. He can eat like that because he is constantly active with judo, but me being that I'm slowly losing weight I messed up after eating good all day. Ended up gaining like two pounds, I know that isn't a big deal, but I just wanted to know how all of you eat sushi healthy and what kind?

Thanks!

Replies

  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    I usually make my own. I use brown rice instead of sushi rice (it helps if you use the nori on the outside since the rice isn't as sticky). It's still around the same calories, but it has some more fiber in it, which is something I never get enough of. I also up the veggies and use a less fish. And, if my knife is sharp enough (right now it isn't) I cut the slices thinner so I get more of them, but it's still bite-sized. I also focus on chewing. I mean REALLY focus. I also set down my chopsticks (if I'm using them, I use fingers at home) in between bites. I won't pick them up until I've chewed properly and swallowed. This helps me become more aware when I'm full and I haven't eaten a whole bunch more by the time it finally hits my stomach. I've found that little things like that really make a huge difference. I like doing this because it means that I don't have to limit myself as much with the ingredients I use or order. I know once you pay for something you don't want to waste it. But I just tell myself "it can be on my plate or on my thighs." I'm a social eater, so going out took a while for me to find what works for me. As far as healthy, try not to get the stuff that's fried or covered in mayo. But sushi is generally pretty healthy.
  • bkelley32148
    bkelley32148 Posts: 279 Member
    I have never tried to make my own but i may after this posting! One of the resturants here has a "lower carb version" with very small amounts of rice.
  • scookiemonster
    scookiemonster Posts: 175 Member
    You didn't gain two pounds from one sushi dinner. If anything, you're probably just holding extra water weight from the sodium in the soy sauce. I know I'm always a little bloated after sushi because of that.

    I find that the best option is sashimi. I'll usually get a sashimi platter with a avocado roll on the side (mostly because I really like avocado rolls). Sashimi is usually the best quality fish anyway, and then you can control how much rice you eat because it's on the side instead of wrapped around the fish.

    That being said, there's nothing wrong with having a good sushi dinner every once in a while. You didn't mess up or ruin your day. Unless you eat like that all the time, I really wouldn't worry about it.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,995 Member
    You didn't gain two pounds from one sushi dinner. If anything, you're probably just holding extra water weight from the sodium in the soy sauce. I know I'm always a little bloated after sushi because of that.

    I find that the best option is sashimi. I'll usually get a sashimi platter with a avocado roll on the side (mostly because I really like avocado rolls). Sashimi is usually the best quality fish anyway, and then you can control how much rice you eat because it's on the side instead of wrapped around the fish.

    That being said, there's nothing wrong with having a good sushi dinner every once in a while. You didn't mess up or ruin your day. Unless you eat like that all the time, I really wouldn't worry about it.

    I try to stick to sashimi too because sushi rice is dressed with sweetened vinegar. According to my Japanese cookbook, you need to heat up the vinegar just to be able to dissolve the rather large amount of sugar in it. If you don't want the sugar have sashimi and plain rice. Chirashi sushi is also made with the sweetened sushi rice.
  • Ellitamaria
    Ellitamaria Posts: 34 Member
    This is all great advice! I am definitely going to try sashimi, brown rice sushi, and putting my chopsticks down after every bite! ... but not all at the same time! haha. And surprisingly I didn't use much soy sauce, so maybe it was water weight.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,995 Member
    Five pounds of fluctuation are typically just glycogen stores be depleted and replenished. How much glycogen you are carrying is a function of both exercise and carb intake. Nice explanation here.

    http://www.justinowings.com/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de/
  • Ellitamaria
    Ellitamaria Posts: 34 Member
    Great article!
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    Ditch the rice and just eat the fish.

    Sashimi ftw.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I typically stick to one roll and some sashimi.
  • mazmataz
    mazmataz Posts: 331 Member
    Yup really good article...
    Five pounds of fluctuation are typically just glycogen stores be depleted and replenished. How much glycogen you are carrying is a function of both exercise and carb intake. Nice explanation here.

    http://www.justinowings.com/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de/
  • Csuvetmed
    Csuvetmed Posts: 36 Member
    I also make my own sushi. If I'm at a restaurant, I eat more sashimi and absolutely avoid any "special rolls" that contain fried items or have any sauce, which I find is often mayo-based. Mmmm....I love sushi!
  • eylia
    eylia Posts: 200 Member
    I love making my own at home, you can experiment once you're used to it; cauliflower 'rice', brown rice or quinoa all work well with your favourite filling.

    Going out however, you can start by getting a miso or salad, you'll fill yourself up a little without realising and have less room too fill once you start the rest of your meal. I agree with the sashimi, and also, to watch your soy intake, but I do still allow myself to get rolls, because they're part of the deliciousness. I often get raw salmon rolls, with cucumber, I avoid things with fillings that are crispy, crumbed, with mayo and the strange western 'cream cheese' numbers. I also tend to avoid avocado as a filling, not because I don't know how amazing it is for you, but as I usually LOVE my salmon with sushi, I try to go with one or the other-because together, they can jack up the total quite quickly. Also sip at your green tea if you get one, it clears your palette between mouthfuls and you'll need less condiments as you go.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I love all of it, but I prefer the sushimi. It has ruined me for cooked fish. Raw tastes so much better! The only exception is the Unagi (eel), which is so gross!
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    Sushi is the closest thing I have to a trigger food. When I go out, I plan to not care about what or how much I have. But I am generally good... I mostly get a single order... usually whatever the restaurant calls a "deluxe" and some spicy rolls of some sort. Or, as others have mentioned, sashimi if I want to have lots of different things. I also try to plan my day to eat light before I go. What usually is my undoing, though, are those giant beers...
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    When I go out for sushi I make the sushi my meal, rather than some rolls and then an entree. I'll usually get a salad beforehand, I like their ginger dressings. I find two rolls is enough to fill me up and feel like a meal, but not be so full I can't move. Oh and I don't use any soy sauce at all, I find that it takes away from the taste and its waaaay too much salt for me (even the reduced sodium) since I'm really sensitive to salt
  • nelinelineli
    nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
    Ended up gaining like two pounds, I know that isn't a big deal, but I just wanted to know how all of you eat sushi healthy and what kind?

    I know everyone else already pointed that out, but I just want to reinforce it: it's water weight. I have sushi every week since I live in japan and I also weigh myself every day. After sushi (and to be more precise, the salty soy sauce that comes with it) I'm always 1.5-2 lbs heavier the next day. 3 days later that extra weight is gone.

    Log your sushi, it's not ALL that bad. I usually eat about 4 plates and it takes me to around 600 calories. Salmon and lean tuna are pretty alright. Shrimp and shells have negligeable calories. It's the rice that's the problem... If the restaurant serves sashimi too you could "mix" the two to get more bang for your rice :)
  • skyby7
    skyby7 Posts: 8
    Carbohydrates aren't bad for you.

    The only carbohydrates that are bad for you are the ones found in pastries/high processed sugar items. It's just like fat, there's good fats and bad fats.

    Carbohydrates are what help protein rebuild muscle tissue. If you're eating alot of protein and not much carbs, you're wasting protein.

    I really wish people would stop "avoiding carbs" because they are necessary, and they're not bad for you at all.
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
    Just go with sashimi!
  • nelinelineli
    nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
    Carbohydrates aren't bad for you.

    The only carbohydrates that are bad for you are the ones found in pastries/high processed sugar items. It's just like fat, there's good fats and bad fats.

    Carbohydrates are what help protein rebuild muscle tissue. If you're eating alot of protein and not much carbs, you're wasting protein.

    I really wish people would stop "avoiding carbs" because they are necessary, and they're not bad for you at all.

    I can't speak for everyone obviously, but for many of us it's not a question of "good" and "Bad". We're just trying to fit in the necessary protein within our calories, which means we need to cut down on the carbs. Simple as that. Sushi has always been a killer for my macros, not because I think it's bad for me, but because it meant at the end of the day I'd have to choose between being over the calorie or under the protein target.
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
    I love the spicy tuna roll :)

    It's my favorite!

    There's usually 6 pieces per roll. I also get an order of edamame and hot tea.
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
    I limit myself to 6 pieces and use my sushi day for my free meal. I will admit to having 8 on occasion BUT--it is my free meal.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Agreed - the weight increase is likely a combination of sodium and carb intake rom your dinner last night. Sushi's not really that bad, you just have to make the best choices. The only truly bad ones are those with tempura or sauces made with mayo or cream cheese.

    Also, it looks like you didn't attempt to log it, but I wanted to let you know that some of the listings on here are confusing. They say 1 slice which you would think would be one of those bites but in most cases, a whole roll (5 or 6 bites) is a serving and they average around 300 calories, depending on ingredients and extras.

    http://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-health/calories-in-sushi/
  • MG_Fit
    MG_Fit Posts: 1,143 Member
    Just plan your day. If you know you're going to eat sushi (and a lot of it, because I would), I would prelog what I'm eating for the day and see what fits. In my mind there's no such thing as "eating too much" IF it fits into your plan. I can easily put away a couple of rolls and a meal at a Japanese restaurant, I simply watch what I'm eating throughout the day.
  • LizL217
    LizL217 Posts: 217 Member
    1) Ditto to what the others have suggested about sashimi
    2) Choose leaner varieties of fish (lean tuna, yellowtail, scallop, squid)
    3) Have hot tea and miso soup or clear mushroom soup with your meal
    4) Avoid rolls with the word "crispy" or "crunchy" in them, or ones that come with any kind of sauce (sauces will usually be either mayo-based or full of sugar)
    5) If you sit at the counter and order each piece from the sushi chef one by one, you'll really savor each piece and you'll give your stomach more time to digest and feel full, rather than ordering multiple rolls and stuffing them into your face. Plus it's just fun to chat with the sushi chef.

    *random extra tip: if you put soy sauce on your sushi, put it on the FISH not on the rice. The rice absorbs too much soy sauce and then you have a sodium issue.
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
    We do sushi as a rare treat and just go nuts and enjoy ourselves.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Carbohydrates aren't bad for you.

    The only carbohydrates that are bad for you are the ones found in pastries/high processed sugar items. It's just like fat, there's good fats and bad fats.

    Carbohydrates are what help protein rebuild muscle tissue. If you're eating alot of protein and not much carbs, you're wasting protein.

    I really wish people would stop "avoiding carbs" because they are necessary, and they're not bad for you at all.

    I can't speak for everyone obviously, but for many of us it's not a question of "good" and "Bad". We're just trying to fit in the necessary protein within our calories, which means we need to cut down on the carbs. Simple as that. Sushi has always been a killer for my macros, not because I think it's bad for me, but because it meant at the end of the day I'd have to choose between being over the calorie or under the protein target.

    this.

    I usually order only 4 types of rolls.
    California, yellowtail with scallion, flat tuna and spicy tuna (that's my 'dirty' roll)

    Problem is- I order 2 of each- and yes- I can house all 24 with no issues... 48 is a little harder- I can usually eat it over ther course of a long meal- but for lunch I can't- that makes up 2 meals for me. regardless it's definitely not that I think 'carbs are bad'
    they aren't... it has more to do with I can't hit my macros and if you are cutting- carbs are not your friend.

    But yeah- I definitely blow my food for the day typically with sushi- It's not that it's bad.. I don't eat a lot of fried/saucy filled rolls- but it's still a lot of calories without meeting my other goals.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    The obesity epidemic started in the 80s when Americans really started enjoying lots of sushi. Coincidence? I think not . . . :tongue:

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