Is Sushi Healthy? Here ’s Everything You Need to Know

Americans eat sushi in venues as varied as high-end restaurants and prepared foods sections of grocery stores — and many believe it’s a nutritious choice. But is sushi healthy? “Sushi has this halo of being healthy,” says Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian nutritionist and associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic. After all, traditional sushi has all the makings of a health food: it’s stuffed with fresh fish, wrapped in thin sheets of seaweed and presented in neat little rolls. But experts warn not to expect your weekly spicy tuna order to slim your waistline. One of the biggest problems with sushi is portion control. While it may look compact, sushi can have a lot of calories: a single sushi roll cut into six to nine pieces can contain as many as 500 calories, says Isabel Maples, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (A spicy shrimp roll with condiments has about 550 calories, according to the USDA.) “Our eyes will tell us something, and it may or may not match with what’s happening nutritionally,” adds Zeratsky — and that’s before factoring in additional rolls, appetizers or a cup of sake. “It can add up.” Most of those calories come from the sticky white rice that holds your roll together. Sushi rice is typically made by adding in vinegar and sugar, and the sugar gives it more calories than steamed rice, Zeratsky says. This sweetened sticky ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Diet/Nutrition healthytime Source Type: news