Dimensions Weekly Mens Lifestyle Magazine
Whitney M. Cole is a certified personal trainer, Pilate's practitioner and nutrition counselor, and your triple-threat in the fight against fat.
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Sushi, Keep it clean
Most guys (and gals) place sushi atop the pyramid of healthy cuisines. Ignorance can be bliss, unless you’re trying to downsize the waistline, tone-up, lower cholesterol, etc.
Biggest threats to otherwise healthy sushi:
1. White rice – expect white rice under each mound of nigiri, surrounding your maki rolls and under your chirashi or don. White rice has no food value, it is simply filling. The type of filler that inflates the abdominal tire and raises blood sugar, which will make you consume more calories in the end.
2. Mayonnaise – Like a deli sneaks it into a sandwich piled high with lean meats and healthy veggies, mayo makes a surprise appearance in many of rolls created. It adds an adhesive quality to shredded fish to hold the roll together, and a ton of fat to your assumedly healthy meal.
3. Spicy – Mayo lurks in items labeled “spicy,” as the sauce is typically mayonnaise spiced with sriracha sauce. Additionally, expect old fish in spicy items. Chefs typically collect the less desirable shreds of fish for a day or so to make spicy sushi. The unpleasant taste indicating past-peak fish is covered in the powerful peppers that make sriracha dangerously delicious.
4. Sauces – while spicy, honey mustard and any opaque sauces are typically full-fat mayonnaise-based (see above), sweet miso, ponzu and other more transparent sauces usually are loaded with sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
5. Tempura – Even if it’s a vegetable, it’s still fried, and honestly, not lightly. Tempura contributes substantial fat, mostly saturated, and calories.
To ensure you eat the freshest fish and the most nutritive meal:
1. Choose sashimi over nigiri or rolls. Large fleshy lean fish such as tuna, salmon & yellowtail is healthier than eel, shrimp and shellfish including lobster, surf clam and real or fake crab. The latter is actually Pollack, processed and painted red to look like crab. Sushi snobs deem it the “hotdog of sushi.”
2. Can't quit the maki? Look for rolls with fish outside. These rolls contain the most fish, thus the most protein. Expect to pay a little more for the higher return on investment. The Rainbow Roll (pictured ), a standard on most menus, has salmon, tuna, yellowtail and possibly other fish outside of a California roll. Ask for real crab inside and hold the mayo. Better yet, substitute a meatier fish like salmon or tuna or a vegetable like spinach or cucumber. You may be upcharged for more expensive fish, but it’ll be more nutritive than hotdog crab and mayo.
3. Ask for brown rice or a cucumber wrap in place of white rice.
4. Substitute a salad or bed of fresh veggies for the rice in a bowl of Chirashi (sashimi over rice) and you made the healthiest meal in the restaurant. The most expertly-trained and dexterous chefs can roll minimal rice in maki.
5. Avoid spicy items if you think the fish will be old – the biggest health risk with consuming raw fish.
6. No Mayo, please. If you trust the freshness of the fish, request no mayo in spicy items. Ask the order be mild if you fear more sriracha will be added to replace the mayo.
7.Sauce on the side. Just like salad dressing, ask for sauces listed in items you order served on the side. Dip lightly. Most restaurants also offer low sodium soy sauce. Again, ask for it.
8. No Tempura, please. If you see the word “Tempura,” “flakes” or “crunch” on a menu politely ask for "no tempura" in your order. All translate to fried.
Don’t be an ass. Remember you're enjoying a cuisine which is considered art from a very formal culture. You will find rigid chefs, who refuse to make healthy substitutions, as they see it as an insult to the culture or their body of work. Smile and ask politely.
Be respectful and praise the food. As a last resort, develop a sudden "food allergy" to whatever you're trying to avoid. Ultimately, the response from staff to these requests is a huge indicator of restaurant quality. If all polite efforts to negotiate fail, find the nearest exit. You have no reason to give your $ to a restaurant who won't work with you.
-DW | Health & Fitness