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Traditional Japanese sushi is a dieter's dream, thanks to its heart-friendly, low-fat ingredients. But leave it to us Americans to supersize it. What started out as truly lean cuisine now arrives in platters for one that could feed a family of four. Likewise, Japanese sushi kitchens don't use oil or mayo, says Hiroko Shimbo, chef and author of The Sushi Experience -- yet chances are your favorite sushi bar serves fried shrimp and spicy tuna plumped up with mayo. What's a calorie-counting sushi lover to do? Don't tackle a 20-piece sushi boat yourself! And follow our lead: Here's the skinny on the 4 fattest and leanest choices. Meshi-agare (Japanese for bon appétit)!
THE CHUBBIEST CHOICES
1. Tempura rolls Any tempura dish -- read: deep-fried -- is a big-time diet buster. A shrimp tempura roll, for example, can deliver 500 calories and 20 grams of fat. Plus, breading and deep frying boosts the cholesterol too.
2. Spicy tuna and other mayo-based rolls. Before you order, ask if the minced fish is mixed with mayonnaise. If so, that delicate roll may harbor as many as 11 grams of artery-clogging fat and 450 calories.
3. Philadelphia rolls Unheard of in Japan, this salmon and avocado wonder is schmeared with something a sushi purist wouldn't even consider: cream cheese. Calories for a roll start at 300 and rise depending on how much cheese is used. A clue: Two tablespoons of cream cheese add 10 grams of fat (6 saturated) and some recipes use four times that amount.
4. Dragon rolls and pretty much anything else made with eel and/or toro. Just one ounce of raw eel has 3 grams fat and toro -- sliced from the fatty belly of tuna -- packs a shocking 7 grams per ounce. Even though their fat is the heart-healthy omega-3 kind, all fat is still loaded with calories and the trade-off here is too high.
THE SKINNIEST SUSHI
1. Assorted sashimi Sashimi is sliced fish a la carte, and by omitting the rice that would make it sushi, you save 30 calories per piece. Plus, says Shimbo, eating an assortment of fish -- white, red, oily -- creates delicious synergies: you get the flavors and benefits of each. For instance, delicate white fish have fewer calories, while richer mackerel and salmon have more omega-3s.
2. Veggie rolls Cucumber rolls and tangy, pickled vegetable rolls are fat free and provide a pleasantly crunchy contrast to the soft texture of fish sushi -- and at only about 150 calories a roll. For a vegetarian entree that packs heart-friendly fat as well as some iron and protein, try a shiitake, avocado, and pickled ginger roll. That little sheet of seaweed that holds it all together? It gives you calcium, vitamins C and K, and folate.
3. Edamame (soybeans) Okay, okay, they're not sushi but they're a staple at sushi bars and one of the healthiest menu choices you can make, brimming with fiber, folate, iron, and protein. Half a cup of steamed edamame has 127 calories and a whopping 11 grams protein -- hence its nickname: "meat from the vegetable garden."
4. Tako (octopus) or ika (squid) Though high in cholesterol, both are even higher in protein, B vitamins, iron, selemium, and taurine, an amino acid that helps keep your arteries, heart, and eyes healthy -- for only 25 calories an ounce and almost no fat.
There you have it: sushi on a diet. But actually, it's just sushi the way it ought to be: naturally healthy. So don't hesitate to indulge. Eating at least 1 serving of fish per week can make your RealAge as much as 2.7 years younger.
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