Is Sushi Healthy? Best and Worst Choices

Sushi is one of the components of a Japanese diet that has become popular in America. This food seems like a nutritious meal since sushi includes rice, veggies, and fresh fish. These ingredients can be good food choices to eat if you have a goal like weight loss in mind—but is sushi healthy? The answer depends on the type of sushi you have.

There are several variations as to how sushi can be prepared and which ingredients are used. The healthiest sushi will have minimal ingredients like nigiri, which includes a small amount of rice topped with raw fish. Here are the health benefits and risks of sushi—and how to get the most out of your order.

How Healthy Is Sushi?

The ingredients used to make sushi help determine its healthiness. Sushi using nori—a type of seaweed—and salmon, for instance, can provide you with a lot of nutrients.

Nori contains folic acid, niacin, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and K; salmon has omega-3 fatty acids, which are helpful for brain health. Yet, your carb intake may be higher if you add rice to your sushi. One cup of short-grain rice contains 53 grams of carbohydrates.

How sushi is prepared and seasoned can take away from the overall nutrition. Chefs may add sugar, salt, or both, to make the rice sweeter and more palatable, Ella Davar, RD, CDN, a registered dietician integrative nutritionist and certified health counselor based in Manhattan, told Health.

Some types of sushi may have extra ingredients overall. Marisa Moore, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in Atlanta, told Health that rolls "dipped in tempura and fried [and] then covered with a creamy sauce will not be the same as those wrapped solely in nori and packed with fish, rice, and vegetables."

How Often Can You Eat Sushi?

How frequently a person can enjoy sushi depends on the sushi's ingredients. It may be okay to eat sushi without raw fish more often than types with raw fish. Official recommendations are to avoid raw fish—unless it's been previously frozen—since raw fish may contain parasites or bacteria.

Best and Worst Sushi

Because there are so many sushi options, it can be difficult to know where to start when you're ready to order. Davar recommended opting for nigiri or sashimi, which has raw fish slices, and pairing it with a side salad or cooked veggies.

"The idea is to see more colors from various fish and veggies and less white color of cooked vinegared rice," stated Davar. "In addition to the regular rice-wrapped roll, I like to order 'Naruto-style' which is a roll wrapped in cucumber. It is fun, crunchy, and makes a great healthy option in addition to traditional sushi menu options."

Try to use healthier types of fish like salmon and Pacific chub mackerel, which are low in mercury, for sushi rolls. Avoid King mackerel which is high in mercury. Additionally, choose low-sodium soy sauce and go for other healthy flavor enhancers like wasabi or pickled ginger (gari).

"Instead of relying on names, take a look at what's inside [the sushi] as well as the sauces," stated Moore. "Go for rolls with your favorite seafood, and vegetables such as cucumber and carrots, and add creaminess from the avocado." You can also ask whoever is preparing your sushi to use less rice than normal, said Davar, "to prevent blood sugar spikes due to high carbohydrate load from white rice and sweetener used to make it."

Potential Benefits

The various combinations of different vegetables and fish may have enriching benefits. Those benefits may include:

• A boost in thyroid function due to iodine content
• Gut health improvements
• Heart health improvements due to omega-3 content
• A stronger immune system

Potential Risks

Sushi can be a healthy option, but this delicacy is not without its faults. With the benefits come a couple of risks to be considered too, such as:

• Higher foodborne illness risk if sushi contains raw fish
• Increased refined carb intake with white rice use
• Increased sodium intake from the ingredients—before soy sauce
• Potentially increased mercury intake
  

How Long Does It Last in the Fridge?

The length of time you can keep sushi in the fridge will depend on its ingredients. For example, sushi will likely last in the fridge for up to two days if it contains raw fish or shellfish. These types of fish must be kept at a fridge temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

A Quick Review

Sushi is a collection of rice, vegetables, and cooked or raw fish that can pack a nutritious punch. Research has suggested that eating sushi may boost everything from gut health to thyroid and immune function.

Still, there are downsides to chowing down on sushi: White rice is a refined carbohydrate, and sushi generally has a high salt content. If you're looking to optimize health, keep it simple by sticking to sauce-free sushi that contains only your favorite seafood and a couple of veggies.