Sushi for Lunch

I've taken sushi rolls home and deconstructed them several times - weighing all the components and putting the recipe in my tool. I'm happy to share the results with you.

All sushi is fairly low in fat. It can provide reasonable protein. The main drawback to sushi is a lack of vitamin A and C. So, to create a balanced meal you need to add a green salad, maybe some carrots or a fruit like watermelon, mangos, cantaloupe, or citrus. A great choice would be the cold spinach salad, Go-ma-ae, sold in some Japanese restaurants.

I have analyzed 4 kinds of sushi rolls. Here they are in order of increasing nutritional value:

California roll - these are made of rice, seaweed, fake crab, avocado and cucumber. Fake crab is not the most nutritious food. It's made from white fish, potatoes and crab stock. Cucumber does not add much in the tiny quanitities used. Of course, the rice is mostly calories. The seaweed and avocado are the biggest nutrtional contributors. 8 oz of California roll - a typical serving - is about 225 calories and has 13 g of protein. P/C/F is 22/62/16. B vitamins are good, but there is no calcium, and minimal antioxidant value.

Spicy tuna or salmon - depending on the chef, these can have a tiny amount of mayonnaise - or lots of it. An 8 oz serving typically has 252 calories, 12g of protein, and a P/C/F ratio of 20/60/20. It has slightly better B vitamins and minerals that the California roll, and some Omega 3. Of course, the tuna has a potential mercury problem, so you wouldn't want to eat it often.

Shrimp roll with avocado and roe - this is like the California roll, but with real shrimp, and orange roe on the outside. Roe is a "superfood". This tiny amount adds lots of E, minerals, and B-vitamins. The shrimp is also better protein than the fake crab. An 8 oz. serving has 225 calories, 17g of protein, and a P/C/F ratio of 30/50/20. It has more E, more B vitamins and minerals that the California roll, some Omega 3, and very high B-12.

Eel roll with asparagus and roe - Once again, the roe adds a lot, and eel has meaningful amounts of E and A. The asparagus is also helpful. This roll has twice the vitamins and minerals as the California roll. Eel is also pretty high fat, so the P/C/F ratio is 23/40/38, better for counteracting the rice's high glycemic index. Total calories is 287, with 16g of protein, high in B-12 and providing 1/2 the RDA for A and E. Perhaps a salad or fruit is not needed with this sushi choice.

Try eating sushi without the soy sauce. The spicier varieties really don't need it, for my taste buds. Soy sauce is incredibly high in sodium. You're not going to find a low sodium version at a restaurant. The wasabi has negligible nutritional content, due to the tiny amount most people consume. But, then, it has almost no calories, either. If you eat large quantities of it, it is a source of C. 10g of wasabi (a large rounded teaspoon) has 6% of the RDA. Soy sauce has about 12 calories an ounce.

My pick for a meal - the eel roll with asparagus and roe, 1/2 an ounce of soy sauce with a little wasabi, and an orange. This provides high levels of A,C,E and all the B vitamins, good amounts of Omega 3. It's lacking in calcium and potassium, and is generally a little low in minerals.

If such an exotic composition is not available, plain old eel roll or the spicy salmon roll is another good choice. Balance this roll out with some cantaloupe or a green salad.

Either of these meals should be around 300-350 calories.