Is it possible to eat sushi and rolls on a diet: benefits and harms, expert opinions, selection rules

The main illustration of the effectiveness of the Japanese approach to food remains the invariably smart appearance of the inhabitants of the island state: before they met the joys of American fast food chains, the Japanese did not even suspect that excess weight could appear out of nowhere.

However, even now, the descendants of the samurai are excellent at resisting burgeromania, demonstrating the lowest obesity rate in the world (less than 3% of the population) among residents of civilized countries. Life expectancy in Japan, despite the legendary workaholism of its inhabitants, is much higher than average – the Japanese live for more than 80 years.

For a long time, the Japanese did not know any gluten grains at all – only rice grew in the island zone of risky farming. At the same time, polished white was available only to the nobility and the rich military, ordinary people were content with unrefined brown, which, as is now well known, although coarser, but much more useful.

Since ancient times, the inhabitants of Japan have obtained fats from marine sources rich in valuable omega-3 acids – the Japanese first tried butter only in the XNUMXth century, and vegetable oilseeds were used very sparingly.

Gourmet comrades, don’t throw rice away at the theater

Sushi (the correct reading of the combination of these hieroglyphs is sushi, however, distorted pronunciation has taken root in international practice) have been known in Japan since approximately the 8th century. Initially, it was a way of storing fresh fish – it was placed in rice fermented with koji, special molds common in the Land of the Rising Sun. Koji is still used today to make sake, miso soup, soy sauce, and other Japanese exotic foods.

The fish, covered with a “fur coat” of fermented rice, was put under pressure to avoid air ingress. Ready-made “canned food” or narezsushi was edible for several months, while the rice itself, which played the role of a preserving medium, was simply thrown away.

The invention of sushi as a gourmet snack is credited to Tokyo chef Hanai Yohei: in the 19th century, he first served nigiri sushi (slices of raw seafood on rice cooked with sugar and vinegar, the addition of which mimicked koji processing) as a fast food, appropriate for eating in the whole theater, along with rice. Soon, sushi became a popular offer among street hawkers and became a kind of gastronomic symbol of Japan, although it was, in fact, a novelty for it too.

Do you want to eat sushi and rolls on a diet? The gut is short!

An amazing scientific fact: the small intestine of the Japanese is, on average, two meters longer than that of other nationalities. This genetic feature manifested itself among the inhabitants of the island state precisely because of the limited diet and the abundance of rice in it: in order for all nutrients to be absorbed to the maximum, food requires a longer path inside the body. In addition, part of the microflora of the Japanese gastrointestinal tract are special bacteria responsible for the productive processing of algae and sea food.

Today rice has become the object of discussions among nutritionists: for example, Margarita Koroleva considers it an indispensable part of a healthy menu, and Aleksey Kovalkov is sure that everyone who wants to lose weight should completely abandon white rice. But it is also better not to lean on a healthier brown every day: frequent consumption of starch-rich and fortifying rice can be a problem, especially if you have a tendency to retain stool.

Therefore, the transition of a European to Japanese food is by and large not a matter of preference, habit or upbringing. Even if you like unusual Asian food, eating a lot of it can cause metabolic displeasure on the part of a body devoid of Japanese genes.

Rice retains water, as do the salty additives that often accompany sushi and rolls. For those on a diet, this can result in unwanted excess weight, essentially consisting of excess fluid. Do not forget that in Russia the concept of sushi has gone through a serious transformation: we fell in love with sushi and turned the dish, the secret of which is in the excellent balance of simple ingredients, into a festival of diversity. Today, rolls with bacon or olives are no longer surprising, but it is advisable to be aware that such products have nothing to do with traditional Japanese cuisine. In addition, they turn a diet meal (the standard nutritional value of a portion of a roll is 200-300 kcal) into a calorie bomb. The answer to the question is already clear to you: is it possible to eat rolls while losing weight? ..

Sushi, rolls and weight loss: what do experts think? 

Carol Ann Rinzler, author of the bestselling Weight Loss for Dummies, believes that sushi is a good example of quality, satisfying, low-fat food. However, if you choose them incorrectly, the benefits run the risk of fading away.

American nutritionist Margot Jay Rathban offers her own approach to choosing healthy Japanese snacks: she is sure that the fewer ingredients in a sushi or roll and the less fancy it looks, the healthier. From the entire assortment of sushi bars, Ratban herself chooses sashimi – a cut of raw fish. However, it is important to be one hundred percent sure of its freshness and respectable origin: unprocessed sea fish can accumulate salts of heavy metals and contain parasites.

Nutritionists agree that you shouldn’t make sushi and rolls the main course of your diet if you want to lose weight, but you can enjoy yourself with a neat and beautiful portion of this interesting food once or twice a week without harming your figure.

9 rules for choosing sushi and rolls for those on a diet

1. Top the sushi feast with a serving of miso soup made from fermented soybeans, seaweed and tofu – it warms and extinguishes the first “wolf hunger”, and also fills the stomach, allowing you to eat less without frustration and struggle with yourself. A portion of miso soup contains about 75 kcal.

2. Some sushi restaurants offer the option of replacing the beautiful white rice with healthier brown rice. If your goal is to eat sushi and not harm the figure, choose it: rice retains cereal shells containing valuable rice oil, and with it magnesium and selenium. Sushi without rice is ideal for losing weight!

3. Ask your waiter for a naturally fermented soy sauce without added wheat, and remember that reduced sodium sauce has 25% less salt than regular soy. True, it still remains quite salty, and should be consumed in moderation. If a restaurant is unable to offer you the best sauce, it may be worth giving up the idea of ​​dipping sushi somewhere altogether. For those who like to order Japanese food at home, it makes sense to stock up on a bottle of quality soy sauce.

4. Remembered about the properties of ginger for weight loss and lean on burning, a ginger “bonus” to sushi? Not worth it – it is marinated in a large amount of vinegar with added sugar. This solution not only destroys all the substances that provide ginger with the glory of the first assistant in the fight for a thin waist, but also irritates the walls of the esophagus.

5. Using chopsticks will show your respect for Asian culture, allow you to exercise graceful movements and naturally slow down the absorption of food.

6. Fillings with curd cheese and mayonnaise (even if the menu and staff claim that this mayonnaise is exclusively Japanese) are not traditional and automatically add unnecessary calories and hydrogenated fats to your healthy snack.

7. Avoid tempura – it’s a real stash of calories! Vegetables and seafood in a crispy breading are incredibly appetizing; it is not difficult, without noticing, to eat a portion and order more, having received a charge of energy value, comparable to a large lunch in fast food. The same applies to hot and breaded rolls. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is a healthy food: in terms of composition and health benefits, they are closer to pasties than to sushi.

8. Sushi with vegetable toppings is not as good as it might seem. Due to the proximity to rice, such a dish turns out to be predominantly carbohydrate, which means that it saturates slightly and provokes a quick return of hunger. A healthier option is vegetable temaki (kelp or soy paper cones) without rice.

9. Green tea will not only reduce the thirst caused by the consumption of fish and salted sauce, but also provide a boost of antioxidants, and will also take care of the stylistic perfection of your dinner: the Japanese are nowhere without tea!