As a college student, phrases like “I’m so tired,” “What am I going to eat?” and “Who wants sushi?” seem to always creep up in our vocabulary. For many of us, going from homemade meals at mom’s house to suddenly being broke and hungry leave us feeling too tired to cook. We are in college for goodness sake–We’re busy!
With this said, many students still try to be health-conscious when choosing their fast meals, I know I do. But is one of the biggest health food crazes amongst people our age actually misleading?
I don’t want to type out these next words but, sushi is not so good for you after all.
Sushi has been promoted for years as being a light, healthy and, let’s face it, an all around “cooler” meal. It is high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins, though, while some rolls are not too bad for you, others can completely ruin our efforts of keeping off the dreaded college weight.
When you think about it, it doesn’t really seem possible. Sushi? Unhealthy? It is just fish wrapped in seaweed and rice. However, the fish and the seaweed aren’t the main problem: it is the rice, fried decorations, spicy condiments and of course, the soy sauce we all love to accompany our meal with.
75% of a roll is white rice. According to what dietician Rachel Beller told the Daily Mail, the amount of carbs in an average roll is the same as about two and a half to four slices of bread, and has about 350 calories. This is because the rice is infused with sugar and vinegar. Instead of white rice, a healthier option would be brown rice, which has about the same amount of calories as white but maintains the nutritional value that the white rice has been stripped of.
We also need to be wary of the words “tempura,” “crispy,” or “spicy” in the title.
Tempura means that the roll in itself is plunged deep down in high calorie, fatty oil and fried to a crisp. While this probably makes the roll taste 1,000 times yummier (anything fried is yummy, am I right?) It takes away any aspect of what may have been healthy in that roll.
Crispy isn’t as bad as tempura, but it also means that a portion of the roll was fried, like the little onions on top, which once again increase the calories and fat of the entire roll.
Spicy usually entails that whatever made the roll spicy, was a mixture of hot spices and fatty mayonnaise or cream cheese. Both high in fatty oils, calories, and sugars…Unfortunately you could probably find something similar in nutritional value as these rolls at your nearest McDonalds.
Last but not least, what really gets everyone is the beloved soy sauce we dip our rolls in. Traditional soy sauce is truly not unhealthy for you. However, what we usually find in groceries and restaurants is the commercial made soy sauce- which contains over 1,000 mg of sodium in one tablespoon! Help!
While these facts may be downright depressing to sushi-loving readers, you do not have to give up on sushi altogether! You just need to be informed on what rolls are good for you and what rolls you should probably skip if you’re thinking about fitting into that little black dress…
Try these healthier options!
Cucumber or Avocado Roll
Calories 110
Fat: 0 grams
Plus the silica in cucumbers is good for your skin!
(photo courtesy of www.madelinesadaptions.com)
Tuna Roll
Calories: 210
Fat: 9 grams
Although this one is a tad higher in fat content, the tuna is a lean protein that your body thrives off of.
(photo courtesy of www.finestchef.com)
Not so much these…
Shrimp Tempura Roll
Calories: 508
Fat: 21 grams
The tempura will really get you on this one…
(photo courtesy of www.favfamilyrecipes.com)
Philadelphia Roll
Calories: 290
Fat: 12 grams
The cream cheese that really gives this roll its taste, but adds on a ton of a calories and fat content.
(photo courtesy of www.fattributes.com)