blog #15 Japanese sushi vs. Western sushi

The Japanese diet is commonly regarded as being healthy. Sushi, which comes from Japan is a well integrated western food made from contents which the Japanese base their daily caloric intake around.

With a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrates the Japanese are known for enjoying one of the longest lifespans in the world. Japan has lower rates of heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer then the United States.

• Due to Japan’s healthy lifestyle a diet plan named the Okinawa diet has been commercially promoted in Western Society. The Okinawa menu plan follows a nutrient dense low calorie diet, and has helped people loose and control their weight
• Some of the commonly known foods from Japan that have become westernized are sushi, tempura and teriyaki chicken.
• The main ingredients of traditional Japanese sushi is raw fish and rice which together are naturally low in fat, high in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

The same isn’t true for the Western style sushi that has become increasingly more popular. Ingredients like mayonnaise, avocado, and cream cheese is added to make the sushi more palatable, but this is not common within traditional Japanese diet and menu planning. Japanese based seafood is low in omega 6 fat, and high in omega 3 fatty acids found from the fish like tuna and salmon. Since sushi is served raw no fat is introduced in its preparation. Fish, tofu, seafood, egg, crab and various other sushi fillings are high in protein. Vitamins and Minerals are found in many of the vegetables used for sushi. For example, the gari (pickled ginger) and nori (seaweed wrap) used to make sushi are both rich in nutrients. Other vegetables like carrots and cucumber provide nutrients too. Carbohydrates are found in the rice (complex carbohydrates) and the vegetables (simple carbohydrates.)

this image is a deep fried spicy roll which is NOT a common Japanese roll but a WESTERN style roll. Make simple choices when eating sushi to resemble a diet like the Japanese (first image)