The Japanese cuisine is mostly sushi plus a few main dish classics. Japanese cuisine deserves its reputation as one of the healthiest. Most traditional Japanese restaurants serve foods in modest portions, and many are prepared using very little fat. The picture is a little different in Americanized restaurants, where portions are larger and cooked with more oil.
You may be able to be calorie-wise with a complete meal—usually miso soup, salad, main course, rice, and a vegetable—if you keep meal portions small. Or order à la carte, including sushi by the piece, for better control over calories.
The Fat in Japanese cuisine:
Japanese cuisine includes several options for heart-healthy good fats, but You'll need to manage portion sizes to keep calories under control.
FOOD - TYPE OF FAT - CALORIES/OZ
Edamame (soybeans) Monounsaturated fatty acids 38
Yellowtail Omega-3 fatty acids 41
Mackerel Omega-3 fatty acids 45
Avocado Monounsaturated fatty acids 48
Salmon Omega-3 fatty acids 51
Eel Omega-3 fatty acids 67
How to be calorie-wise when enjoying Japanese cuisine:
1. For a sushi roll meal, eat about 8 standard-size pieces plus either miso soup or a vegetable salad to start.
2. Choose plain salmon or tuna sushi rolls rather than spicy. Spicy fillings are chopped and blended with mayo.
3. Leave some of the rice behind. Rice is the number one contributor of calories in a Japanese meal, and Japanese sushi rice is higher in calories because of added sugar. Or order your seafood as sashimi, pieces of raw fish served without rice.
4. Say no to tempura as a meal and limit yourself to just one piece. The fried coating adds plenty of calories to the naturally low-calorie vegetable or shrimp inside.
5. To add nutrition and balance to a sushi meal, look for vegetable dishes in the appetizer section of the menu. Many restaurants offer relatively low-calorie salads that are made from spinach, cucumber, or seaweed and seasoned with rice vinegar and a touch of sugar.
SUSHI AND SASHIMI
TUNA SASHIMI
1 piece: 15 calories
27 pieces: 405 calories
1 piece: 15 calories
TORO (FATTY TUNA) SASHIMI
1 piece: 20 calories
20 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 20 calories
BURI (YELLOWTAIL) SASHIMI
1 piece: 20 calories
20 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 20 calories
EEL SASHIMI
1 piece: 25 calories
16 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 25 calories
CUCUMBER ROLL
1 piece: 30 calories
13 pieces: 390 calories
1 piece: 30 calories
CALIFORNIA ROLL
4 pieces: 160 calories
10 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 40 calories
TUNA ROLL
4 pieces: 160 calories
10 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 40 calories
SEA DRAGON ROLL (eel, avocado, cucumber)
4 pieces: 160 calories
10 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 40 calories
TORO (FATTY TUNA) NIGIRI SUSHI
1 piece: 50 calories
8 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 50 calories
PHILADELPHIA ROLL (cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumber)
4 pieces: 200 calories
8 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 50 calories
FUTOMAKI (vegetarian roll): 4 pieces: 200 calories
8 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 50 calories
SPICY SALMON ROLL
4 pieces: 200 calories
8 pieces: 400 calories
1 piece: 50 calories
ANAGO (EEL) NIGIRI SUSHI
1 piece: 60 calories
7 pieces: 420 calories
1 piece: 60 calories
EBI (SHRIMP) NIGIRI SUSHI
1 piece: 60 calories
7 pieces: 420 calories
1 piece: 60 calories
TEMAKI (hand roll with rice and salmon)
1 roll: 120 calories
3 1/3 rolls: 400 calories
1 roll: 120 calories
CATERPILLAR ROLL (avocado, eel, cucumber)
1 roll: 330 calories
1¼ rolls: 410 calories
½ roll: 165 calories
Sashimi
4 pieces buri (yellowtail) sashimi
80 + 4 pieces toro (fatty tuna) sashimi
80 + 4 pieces eel sashimi
100 + ½ cup Japanese rice 120 = 380 calories
- protein
- good fats
Cucumber, California, and Futomaki Rolls
1 cup cucumber salad: 30 + 4 pieces California roll: 160 + 4 pieces futomaki (vegetarian roll): 200 = 390 calories
- good fats
- fruits/veggies
Nigiri Sushi
2 pieces toro (fatty tuna) nigiri sushi
100 + 1 piece anago (eel) nigiri sushi
60 + 2 pieces ebi (shrimp) nigiri sushi
120 + 1 piece tempura banana: 110 = 390 calories
The seaweeds wrapped around sushi and used in salads are rich in beta-carotene and folate, as well as several vital minerals.
SOUPS AND Side Dishes
CUCUMBER SALAD
1 cup: 30 calories
13 cups: 390 calories
1 cup: 30 calories
MISO SOUP
1 cup: 40 calories
10 cups: 400 calories
1 cup: 40 calories
SIDE SALAD
1 cup lettuce + 1 Tbsp carrot dressing: 50 calories
8 cups lettuce + ½ cup carrot dressing: 400 calories
1 cup lettuce + 1 Tbsp carrot dressing: 50 calories
STEAMED BROCCOLI
1 cup: 50 calories
8 cups: 400 calories
1 cup: 50 calories
SEAWEED SALAD
1 cup: 120 calories
3½ cups: 420 calories
½ cup: 60 calories
TEMPURA VEGETABLES
4 pieces: 270 calories
6 pieces: 405 calories
1 piece: 70 calories
EDAMAME
1 cup, shell-on
100 calories
4 cups, shell-on
400 calories
1 cup, shell-on
100 calories
JAPANESE RICE
1 cup: 240 calories
1 2/3 cups: 400 calories
½ cup: 120 calories
Philadelphia and Tuna Rolls
1 cup shell-on edamame
100 + 4 pieces Philadelphia roll: 200 + 2 pieces tuna roll: 80 = 380 calories
- good fats
Beware of added sugar in carrot dressing and teriyaki sauce.
Entrées:
BEEF NEGIMAKI
8 pieces: 300 calories
11 pieces: 410 calories
4 pieces: 150 calories
CHICKEN BREAST TERIYAKI
6 oz: 310 calories
7 3/4 oz: 400 calories
3 oz: 155 calories
UDON NOODLE BOWL
2 cups: 360 calories
2¼ cups: 400 calories
1 cup: 180 calories
SALMON TERIYAKI
6 oz: 420 calories
6 oz: 420 calories
3 oz: 210 calories
CHICKEN TERIYAKI BOWL with vegetables, brown rice 3 cups: 480 calories
2½ cups: 400 calories
1½ cups: 240 calories
STEAK TERIYAKI NOODLE BOWL with vegetables
3 cups: 640 calories
2 cups: 430 calories
1½ cups: 320 calories
SALMON TERIYAKI BOWL with vegetables, white rice 4 cups: 650 calories
2½ cups: 410 calories
2 cups: 325 calories
Salmon Teriyaki
1 cup miso soup
40 + 3 oz salmon teriyaki
210 + 1 cup steamed broccoli
50 + ½ cup Japanese rice 120 = 420 calories
- protein
- good fats
- fruits/veggies
Chicken Teriyaki Bowl
2 cups sake
160 + 1½ cups chicken teriyaki bowl with vegetables, brown rice 240 = 400 calories
- protein
- fruits/veggies
Desserts:
TEMPURA BANANA (1½″ PIECE)
1 piece: 110 calories
4 pieces: 440 calories
1 piece: 110 calories
GREEN TEA ICE CREAM
½ cup: 290 calories
2/3 cup: 390 calories
¼ cup: 145 calories
Beverages:
SAKE (2 OZ SAKE CUP)
2 sake cups: 160 calories
5 sake cups: 400 calories
2 sake cups: 160 calories
PLUM WINE (4 OZ GLASS)
1 glass: 180 calories
2¼ glasses: 400 calories
1 glass: 180 calories
Beef Negimaki
1 glass plum wine
180 + 4 pieces beef negimaki
150 + ¼ cup Japanese rice 60 = 390 calories