[wizardasa]

Good post. I just happened to love japanese foods and recently looking for low calorie recipes of them. I used to eat tempura but I stopped because it's soaked in oil. I love sushi, maki, ramen, takoyaki and of course, sashimi. I also stay away from mayo and sauce of any kind. I will now ask to change white rice to brown rice. I don't know why I haven't thought about that before =D.

[Fertassa]

I never liked mayo. I can't imagine eating all those fats. Anyway, I used love japanese foods especially tempura but now, I can't look at all the oils. This is a good post mikaela. Now I know what I need to avoid and ask for if I decide to eat these again.

[LOVEBoy]

As a last resort, develop a sudden "food allergy" to whatever you're trying to avoid.

And for extra laughs you could even pretend to go into anaphylactic shock. One thing is clear, you do not have any significant food allergies nor children with them. Suggesting anyone fake a food allergy reveals a real ignorance and is beyond insulting to the people who live with them.

People with food allergies live with one of the most challenging and frustrating issues imaginable. Put yourself in the place of someone for whom one of life's most basic necessities and pleasures is a daily obstacle course of poisons and peril, due overwhelmingly to ignorance and indifference of food preparers. That is what individuals with food allergies, and their parents, face every day.

Food allergies are a medical issue. Squeamishness about sushi or the desire to avoid mayo are not. What would be an even better indicator of restaurant quality is how seriously they take patrons with food allergies, and what they do to accommodate them. Suggesting that people fake food allergies is not going to help in that regard, and is an incredibly dumb thing to write.

[Fertassa]

I can understand your reaction towards that quote but I don't think it was mikaela's intention to offend people suffering from this condition.

[Plaumpholavup]

We do not encourage members to insult other members. We are all here to offer advice and tips so other members/guests could learn from them.

[wizardasa]

I agree. No offense intended to people suffering from food allergies. I, too, have food allergies and I know how hard it is to live with this condition but didn't find the post insulting. Mikaela was just trying to offer precautions and tips so we can avoiding eating unhealthy foods.

[Plaumpholavup]

Do you love Japanese foods? Are you a fan of sushi? Read this to learn how to avoid unhealthy sushi and stay healthy!

Biggest threats to otherwise healthy sushi:

1. White rice – expect white rice under each mound of nigiri, surrounding your maki rolls and under your chirashi or don. White rice has no food value, it is simply filling. The type of filler that inflates the abdominal tire and raises blood sugar, which will make you consume more calories in the end.

2. Mayonnaise – Like a deli sneaks it into a sandwich piled high with lean meats and healthy veggies, mayo makes a surprise appearance in many of rolls created. It adds an adhesive quality to shredded fish to hold the roll together, and a ton of fat to your assumedly healthy meal.

3. Spicy – Mayo lurks in items labeled "spicy," as the sauce is typically mayonnaise spiced with sriracha sauce. Additionally, expect old fish in spicy items. Chefs typically collect the less desirable shreds of fish for a day or so to make spicy sushi. The unpleasant taste indicating past-peak fish is covered in the powerful peppers that make sriracha dangerously delicious.

4. Sauces – while spicy, honey mustard and any opaque sauces are typically full-fat mayonnaise-based (see above), sweet miso, ponzu and other more transparent sauces usually are loaded with sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

5. Tempura – Even if it's a vegetable, it's still fried, and honestly, not lightly. Tempura contributes substantial fat, mostly saturated, and calories.

To ensure you eat the freshest fish and the most nutritive meal:

1. Choose sashimi over nigiri or rolls. Large fleshy lean fish such as tuna, salmon & yellowtail is healthier than eel, shrimp and shellfish including lobster, surf clam and real or fake crab. The latter is actually Pollack, processed and painted red to look like crab. Sushi snobs deem it the "hotdog of sushi."

2. Can't quit the maki? Look for rolls with fish outside. These rolls contain the most fish, thus the most protein. Expect to pay a little more for the higher return on investment. The Rainbow Roll (pictured at the beginning of this blog), a standard on most menus, has salmon, tuna, yellowtail and possibly other fish outside of a California roll. Ask for real crab inside and hold the mayo. Better yet, substitute a meatier fish like salmon or tuna or a vegetable like spinach or cucumber. You may be upcharged for more expensive fish, but it'll be more nutritive than hotdog crab and mayo.

3. Ask for brown rice or a cucumber wrap in place of white rice.

4. Substitute a salad or bed of fresh veggies for the rice in a bowl of Chirashi (sashimi over rice) and you made the healthiest meal in the restaurant. The most expertly-trained and dexterous chefs can roll minimal rice in maki.

5. Avoid spicy items if you think the fish will be old – the biggest health risk with consuming raw fish.

6. No Mayo, please. If you trust the freshness of the fish, request no mayo in spicy items. Ask the order be mild if you fear more sriracha will be added to replace the mayo.

7. Sauce on the side. Just like salad dressing, ask for sauces listed in items you order served on the side. Dip lightly. Most restaurants also offer low sodium soy sauce. Again, ask for it.

8. No Tempura, please. If you see the words "Tempura", "flakes" or "crunch" on a menu politely ask for "no tempura" in your order. All translate to fried.

Remember you're enjoying a cuisine which is considered art from a very formal culture. You will find rigid chefs, who refuse to make healthy substitutions, as they see it as an insult to the culture or their body of work. Smile and ask politely. Be respectful and praise the food. As a last resort, develop a sudden "food allergy" to whatever you're trying to avoid. Ultimately, the response from staff to these requests is a huge indicator of restaurant quality. If all polite efforts to negotiate fail, find the nearest exit. You have no reason to give your $ to a restaurant who won't work with you.