How Many Calories ... in Spicy Tuna Rolls?

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Sep 17th 2008 6:30AM

If such a thing existed, I'd be a card-carrying member of SLA -- sushi lovers anonymous. I'm addicted to the stuff. In fact, I could probably eat it every day. I don't, but I could.

There are worse addictions, of course. Sushi is low in fat and high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, so it's no wonder the Japanese are some of the healthiest people in the world. But we Westerners have a tendency to take healthy things and and 'Americanize' them -- also known as doing whatever we can to make them tastier and more marketable.

Sushi is no exception. What started as rice, fish and seaweed now comes in hundreds of different flavours and colours. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not complaining about those spicy mayo-laden tuna rolls I love so dearly, but I can't help but wonder what we've done to the nutritional value of sushi.

According to the Daily Plate, a Spicy Tuna Roll has 653 calories and 9 g of fat. That's for 12 pieces of sushi, or a full role. That's pretty steep for a 'healthy' food, especially considering a Big Mac only has 576 calories. What ingredient makes the spicy tuna roll so scandalous? You guessed it -- the spicy mayo. If you're counting calories, stay away from rolls that have mayo or cream cheese, and be sure to also avoid the 'crunchy' rolls -- often, that crunch comes from tempura, which is deep fried.

But don't lose faith, sushi lovers. Sushi is healthy if you make the right choices. Keep these numbers in mind:

A California Roll typically has less than 300 calories
Shrimp Nigiri (fish on rice) has about 44 calories per piece
Three pieces of salmon Sashimi has about 99 calories
Salmon Maki has around 110 calories in four pieces.

And if you're headed out for a sushi feast, be sure to fill up on two healthy Japanese starters: Miso soup (about 70 calories for a bowl,) and Edamame (about 110 calories a cup.)

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Comments (2)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Stephanie 9-18-2008 @ 9:53AM

I'll join you for SLA! My boyfriend and I go out to the most amazing sushi restaurant at least once a month. It's SO worth the money.

I adore miso soup! But my downfall, I have to say it, is Philadelphia rolls (I LOVE cream cheese!) and shrimp tempura rolls (why do fried things taste so good?!? )

And then add tempura ice cream, or tempura banana on top of that... yeah, not so healthy.

It's only a once-a-month indulgence for us, at least :)

... 9-19-2008 @ 8:16PM

I've read the ingredients and nutrition information on the pre-packaged sushi (and this was a package of California rolls), and given how many servings of sushi I normally go through in one sitting, I noticed I'd be better off with fast food. I haven't touched pre-packaged grocery store sushi ever since -- even thinking about the ingredients list and the amount of saturated and trans fats make me queasy. Americans have quite a talent for taking even the healthiest foods and making them downright toxic.

That's why I make my own sushi. It's very quick and easy, and it's even a lot of fun. Some Asian grocery stores sell blocks of sashimi-grade fish, wasabi, and nori, and I prefer to use brown rice instead of white. (I cook the rice with more water than the instructions indicate to make it sticky enough.) This way, I know that the rice and vegetables don't contain added salt, sugar, MSG, preservatives, or whatever. I also water down the soy sauce drastically. Soy sauce is very strong stuff, and a few drops go a long way.

Also, I have to strongly disagree that California rolls are healthy. Maybe it depends on the type you're getting. Some are made with a stick of imitation crab, cucumber, and sometimes avocado, and I suppose those might not be entirely evil. Others smash up the imitation crab in a ton of mayo, salt, sugar, MSG, and other flavoring and preservatives that will probably destroy your health and clog your arteries faster than fast food burgers.

At restaurants, I stick to sashimi. I usually order the chirashi and leave the rice in the bowl. Some restaurants vary the chirashi depending on what fish is in season, so for the adventurous, the chirashi can be exciting and interesting.