Part of the reason is that the rice is cooked with salt and sometimes soy sauce. Pret A Manger’s Deluxe Bento Box contains four-and-a-half grams of salt - three-quarters of the daily maximum of 6g. So, you’d need to eat six packs to get one of your five-a-day - and that would provide 948 calories, 13 teaspoons of sugar and a massive 10.5g of salt (which is almost two days’ worth). Not so nutritious: Eat six California rolls and you'll get just 1g of seaweed wrapping- that doesn't even come close to providing 1 per cent of a woman's daily iron or calcium
Sushi rice isn’t just boiled in water, it also has considerable amounts of sugar, plus sugary rice vinegar added to it as flavouring. Like long-grain white rice, it is heavily processed, causing it to lose vitamins, minerals and fibre, the last of which is important for maintaining a healthy digestive system - and filling us up. Stodgy white rice is the main ingredient in sushi - sometimes making up as much as 75 per cent of the dish.
While it’s fine to eat shop or restaurant sushi when you’re pregnant (by law it must be frozen to kill parasitic worms that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain), the Department of Health advises pregnant or breastfeeding women to avoid shellfish, such as shrimps, prawns, crab or scallops, which can contain viruses and bacteria. Tuna can also contain mercury, a toxin that can affect the kidneys and nervous system. All other adults should have no more than four portions a week.
Government guidelines recommend pregnant and breastfeeding women (or those who want to get pregnant) eat no more than two portions of oil-rich fish (salmon, mackerel, trout or fresh tuna) each week as it can contain pollutants that can affect a baby’s development. This form of Japanese food is low in processed carbohydrates. Sashimi - slices of raw or seared tuna or salmon - is a better option if you’re keen on boosting protein, omega-3 fats, vitamins and minerals. Marks & Spencer Fish Sushi Selection (191g, £4.68) has just 36g of fish, meaning you would have to eat four boxes and consume 1,184 calories to get one of your recommended fish portions. You’d need to eat 28 pieces of sushi to reach your 140g portion - or more, if you choose a mixed sushi box containing vegetarian varieties.īoots Shapers Japanese Style Sushi Sampler (80g, £1.50) contains just 5g of fish - less than one king prawn.Įven ‘fish’ sushi boxes don’t contain much.
Health experts say a portion of fish should weigh 140g, but on average, the fish in a California roll or piece of nigiri (rice with fish balanced on the top) weighs just 5g. Many of us believe eating sushi is a good way to get the Government’s recommended two portions of fish each week, but here’s the problem: most sushi contains very little protein, despite its expense. Not so healthy: A typical sushi roll contains 290 to 350 calories and has the carbohydrate equivalent of two-and-a-half to four slices of bread