Sushi’s Secret Health Pitfalls—And How to Avoid ThemInset: courtesy Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien is the author of the popular Hungry Girl website and email newsletter, featuring smart, funny advice on guilt-free eating. She is also the author of eight Hungry Girl cookbooks, five of which debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Sellers list.  blog every Monday for slimmed-down celebrity recipes and more.I’ve seen Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis out on sushi dates, Hugh Jackman is a fan of NYC restaurant SushiSamba, and Robert De Niro co-founded sushi empire Nobu. But just because a celeb is spotted at a sushi restaurant doesn’t mean his or her meal is automatically light. Yes, there are a ton of fantastic guilt-free picks on sushi menus. But there are some calorie disasters, too. Here’s how to order smartly: To start, I like to get a bowl of miso soup and a sunomono salad (thinly sliced cucumbers and rice vinegar). At least one study has shown that people who start a meal with broth-based soup take in fewer calories overall—plus, miso soup is delicious! 

Edamame is also a great starter. It’s high in protein, and popping the beans out is like a little food project…fun! For the main course, sashimi is my go-to—it’s never fried or slathered in cream cheese, and it doesn’t even have rice. If I’m ordering a sushi roll, I ask for it to be made with just a little rice. My favorite sushi chef tells me it’s better to ask for it this way than to leave some rice on the plate! Making sushi is an art, and you don’t want to pick apart the masterpiece. Buzzwords to avoid: tempura (deep-fried), dynamite (packed with mayo!) and crunch (deep-fried or topped with something deep-fried). But when it comes to extras, say yes to soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger, which don’t pack on fat or calories. Just go easy on the soy sauce if you’re watching your sodium—or reach for the low-sodium bottle, which usually has a green lid.Chew the right thing! FILED UNDER: Food Blog , Hungry Girl On a clear day, you can see forever—or at least that’s the wicked thought behind L.A. designer Agi Berliner’s transparent idea: see-through jeans.

Exhibitionists notwithstanding, most folks wear them over bathing suits or as attention-getting evening wear with halters, garter belts and body stockings. sushi cat juego 1Created for the disco crowd, the $34 jeans are selling like, well, hot pants. where to get a bamboo mat for sushiIn just six weeks, 25,000 pairs have already been sold in such major department store chains as Macy’s, Bonwit’s and Saks.sushi to go tilburg “What’s limiting American designers is that we’re afraid to do something different,” says Berliner, 32, a Hungarian émigré who fled with her family to the U.S. in 1956. sushi rolling mat instructions

Agi thought up the gimmick in London while marveling at the way plastics were being employed by designers of punk fashion. sushi acquisto onlineIn her L.A. office, where she designs for La Parisienne junior sportswear, Agi spent five days on the phone and six weeks testing to come up with the right plastic.jiro dreams of sushi on tv Agi herself tried out the French-cut jeans with the zipper in front, and quickly found several problems: Some plastics tore away from stitching, others wouldn’t bend and all fogged with perspiration. ninja sushi menu new orleansThe ideal material proved to be a vinyl supplied by a bookbinder. The steam was eliminated with a series of vents behind the knees and in the crotch. “They’re no hotter than polyester pants,” claims Agi, “and if you wear them with tights, they won’t stick to your legs.”

Whatever the discomfort and despite the problem of Saturday night feverishness, discomaniacs report one major advantage of the plastic pants: no laundry bills. To keep Berliner’s see-through jeans clear, all the wearer needs is a little Windex. Back in the day, when you thought of sushi, what came to mind was a healthy slice of raw fish with some rice rolled up in nutritious seaweed paper. However, with the popularity sushi has gained over the years, many ingredients have been added to it. This includes fried fats, fatty mayonnaise and white rice laced with sugar. Well, it tastes better than initial version did, but it is way unhealthier. However, you can still enjoy sushi and be healthy. Read on and get tips on how to pick the healthiest sushi rolls. How to Pick Healthiest Sushi Rolls When you walk into a Japanese restaurant, you might be a bit confused due to the many Japanese cookery terms. However, here are tips that will help you to identify the healthiest sushi rolls on the menu.

Avoid tempura rolls: Tempura simply means fried. In addition, once wrapped in a roll, the crispy texture tends to be mushy. Skip the rice: If you can get a roll that does not have rice, but instead, has soy bean or cucumber, opt for it. You can also ask the waiters if they have rice free rolls. Take less avocado: True, avocado fat is healthy, but you eventually build up calories in your body if you take it frequently. Plus, the avocado taste is no longer there when you add other ingredients. Take more veggies: If you like flavor and the crunchy feeling, then ask for more cucumber, scallions and carrots in your roll. Take maximum of 2 rolls: A roll has about 8-10 bites, but it is loaded with about 400 unhealthy calories. Instead of taking several rolls, get a fancy roll coupled with a basic one, some soup or salad and you will keep it healthier and enjoy more delicious items. Ask for temaki: Also called hand rolls, they are cones of seaweed with a little rice and other ingredients that a traditional roll should have.

This has 80 calories less than the usual rolls. Insist on brown rice: The taste will not change much, but you will have more fiber in this version. Do not deviate from the basics: Sure, a fancy roll is tastier because of the added ingredients like tempura coating and cream cheese, but they are equally unhealthy. Stick to fish, veggies and rice. Choose the sashimi platter: Raw fish is good, but a normal platter has 3 servings. You can either share it with a friend or you can pick the appetizer-sized sashimi platter. Pick wasabi spice:  Other spicy sauces have mayonnaise. Instead, choose wasabi as it has less calories. Limit the soy sauce: Select low sodium soy sauce and use only a tablespoon. It will give you the body’s daily requirement for sodium.Do you have high levels of sodium? This is probably because you are taking miso soup that has low calories but is quite salty. Brown sauces can contain high amounts of sodium as well. Go slow on the soy sauce: Sushi is already seasoned when served, so adding extra salts might tamper with the taste of the fish.

If you feel you need to add more salt, do not fill the sauce cup. Instead, after every bite pour one or two drops of soy sauce on the roll. 10 Recommended Healthiest Sushi Rolls Salmon and avocado roll How to Make Healthiest Sushi Rolls at Home You can also make healthiest sushi at home. This way, you will be sure what ingredients are in your roll. Here is a recipe you can try out. When finished, with ½ cup serving, you will get only 94 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0g added sugars, 18g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 3mg sodium, 109mg potassium and 2g fiber. It is surely one of the healthiest sushi rolls because of using brown rice instead of the customary white rice. Total Time: 2 ¾ hours                    Serving: 16 servings Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. After adding water, let them stand for 30 minutes at room temperature for 4 hours so that the grains are fully soaked. Cover the saucepan with a tight lid and bring the content to a boil.

Let it simmer under low heat till all the water has evaporated. This might take 30-40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 30 minutes when covered, then uncover for 1 hour to let it cool. Healthy Sauce for Sushi Rolls Sushi is yummy when accompanied by a sauce. You can try out the dipping sauce below. It is low in calories and completes the healthy sushi you have just prepared. For the sauce, you will need ½ cup and 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then refrigerate for a maximum of 2 weeks. This sauce will only give you 6 calories, which is not bad at all for a sauce, and zero fats and cholesterol. Health Concerns of Eating Sushi Rolls As mentioned above, eating sushi entails seafood like raw fish and seaweed. Regardless of the sushi roll you pick out from the menu, be aware of following problems: žFood borne diseases: Eating raw fish can make you vulnerable to viruses, bacteria and parasites.