Here are some awesome health benefits of eating sushi
Eating sushi, and not just the California Roll, which consists of cream cheese, avocado and cucumbers, is really good for you, especially if it contains fish. Fresh fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and cod, whether cooked or raw, contain omega-3 fatty acid, which are good for the cardiovascular and neurological systems. Omega-3s have been proven to lower cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Some articles suggest that some other health benefits of eating sushi with fish is that it may ward off lung cancer. Perhaps eating sushi is the reason that the rate of lung cancer in Japan is only two-thirds as high as in Britain. Both groups of people have a high rate of smokers in their countries.
Are there other health benefits of eating sushi?
Contrary to popular notions, sushi does not stand for raw fish. “Sushi” refers to the rice/vinegar wrap around the contents of a sushi roll. This rice/vinegar sticky mixture alone is beneficial to a person’s health as the rice often used in sushi is rich in protein and many believe it lowers blood pressure. This may account for the low rate of heart disease among the Japanese. The rice also helps in relieving diarrhea, while the vinegar can work as a diuretic or cleanser to rid the body of toxins. If the sushi isn’t wrapped in a rice/vinegar mixture, it may be held together with sheets of dried seaweed. These dark green sheets wrapped around vegetables and fish are a rich source of iodine, copper, calcium, iron and magnesium. Iodine in food is hard to come by. It is commonly found in salt, but people who have a salt restricted diet can become deficient in iodine, which is used in the thyroid for balanced hormone function and metabolism. Another health benefit of eating sushi wrapped in dried seaweed is that it provides phytonutrients and folic acid, both great antioxidants.
In addition to the health benefits of eating sushi, look at what you are eating with your sushi
What is sushi without wasabi? This hot, green paste that can clear out your sinus passages and bring tears to your eyes, is rich in Vitamin C and the isothiocyanates in wasabi might help prevent tooth decay. But a more important factor is that wasabi, if consumed regularly, has been proven to prevent blood clots from forming and stimulates the body to fight off cancers. Another accompaniment to eating sushi is pickled ginger. Long known for soothing digestive problems, ginger also relieves flatulence. Traditionally, sushi is dipped in soy sauce. Although soy sauce has a high salt content, it also has a high iron content and is a good antibacterial for the colon. With so many health benefits of eating sushi, one would wonder why it isn’t eaten all the time and in great quantities. However, even though each roll is small in size, the caloric count can be as high as 200 calories per roll, which means a boat of six rolls, no matter how healthy can mean consuming 1200 calories. For this reason it is good to compliment a sushi meal with green tea. The tannins in the tea aid the digestive tract and the catechin antioxidants can fight off bacteria vibrio, a cause of food poisoning. Plus green tea helps in weight loss. So, enjoy the sushi!
