Our Experts

Diet & Nutrition

Joy's Healthy Bite

Best Bets in Sushi

Jun 07 08:59pm

Although fish can be an incredibly healthy addition to your diet, there are a few species that contain unsafe levels of mercury and other contaminants like PCBs and should be avoided.

As a general rule, avoid regularly eating any type of tuna, shark, King mackerel, swordfish, and farm raised salmon. Wild salmon is highly nutritious - when you see it noted on a menu, take full advantage!

One average piece of sushi (fish with rice) provides 70 calories, one average piece of sashimi (fish without rice) provides 40 calories. Here's a quick summary on fish to enjoy and avoid.

Fish to enjoy:

Akagai (ark shell)
Aoyagi (round clam)
Awabi (abalone)
Ayu (sweetfish)
Ebi (shrimp)
Hamaguri (clam)
Hatahata (sandfish)
Himo (ark shell)
Hokkigai (surf clam)
Hotategai (scallop)
Ika (squid)
Ikura (salmon roe)
Kaibashira (shellfish)
Kani (crab)
Karei (flatfish)
Kohada (gizzard shad)
Masago (smelt egg)
Masu (trout)
Mirugai (surf clam)
Wild Sake (wild salmon)
Sayori (halfbeak)
Shako (mantis shrimp)
Tai (sea bream)
Tairagai (razor-shell clam)
Tako (octopus)
Tobikko (flying fish egg)
Torigai (cockle)
Tsubugai (shellfish)
Uni (sea urchin roe)

Fish to avoid:

Ahi (yellowfin tuna)
Aji (horse mackerel)
Buri (adult yellowtail)
Hamachi (young yellowtail)
Inada (very young yellowtail)
Kanpachi (very young yellowtail)
Katsuo (bonito)
Kajiki (swordfish)
Maguro (bigeye, bluefin or yellowfin tuna)
Makjiki (blue marlin)
Meji (young bigeye, bluefin or yellowfin tuna)
Saba (mackerel)
Sawara (Spanish mackerel)
Seigo (young sea bass)
Shiro (albacore tuna)
Suzuki (sea bass)
Toro (bigeye, bluefin or yellowfin tuna)

-------------------------------------------------------

Check out Joy's new book.

24 Comments Report Abuse

11. nyrfan00 - Jun 14 05:23am

The biggest issue I have with this article, is that every single item she lists that is 'good' for you is cooked! Very few of those items are ever eaten raw, which typically is the main point of having sushi.

An article like this can offer more great advice under the same philosophy

Cars to Avoid:

ALL makes and models, because you could get into a car accident when driven

12. nyrfan00 - Jun 14 05:24am

13. yjackal - Jun 14 05:26am

pointless to eat sushi if you not eating the tuna, yellowtail...you are only left with choice of fish eggs, and shell fish??

14. jle_92708 - Jun 14 05:39am

ehh...if its good i'm gonna eat it as usual. life is too short.

15. mako089 - Jun 14 06:55am

Hmm the Japanese eat so much of the dangerous fish and they have some of the longest lifespans + are some of the healthiest people living in a cramped country. Before some of you go paranoid, you might want to think about the processed foods, sauces and junk foods you eat and consider that those likely do more harm to you than a lifetime of eating these fish. It's not that sushi places don't care, they operate just as they would in Japan, eating what tastes good.

16. mako089 - Jun 14 06:56am

17. mako089 - Jun 14 06:59am

Sorry nyrfan00, You can pretty much eat everything on the good for you list raw

18. johngcordero3 - Jun 14 07:03am

Its good info but she basically listing all the stuff I eat!!!!

19. alexx1836 - Jun 14 07:16am

umm, how youn is a youn yellowtail...:P

20. trickclowns - Jun 14 07:52am

This article was stupid! Look at the number of "fish" listed in the bad column? Only 3-4, with the rest being shellfish.

The 2nd column is all the rest of the fish us sushi eaters like to eat... so what's the point?

Not helpful!