Is Sashimi Healthy? Most Interesting Facts About Consuming Raw Fish

By - Dr Umme Hurayra

Most people are very well aware of the benefits of fish. But what about consuming raw fish? Have you ever tried it? Or still, you are confused about whether we can eat raw fish or not?

Raw fishes are very common in Japanese cuisine and Sashimi is one of those. The Japanese are very fond of eating seafood whether raw or cooked but many people are curious to know that, Is Sashimi healthy?

Well, the article is going to guide you about the health benefits of Sashimi, its nutritional value, and whether you should eat it or not. Moreover, you will come to know about how Sashimi can be helpful with weight loss and diabetes. In addition to it, the article is going to answer another important query, whether pregnant women can consume Sashimi? So, the paragraphs below are going to be quite interesting.

What is Sashimi?

Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy consisting of very fresh raw meat or fish sliced into thin pieces. Sashimi is often the first course in a formal Japanese meal but it can also be the main course presented with rice mussel soup in separate bowls. Japanese chefs consider Sashimi as one of the finest dishes in Japanese formal dining and recommend that you can eat it before other strongest flavors that can affect the palate.

The sliced seafood that composes the main ingredient is typically draped over the garnish. The typical garnish is Asian white radish,  shredded into long thin strands or single leaves of some herbs. Sashimi is popularly made with a dipping sauce that may be soy sauce with grated ginger.

Sashimi’s Finest Cuts

To highlight the appearance of fresh fish, the chef cuts it by different techniques into different thicknesses. Mostly the slices are cut in a rectangular shape. This is the standard cut of sashimi. Typically, the style of the cut is the size of a domino. Tuna, raw salmon, and kingfish are most commonly cut into this style.

Another way to cut is in an extremely diagonal cut slice that is mostly used to cut firm fish such as bream, whiting, and flounder. Other ways to cut Sashimi are small cubes and sheets less than 2 mm wide.

Is Sashimi Healthy?

Is eating Sashimi healthy?  Is tuna Sashimi healthy to eat? There are two sides to this argument. The main points are briefly explained here. On one side, tuna sashimi provides some healthy Omega-3 oils, fish, and protein. High intakes of both have been associated with some health benefits like a reduced risk of heart disease or reduced inflammation. 

On the other hand, commercially available seafood tends to have a higher level of heavy metals and contaminants that are found in this type of feeder fish. Sashimi is most commonly composed of top-feeder fish. These fishes eat other smaller fishes and tend to have higher concentrations of contaminants that might be found in the water. 

Since contamination concentrates up the food chain, high intakes of these heavy metals like methylmercury or other contaminants like plastic have been associated with an increased risk of a variety of health issues like cancer and hormonal issues, so a diet high in sashimi may present a double-edged sword.

Best Types of Sashimi

So, let’s say you want to eat Sashimi for dinner, what types of Sashimi might be best? Let us first take a look at fish. For those who ask that, Is salmon sashimi healthy?  Salmon, mackerel, butterfish, and Bluefin’s tuna are your fattiest cuts of fish. They also contain the most calories per 1 ounce sashimi piece with salmon and mackerel leading the pack.

Most people ask, Is yellowtail sashimi healthy? So, Yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, sea bass, and halibut are your leaner cuts of fish having barely any fats in comparison to other cuts. Their protein density is quite high, having more protein than an egg per the same amount of weight, so they are very healthy.

Sea urchin and roe or fish eggs are exceptions, both of which are fattier and high-calorie non-fish Sashimi. Cuttlefish like octopuses and squid have small amounts of carbohydrates. If you are attempting a low-calorie diet, go for leaner cuts of sashimi.

Is Sushi Healthy? Sushi Health Benefits

Is Sushi Healthy? Is chicken sushi roll healthy? These are the highly asked questions when talking about sushi and sashimi. There are many things for which sushi is not considered healthy. The first thing is tempura rolls made from flour battering and then frying them in oil. Usually, vegetable oil or canola oil are used which are genetically modified and these are partially hydrogenated oils, which is the worst type of fat.

The second thing is sushi cream cheese in rolls. It is very high in fat that can clog your arteries and is loaded with calories. Next comes the sauces that are loaded with salt, sugar, and fats. These mayo or cream-based sauces are very high in bad fats that raise cholesterol levels and cause obesity.

The next thing that is not healthy in sushi is the use of fish high in toxic metals such as mercury. And then the white rice that causes inflammation in the body and makes you gain weight. So if you want to make sure that you are eating healthy sushi, substitute the white rice with brown rice, add more vegetables to enhance the nutrient quantity, and use low sodium sauces such as grated ginger.

Is Sashimi Healthy for Cats?

Sashimi can cause gastrointestinal upset in cats. The raw fish contains the enzyme thiaminase that breaks down thiamine or vitamin B. Decrease of thiamine in cats can lead to brain problems and convulsions. Moreover, cats can get food poisoning from vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids present in raw fish, so Sashimi is not healthy for cats.

Benefits of Sashimi Tuna

Talking about Salmon Sashimi’s health benefits, the following advantages of consuming Sashimi can be considered.

Effects of Sashimi on Human Health and Weight Loss

Different people have different reactions to different types of food. Let us see how sashimi affects diabetics and pregnant women and how it is helpful in weight loss?

Is Sashimi Healthy for Weight Loss?

Is salmon sashimi healthy for weight loss? People who are very conscious about their health mostly ask this type of question. Sashimi can help in weight loss if it is prepared from fish which is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The high protein content can reduce your appetite and make you feel full for longer. It can help you lose more weight.

The fattier cuts of fish also have much higher calorie density as compared to leaner cuts of fish with one piece of salmon containing more calories than 2 pieces of halibut. For the rest of seafood, everything is almost quite low in calories maintaining a good amount of protein that can be very healthy for weight loss.

Sashimi Calories

Most of the sashimi calories come from protein. Fish meat is high in protein as compared to carbohydrates and other nutrients. If we talk about Salmon sashimi calories, it has 50 or 65 calories per slice. The same is the case with yellowtail fish and squid. Nigri fish contains 40 calories per slice, so salmon is high in calories because it is slightly high in carbohydrates as compared to other seafood.

Is Sashimi Healthy for Diabetes?

Sashimi is good for diabetics as it has no carbohydrates and added sugar. Just make sure that diabetics should avoid sauces high in sugar and sodium. Instead, they should eat Sashimi with a ginger sauce.

Is Sashimi Healthy During Pregnancy?

During Pregnancy, the gastrointestinal system of most females remains unstable. So, eating raw fish can cause food poisoning. But if you are fond of eating sashimi and you are comfortable while eating it, you can add it to your diet as per the suggestions of your doctor.

Side Effects of Sashimi

As a raw food, sashimi can cause foodborne illness. It can cause diseases due to the ingestion of larval nematodes present in some fishes. In addition, commercially prepared sea fish may contain toxins. Another type of foodborne illness that can occur after consuming sashimi is the infection in the intestine due to ingestion of tapeworms.

Common fishes such as trout, salmon, pike, etc. contain these parasitic larvae in their muscles. Due to this innovation of the chilled transport system, an increasing number of cases have been recorded annually in Japan due to the spread of this disease.

Traditionally, fish that spend at least part of their lives in brackish water is considered unsuitable for sashimi because of the possibility of parasites. For example, some people do not eat salmon straight out of the river. So, be careful about parasitic infections while eating raw fish.

The Bottom Line

Sashimi refers to the raw piece of seafood sliced into thin sheets. But people are curious to know that, Is Sashimi healthy? Yes, it is, if you prepare it healthily or order it in a healthy and reliable restaurant. The high protein content in Sashimi can help you lose weight, can reduce your insulin spike, and hence reduces the number of fats in your body.

Meanwhile, increasing a dietary intake of protein can also help suppress appetite and reduce hunger, so if you enjoy sushi roll and sashimi, you should focus more on sashimi for weight loss, since it is high in protein and not mixed with any simple carbohydrates like sushi rice.

FAQs

Is sashimi healthy for weight loss?

Yes, sashimi can be very healthy in weight loss if it is high in protein. In addition to losing weight, you can also enhance your muscle mass by eating fish high in protein and low in carbs.

Is it bad to eat a lot of sashimi?

Eating a lot of raw fish can cause food poisoning, so it is good to eat Sashimi in a moderate amount to get its health benefits.

Is it okay to eat sashimi every day?

Protein is a major part of our everyday diet, so if you eat sashimi every day to take a specific protein portion of your meal from it, it is okay to eat it every day.

Is sushi Sashimi healthy?

Sushi is different from Sashimi in that sushi is prepared with rice. It includes fish placed on little bricks of rice. Rice is high in carbohydrates, so Sashimi is better than sushi as it has very less or no carbohydrates.