While many of you will be raving about the arrival of new Sushi Restaurants across Jeddah, something you may be unaware of is the fact that Sushi is actually a pretty calorific food, some of which is not the most healthy either, for a number of reasons.

If you are watching your waistline the most obvious items one should avoid are the tempura, which are deep fried, these and any crunchy or crispy rolls should also be approached with caution as they usually include fried coatings.

While you would be right in thinking fish is full of omega 3 and one of the best sources of protein, unfortunately two of the most popular fish used in sushi (tuna and swordfish) are renowned for their high mercury content.

High mercury content in the body can result in fatigue, memory loss, and could lead to more severe health issues including neurological damage to the nervous system. As such pregnant woman, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and children should steer clear of sushi and raw fish.

Other items to be aware of include white rice, as it is full of sugar, carbohydrates and sodium. It doesn’t stop there; soy sauce also has high sodium content and can lead to high blood pressure. As if that’s of enough, many also may not realize that the sauces used at sushi restaurants are also extremely calorific, Japanese mayo is super fattening, so go easy on the sauce.

However if you happen to fall into one of the categories above, all is not lost, and alternatives are available, go for the vegetarian options, like cucumber avocado rolls; these are wrapped in sea weed, and all very healthy, but do eat in moderation!

For more information on Sushi and your health, a useful site to check out is the National Resources Defense Council at www.nrdc.org

We recently put the vegetarian options of local Sushi chain ‘Sushi Yoshi’ to the test, (so not technically sushi) and were impressed by the generous size of the rolls in addition to the art like form in which they are wrapped.

Sushi Yoshi offer four different types of vegetarian rolls, cucumber, carrot, avocado, and Takwan hoso maki. All of which range from SR8-12 for a set of three large rolls. We also gave the Salmon Ura Maki Roll a try, but this is much more pricey at a whopping SR22, for three pieces it isn’t cheap, but it is tasty, and the price is on par with sushi prices across town.

Compared to a pack lunch, the Sushi Yoshi takeaway box is impressive and is sure to turn heads if you have this delivered to your office. Cardboard packaging with snug fitting plastic boxes hold the sauces and mean you dont have to worry about anything spilling or falling apart. Wasabe, ginger and soy sauce are all provided too.

As for the taste,the vegetarian options are surprisingly good, there is a lot of rice here, but also generous fillings of carrot, while the cucumber was our favourite, the takwan however is an acquired taste, which will likely only appeal to pickle lovers.

The Salmon Avocado rolls are a treat, and in moderation, not as bad for you as some of the other items on the menu. All in all, a great place for a healthy snack, if you’re sticking to the veg options, you can put your mind at rest and safely leave your cheque book at home.

Address: Rawdah Star Complex, Rawdah Street.

Jeddah: 02 6997854

http://www.sushiyoshionline.com