Edamame + Cucumber Special and Alaska sushi rolls
Contributor Erin Miles, RD, LD
Photograph By Maggie Wilcox
From simple standards to over-the-top edible art, this East Bay sushi spot wraps fresh seafood and vibrant produce into bite-size firecrackers of flavor. While most Japanese restaurants have their signature creations, many sushi menus share similar basic combinations. Here, Roper St. Francis Healthcare dietitian Erin Miles offers raw advice for choosing rolls with health in mind.
Miles began with edamame, a plant-based protein. Young soybeans are loaded with soluble and insoluble fiber, which lower cholesterol and improve heart health by moving cholesterol out of the bloodstream.
With the edamame, two sushi rolls proved the right amount of food. Of all the macronutrients, we digest carbohydrates like rice the fastest, providing a temporary sense of fullness. “To avoid getting full too quickly, I selected one rice-wrapped roll and one cucumber-wrapped roll,” she says.
Cucumbers brought crunch and hydration to the meal while providing a dose of vitamin K. Abundant in green vegetables, vitamin K is important for blood clotting and regulating blood calcium levels.
Miles opted for rolls with a rice vinegar and lemon vinaigrette over mayonnaise-based sauces to save calories and decrease saturated fat intake.
“Avocado lent creaminess to the rolls along with unsaturated fat, fiber, folate and other vitamins and minerals.”
Fresh fish is preferable to tempura options (as those are battered, deep fried and full of saturated fat). Heart-healthy salmon offers an excellent source of potassium, which aids in blood pressure regulation, and omega-3 fatty acids, which lower triglyceride levels and boost good cholesterol.
Shiki
334 East Bay St., Downtown
(843) 720-8568
shikicharleston.com
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