Sashimi is a great choice at any time- but always in moderation!

NYC Healthy Restaurants Review-Japanese Cuisine

Eating healthy does not at any time mean having to sacrifice your social life- in fact there are so many restaurants you can go to where with a little tweaking you can have a meal well within the realm of a diet designed to help you get in shape. The trick is to know what choices are best and what should be avoid at all times. In this installment of the NYC Healthy Restaurant Review we take a look at Japanese cuisine with a review of the restaurant, Blue Ribbon Sushi.

The great part about our reviews is that although a particular restaurant in New York is reviewed each week, you can still use the guidelines listed for any restaurant of that type. For example, this week we are reviewing–but the selection guides apply to Japanese food as a whole as most of the menu items are the same at Japanese restaurants across the country.  Thank you for supporting my blog and do be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a weekly review or the tons of great weight loss and health and fitness information posted weekly on this blog.

Review-Blue Ribbon Sushi

Japanese food has been a staple in my diet ever since I moved to New York a decade and a half ago. Whenever I need a restaurant where I am guaranteed to find healthy and wholesome foods that are in line with my diet- I go Japanese. You simply cannot go wrong if you know what to get. Blue Ribbon Sushi is a restaurant that has a branch over on my side of the river in Brooklyn as well as one in Soho. I have eaten at both sites and my review will cover both of them.

Blue Ribbon Sushi has a passing  rating from the NYC Department of Health with some violations. I would prefer it if there were less, but it did get passing grades for both location. Always be sure to do an inspection check when going to any restaurant serving raw food- you can never be too careful as improperly handled food can get you really sick really fast! You can get the inspection information here from the NYC Department of Health.

The first and most important rule of eating out at a Japanese restaurant and staying in shape is to go for the sashimi and not the sushi. Sushi is made with rice and can often contain soy sauce and sugars whereas sashimi is simply raw fish.

Add some wasabi and some ginger and you have a meal that you can eat guilt free at any time of the day. My personal training clients thrive on it and you can have sashimi on even the strictest phase of any diet. As good as it may be, all things must be eaten in moderation. Too many servings of salmon and tuna may create a problem from a build up in mercury levels. Once and a while is fine, but not every day.

Getting to the other items on the menu at Blue Ribbon Sushi there is truly a huge selection of plates that fall into the good food category. For appetizers, all of the sashimi type dishes such as Tako Sumiso, basically cured octopus sashimi, Una Kyu eel wrapped in cucumber, Kanpachi Usuzukuri, thinly sliced fisah and pepper and Yamakake, grated yam and tuna are ones that you can have at any time of the day, along with the Gyu Tataki seared filet mignon with garlic sauce (ask for the sauce on the side.) The other dishes such as the Shumai (pork dumplings) you probably can have if you are going to be active after your meal or if it is earlier in the day and of course you can never go wrong with a vegetable based appetizer or salad- just look out for anything with too much salt like the edamame and skip the dressings. I must say that I am not a fan of miso soup. It is very high in sodium and perhaps is best replaced with a salad.

As an entree, it is open season for all of the sashimi dishes, and from personal experience the fish at Blue Ribbon Sushi is quite fresh and of good quality. I usually get the Sashimi Deluxe, but have on occasion had two whole orders ( I am a pretty big boy). The sushi plates are good if it is earlier in the day, but I wouldn’t recommend that much carbohydrates at night if you are having dinner and the same applies for the vegetable rolls as well. Blue Ribbon Sushi also has a menu for steamed dishes called Mushimono. They are excellent choices, but always ask for the sauce on the side and you should be okay.

To summarize, Japanese Sushi restaurants are prime locations for anyone looking to eat really well. The portions are always just right and you are guaranteed a fresh and wholesome meal. The food at Blue Ribbon Sushi is pretty good, with a nice decor about it, both at the Brooklyn and Soho restaurants. I hope you enjoyed this week’s review and I will see you next week!!!!

Overview:

Blue Ribbon Sushi-119 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012
Food Type: Japanese Sushi
Price: Well priced, not at all overly expensive.
Quality Rating: I give the food 3 and stars out of 5 and the décor and ambiance 4 stars.
Diet Friendly Rating: 5 stars. There are a lot of things that you can order here and stay on point!
Health Rating: A passing grade from the NYC Department of Health  with some violations listed.

Japanese Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

1.  Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
2. Choose protein foods as appetizers, as most Japanese foods offer a wide range of them.
3. Have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way and skip the sake!
4. Don’t overdo it. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
5. Learn to do without dessert. Like anything else, the taste for sweets is learned and anything learned can be unlearned with time.
6. Enjoy yourself!

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