By: Sophia Powell

         There are many different kinds of foods that people eat to benefit their health, one of them being sushi. Sushi is a popular Japanese dish that contains small rolls of cooked rice with raw fish, vegetables, or eggs. Sushi is loved around the world by about 62% of Americans. Not only is sushi popular and delicious, but it is also very healthy and beneficial, sushi is like all the food groups wrapped in one little ball! Sushi is a good source of protein, carbs, fat, antioxidant nutrients, and vitamins E, C, B12, and K. By eating the ginger, seaweed, and wasabi that sushi normally contains, you’re getting a good source of antioxidants, which are a type of nutrient that is used to counteract the deterioration of stored food products in the body. Some of the best and healthiest sushi rolls to eat are Sashimi, Rainbow rolls, Vegetable rolls, and the Salmon Avocado roll. Sushi is not the only item that you can order at restaurants to gain its benefits, there are some substitutes that provide some of the same nutrients that sushi does like edamames, cooked fish, seaweed salad, and avocado salad. Although sushi is mostly very healthy, there are different ingredients in different kinds of sushi that make them unhealthy. Something that can be very unhealthy is eating sushi everyday, because it can cause low grade mercury poisoning from the amount of raw fish you’d be consuming. Doctors say that people can safely consume 2-3 sushi rolls a week which contain 10-15 pieces. However, you could alternatively order/make your own sushi in which the meat is cooked to avoid this problem. Some other unhealthy characteristics of sushi are their high salt content, and possible contamination with bacteria and parasites. To increase the health benefits of sushi, exchange the white rice for brown rice and dont use as much soy sauce because soy sauce has a very high content of sodium.