Hungry Girl Goes...Out for Sushi!

Dust off your favorite chopsticks, people. HG is here with her top eight dos and don'ts of sushi eating!

1. The Roll Truth
Fewer rolls = a better idea. Why? Because rolls are loaded with rice. And rice is loaded with calories. Also, avoid anything deep-fried or mixed with mayo at all costs. And feel free to split your roll(s) with a pal!

2. Miso Hungry
Afraid you'll gobble up too much sushi? Start your meal with a cup of miso soup. It's super-low in calories (around 50, for a POINTS® value 1), typically fat-free, and it fills you up. Studies show that people who start their meals with a broth-based soup end up eating 20 percent fewer calories at that meal. Awesome!

3. What's your number, cucumber?
Ever hear of sunomono salad? It's thinly sliced cucumbers in rice vinegar, it's sooooo good, and extremely low in calories. Ask your sushi chef to make you one of these salads and ask him to toss in some shrimp and crab—you'll have a completely guilt-free, filling addition to your meal. Sometimes I'll just get a ginormous shellfish-packed sunomono and a cup of miso soup for lunch. Mmmmmm!

4. Sushi Dictionary at a Glance
Words to avoid at all costs—"tempura" (a batter-fried fat fest), "dynamite" (baked in a glob of mayo), "crunch" (another cute way of saying something is fried) and "spider" (typically a greasy, fried crab item).

5. Be a sucker for sashimi.
When I eat sushi out I tend to stick with sashimi. Sashimi is basically just sushi without rice (or raw fish on a plate!). Sashimi is often pricier than sushi because you get more pieces in an order. So if you want to have more variety, or save a little money, order sushi pieces, and only eat half of the rice. See below for more rice tips.

6. Get the rice right.
If brown rice is available, stick with that. And don't be shy, whatever rice you order, feel free to ask your sushi chef to serve your meal with less rice. Typically sushi chefs are happy to accommodate this request. It's a neat little trick that really helps.

7. Whassup, Wasabi?
Mixing a little wasabi into your soy sauce (or add a dollop to your sushi if you're brave!) can be great. Spicy food is good for you, and it helps fill you up faster. Some experts even say that adding spice to food can actually speed up your metabolism a bit—not a bad thing!

8. Friendly Finds
More guilt-free friends you'll find at your local sushi spot include edamame (a 1/2 cup serving of shelled edamame contains 127 calories, 6g fat and 4g fiber, for a POINTS value 2), ginger (great for digestion and virtually calorie-free) and seaweed salad (typically about 50 calories and a POINTS value of 1).

Happy sushi-ing!