Is Chirashi Healthy? (3 Tips For Weight Loss)

Not to be mistaken for the famous Hawaiin Poke bowl, Chirashi is a whole other unique dish that originated in Japan.

Usually presented in a square bento box, Chirashi is packed with sweet sushi rice and topped with a variety of freshly sliced sashimi and a variety of colorful vegetables. 

Not only is it extremely visually appealing, but the sweet sushi rice and sashimi is the perfect mouthwatering combination.

Although Chrisashi Bowls are delicious, are they healthy?

Chirashi Bowls are a great source of protein and have a great balance of macronutrients. This means that it is very good to eat when staying healthy as it will keep carbs, fats, and proteins at an optimal level.  

In this article, we will be discussing three tips that will help you lose weight while still incorporating tasty dishes like Chirashi into your diet: 

1. Choose a Low Carbohydrate Base

2. Choose a Lean Source of Protein 

3. Choose the Best Vegetables and Toppings

Tip 1: Choose a Low Carbohydrate Base

A Chirashi bowl is typically served with a bed of rice at the bottom but did you know that it can be replaced with greens?

In this section, we will compare the nutritional information for sushi rice as well as the calories for power greens. 

Sushi Rice

What makes Sushi rice different than just regular plain white rice is that Sushi rice has sugar and vinegar mixed in with white rice.

This is what gives it that sweet and slightly sticky consistency making it the ultimate pairing to your raw fish. 

For every cup of cooked Sushi rice, there are 280 calories, with no fat, 66 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein.

By adding this many additional calories and carbohydrates into your diet, this can make Chirashi a very difficult food to fit into your calorie deficit. 

Even more so, most restaurants actually serve more than one cup of sushi rice which may double the number of carbohydrates and put you way over your daily caloric needs.

This is why it is not ideal to have sushi rice in your diet but it does not need to be completely eliminated. 

Power Greens

Power Greens are essentially just fresh leafy greens that have a combination of baby spinach, red chard, green chard, and kale, making it a fibrous and healthy alternative for a base.

For every 3 ounces of Power Greens, there are only 25 calories with no fat, 3 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.

Since Power Greens are so voluminous and contains lots of fiber and protein, these vegetables are the key to keeping you full and energized throughout the day.

Replacing your sushi rice with Power Greens is a great option for staying full and sticking to your calorie goals. 

However, it is commonly agreed upon that rice may taste way better than vegetables, so it might be difficult to just completely swap out sushi rice for greens.

Instead, I recommend going half and half, so instead of having one whole cup of sushi rice, make it half a cup and fill in the rest with your fibrous vegetables.

Half a cup of sushi rice is much more diet-friendly so you can enjoy your rice while still having a lower calorie bowl. 

Now that you understand how to create a more ideal base for your Chirashi bowl, let’s talk about the different protein sources you can choose from to make your dish!

Tip 2: Choose a Lean Source of Protein 

Chirashi bowls have several different options when it comes to choosing which sashimis you want to put into your bowl.

In this section, we will be going over different popular sashimis and which protein sources may be best for weight loss. 

Salmon 

Salmon is one of the most popular fish in Japanese restaurants and is definitely a customer favorite.

For 3 ounces of raw Salmon sashimi, there is a total of 110 calories with approximately 3 grams of fat, no carbohydrates, and 17 grams of protein. 

This makes Salmon a pretty solid option when it comes to choosing a source of protein because it has a good amount of protein and relatively low in fat.

Salmon also contains a lot of healthy unsaturated fats filled with omega-3 fatty acids which is an essential nutrient for your body. 

Tuna

Another very popular option is the Ahi Tuna which has a deep red color and also has a delicious flavor with a slightly firmer texture than salmon.

3 ounces of Ahi Tuna Sashimi has less than 1 gram of fat, no carbohydrates, and 25 grams of protein. 

Although it is slightly higher in calories than Salmon, Ahi Tuna is a great lean source of protein that has essentially no fat and carbohydrates.

This is a great addition to your diet that can help you hit your daily protein goals that are necessary to maintain muscle which will give you the toned and athletic physique that you are trying to achieve.

Yellowtail 

Usually leaning towards the more expensive side compared to the other typical sashimi, Yellowtail also commonly known as Hamachi, is another fish that is commonly used in nigiri and rolls.

3 ounces of Yellowtail has 120 calories with 4.5 grams of fat, no carbohydrates, and 20 grams of protein. 

Compared to salmon and tuna, Yellowtail does have slightly more fat, but it is still a great source of protein and does not have an overwhelming amount of calories.

Depending on what other foods you put into your Chirashi bowl, you can definitely put in some Yellowtail. 

Octopus

Not commonly available in many restaurants but can be found in Asian supermarkets or more high-end Japanese cuisine restaurants, Octopus is another source of protein that can be used in Chirashi. 

3 ounces of Octopus has 140 calories with 2 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrates, and 25 grams of protein. 

Octopus is very high in protein and relatively low in fat and carbohydrates making it another great protein option.

This is higher in calories compared to the fishes that we reviewed earlier but is an excellent choice if you prefer having something different than the usual sashimi. 

Shrimp

Finally, we have shrimp which you can find practically anywhere and is another delicious addition to your Chirashi bowl. 

3 ounces of Shrimp is only 100 calories with 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 24 grams of protein. 

This is the leanest source of protein we have seen so far and is also super low in calories.

Shrimp is a great ingredient to add to whatever you are cooking or eating because it is very satiating and healthy seafood that will keep you energized and help you stick to a calorie deficit. 

As you can see, the protein sources in Chirashi are all wonderful options that you can incorporate into your bowl because they are all very low in calories, high in protein, and most are very low in fat.

This makes it easy for you to pick and choose which sashimi you want into your Chirashi bowl and gives you a chance to eat a different variety of Chirashi every time you are craving this dish. 

Now that we have gone over several possible protein choices, it is time to take a look at the best Chirashi topping options!

Tip 3: Choose the Best Vegetables and Toppings

Chirashi has a huge range of toppings that go from the most typical vegetables to specific garnishes unique to the Japanese diet.

By combining different toppings, you can make a beautiful Chirashi bowl that adds plenty of fiber and variation to your dish!

Salmon Roe

Alaskan Salmon Roe. or the opaque red-orange fish eggs you see in several Japanese restaurants, is a great addition or topping to put into your Chirashi Bowl.

Every 35 grams of Salmon Roe is packed with omega-3 fatty acids with 60 calories and just 2 grams of fat and 9 grams of protein. Not only does this add a fun texture and add appeal to your Chirashi Bowl, Salmon Roe is a great healthy topping option.

Kizami Nori Seaweed

Shredded Seaweed is another typical topping that adds a crunchy texture to your Chirashi bowl.

Quite often, Chirashi bowls don’t add a ton of seaweed in so if you want to add just a but if shredded seaweed as a final touch it definitely will not be any harm to your diet.

In fact, seaweed is relatively low in calories, high in protein, and has tons of beneficial nutrients. 

Sliced Cucumber 

Sliced cucumber is another very low-calorie vegetable that you can add to your Chirashi bowl to give it a very fresh and crunchy taste.

Cucumber is one of the lowest-calorie vegetables out there so feel free to add as many slices of cucumber to your bowl!

Avocado 

Avocado has risen to popularity in the 21st century as healthy food, and although it does have many beneficial nutrients and healthy fats, what a lot of people don’t know is that it is also very high in calories.

If your goal is weight loss, you definitely want to eat avocado in moderation because this can easily add a lot of additional calories into your Chirashi bowl. 

Kinshi Tamago 

Kinshi Tamago, which is a thinly cooked egg pancake that is sliced into shreds, is another popular option to put into your Chirashi bowl.

However, this garnish does contain eggs, sugar, and cornstarch making it higher in calories, carbohydrates, and fats. This might not be the best additive to your Chirashi bowl so it might be best to eat these in moderation. 

Pickled Ginger 

If you like to add a bit of additional flavor to your Chirashi bowl, Pickled Ginger is a relatively low-calorie option with just 30 calories per serving.

This is another great topping to add to your Chirashi bowl if you like a bit of bite and flavoring. 

Wasabi

For a bit of spice, Wasabi is a great pairing for your sashimi that is also low in calories.

Since you can not consume an abundance of Wasabi the calories are almost negligible so if you like to add some spiciness to your bowl, this is a great addition. 

Now that you understand the nutritional information for the specific ingredients in a Chirashi bowl, you can make your own healthy and diet-friendly Chirashi that tastes delicious and keeps you full.

To help you get started, below is a Chirashi bowl mix that has great nutritional value, is low in calories, and is an overall awesome meal. 

Ingredients for Your Healthy Chirashi Bowl 

Protein Sources: 2 oz Ahi Tuna, 2 oz Salmon

Base: ½ cup of Cooked Sushi Rice, Power Greens

Toppings: 30g of Salmon Roe, Sliced Cucumbers, Pickled Ginger, Wasabi, Seaweed

Sauce: Soy Sauce

For this Homemade Healthy Chirashi Bowl, there is a total of approximately 400 calories with 36 grams of carbohydrates, 48 grams of protein, and 7 grams of fat.

This is a very balanced and high protein dish that can be easily incorporated into your diet.

Our Healthy Chirashi Bowl can be served for either lunch or dinner, and this huge portion size should keep you full and energized for the rest of your day. 

With the knowledge to make your own Chirashi bowl, you can now mix and match your favorite ingredients to make the perfect, healthy, and delicious bowl towards your liking.

Hopefully, this article has taught you a bit more on the importance of understanding the nutritional information for specific ingredients which is a key tool to helping you succeed in your weight loss goals!

CONCLUSION 

Remember, although nutrition is a huge factor that influences weight loss, it is important to pair this journey with exercise as well.

Especially strength training.

Several years of research on the benefits of weight training have shown that individuals that do some sort of consistent resistance training at least 3-5 times a week have shown not only a great amount of weight loss but are also able to keep the weight off! 

The secret to this phenomena is that strength training leads to a build-up of muscle.

Not only does your body recomposition into a more fitting and athletic-looking aesthetic, but having more muscle also increases your resting metabolic rate which essentially means you burn more calories at rest! 

Now that we know the importance of muscle we need to make sure we stay on track with our workouts.

Consistency and longevity are the two key factors when building muscle so there will be some commitment involved.

We understand that not everyone has access to a gym membership or feels comfortable starting off in such an intimidating environment.

Although I would strongly recommend that everyone should get a gym membership, don’t worry we got your back!

You can either go to the gym or build one for yourself.

It really just comes down to 3 pieces of equipment that you need to do most workouts.

These three are the workout bench, dumbbells, and gym flooring.

Check out our recommended gear page to see our best picks for these pieces of equipment here.

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment

If a home gym is not for you then getting a membership somewhere works too.

As long as you are starting your muscle-building journey, we’re happy! 

Stick with it for the long run and you’ll see how amazing the results can be. 

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