By Kate Cohen

Making healthy choices when it comes to eating is easy when you opt for Japanese cuisine.

This broad culinary culture is known for fresh, colorful, and flavorful foods made with dynamic ingredients that are dense with nutritional benefits.

Are you new to the world of Japanese cuisine? Here’s a quick rundown of the health benefits of Japanese food.

Fresh Ingredients

A long, rectangular white plate with five pieces of colorful sashimi plated with a small ball of green wasabi and a flower cut out of pickled ginger.

In a world where sometimes it seems like everything is prepackaged, Japanese cuisine is rarely anything other than fresh.

A combination of fresh seafood, vegetables, proteins, rice, and noodles leaves little room for preservatives, making it a healthy and wholesome option for anyone working to be mindful of what they’re putting into their body.

Low Calorie

A close-up of a hand squeezing brown sauce onto a steaming pile of mushrooms and zucchini on a grill top.

With fresher ingredients comes lower calorie counts, a huge advantage for anyone watching their weight.

Fresh vegetables, lean proteins, and low-calorie cooking methods like steaming and grilling all help keep calories down on a variety of Japanese menu items.

More calorically dense ingredients like rice and noodles can be eaten in moderation and are even better when served with vegetables and lean proteins that will fill you up faster.

Nutrient Dense

Japanese cuisine incorporates some of the most nutrient-dense ingredients on the planet. Here’s a look at some of the benefits you reap when eating Japanese food.

Seaweed

Whether you’re eating wakame (seaweed salad) or a sushi roll, you’re getting a packed punch of nutrition when you eat seaweed.

Packed with iodine (good for your thyroid), iron (good for red blood cells), B2 (good for cell growth and breaking down food into energy), copper (energy and red blood cell production), and B1 (maintaining your metabolism), eating seaweed is a wonderful way to give your body a healthy helping of vitamins and minerals.

An overhead shot of a bowl with bright green seaweed salad, chopsticks, a small dish of soy sauce, and a lime wedge against a white marble backdrop.

Ginger

That garnish on your sushi plate isn’t just for show: pickled ginger adds a flavorful kick to your food and delivers some great health benefits.

Ginger helps lower cholesterol levels, improves blood circulation, regulates blood sugar levels, and serves as a digestive aid.

It’s also full of antioxidants that help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and probiotics that support gut health.

Wasabi

Similarly, that dollop of green, pungent heat on your sushi plate has its purpose, too.

Wasabi contains natural enzymes that can help support digestion and reduce bloating. It can also reduce cholesterol and improve blood circulation. Did you know it also promotes joint health and reduces chronic inflammatory conditions?

That is, if you can take the heat.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

A white, rectangular plate on a gray outdoor table with slices of pink ahi tuna garnished with ginger, wasabi, lettuce leaves, and lemon wedges.

Omega-3 fatty acids are the healthy fats that support heart health. They help your body’s cells function properly and are highly concentrated in cells in your eyes and brain.

They also help lower triglyceride levels, decreasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, Omega-3 fatty acids may help raise your “good” HDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in a variety of Japanese ingredients, including fish like salmon and tuna. Edamame is another great source of Omega-3 fatty acids that can often be found on a Japanese menu.

High Protein

A close-up of a chef’s hands using a spatula to place a seared piece of salmon on a customer’s plate of grilled veggies and rice.

A high protein diet has numerous benefits for people looking to lose weight and/or build muscle mass.

Not only is protein the most filling of the three macronutrients (fats, carbs, and protein), it’s also the building block of muscles. Protein helps promote muscle growth during strength training.

It’s also been known to boost your metabolism and increase fat burning, helping you shed extra weight as you lower your blood pressure.

Japanese cuisine features a variety of healthy lean proteins, including seafood, chicken, steak, and tofu.

Pairing proteins with filling veggies is the perfect way to enjoy a satisfying, flavorful meal.

Two Ways to Eat Healthy at Shogun Japanese Steakhouse and Sakura Sushi in Orlando

At Shogun Japanese Steakhouse and Sakura Sushi, our priorities are flavor, freshness, and fun.

We offer two delicious ways to enjoy Japanese Cuisine.

Teppanyaki

A plate of grilled veggies and rice in the foreground with a chef standing behind a wall of bright flames in the background.

This interactive dining experience is as entertaining as it is delicious.

Grab a seat at a shared teppanyaki table, where a skilled chef will prepare your meal on a flat grill top right in front of you.

Choose from a menu of proteins like shrimp, scallops, salmon, tofu, New York strip, filet mignon, and even lobster, and watch it sizzle on the grill.

Paired with fresh grilled veggies and rice, your teppanyaki meal will be packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals. Each meal will leave you feeling good about what you’ve eaten (and with room to splurge on dessert). We won’t tell.

Sushi

On an outdoor stone slab, a white rectangular plate with colorful sushi rolls sits beside a bright green cocktail in a hurricane glass with a pineapple garnish.

Next door to Shogun Japanese Steakhouse is Sakura Sushi. The chefs at this intimate sushi bar are pros at preparing delicious sushi.

The menu features classic and signature sushi rolls as well as nigiri and sashimi that keep things simple with fish and rice. We use fresh ingredients like avocado, cucumber, shrimp, and salmon.

Bonus tip: Make your meal even healthier by avoiding “tempura” (fried) items and mayo.

The exterior a building with a brown roof and decorative archways resembling samurai swords beneath a large sign reading ” Shogun Japanese Steakhouse & Seafood.” A hotel rises up in the background. You can experience the health benefits of Japanese cuisine at Shogun.

Whichever health benefits you’re hoping to get from your Japanese meal, we’re excited to host you and serve you fresh, delicious food at either Shogun Japanese Steakhouse or Sakura Sushi.

The Health Benefits of Japanese Cuisine