It wasn’t long ago that many Americans jokingly referred to sushi as “bait.” Now, however, even smaller cities usually have at least one sushi restaurant, and California rolls and tuna rolls are offered alongside the prepared sandwiches and rotisserie chicken at upscale supermarkets.

Compared to many restaurant cuisines, sushi has few pitfalls. When they do appear, most are glaringly obvious, like crispy tempura dripping with oil. However, as sushi has been embraced by America, it’s adopted some of our bad habits. With a little planning, you can stay true to the tradition, and your goals, and still enjoy this Japanese cuisine.

Avoid “spicy.” When you see “spicy” on a sushi roll, it’s code for mayonnaise laced with hot sauce or chili oil, and it can add as much as 3 PointsPlus® values to your meal. (Plus, the spicy rolls with chopped-up fish are where the restaurant disposes of less desirable cuts.)

Eat your vegetables. It's worth remembering that sushi also includes vegetarian rolls such as avocado rolls (with a PointsPlus value of 4) and cucumber rolls (with a PointsPlus value of 3). “With the avocado, you have great flavor and nutritional benefits,” says Diane Henderiks, RD, personal chef and culinary nutritionist at DishWithDiane.com.

Spell crab with a “K.” Also known as surimi, imitation “krab” stick isn’t as weird as you might think. Most imitation crab in the United States is composed of 50-percent-or-more Alaskan pollack, making it a fairly sustainable choice of seafood. With additions of egg white, oil, salt, starch and spice, surimi is a processed food, to be sure. But for many diners, the cooked consistency, lower price, and modest calories of surimi sticks make them the perfect core for a California roll, which has only 6 PointsPlus values.

Go brown. Most sushi bars now offer brown rice as an option for sushi rolls and nigiri sushi. “You’ll get all the fiber and B vitamins you're missing with white rice,” says Henderiks. That also means you’ll feel full quicker.

Watch the hibachi. Unlike teriyaki, hibachi dishes are not grilled but cooked on a flat surface. “They have that squirt bottle of oil and they use way more than necessary, because it makes it easier to cook,” says Henderiks. A plate of hibachi steak with fried rice could pack 20 PointsPlus values.

Clear your sinuses. In addition to soy sauce, sushi and sushi rolls are usually served with pickled ginger and wasabi, a green horseradish paste. The lemony heat of ginger and the fiery rush of the horseradish act as contrasts to the delicate sushi and serve to clear your palate, according to Hiyakawa. Purists refrain from adding wasabi to their sushi, preferring to leave it in the hands of the sushi chef. But if you crave the rush, both of these bold flavors pack 0 PointsPlus values.

What are the best choices?

Sushi and Sashimi

Best Picks

Like most sushi, salmon (left) with rice is just 1 PointsPlus value per piece. It has bountiful omega-3 fatty acids, known to boost heart health, and it earns big points for being as likeable as lox. Mackerel (center) is nutritionally similar and considered a good pick for sustainability, though some find the taste a bit strong (you won't know how you feel until you try it!). With their sweet flavor, scallops (right), also known as hotate, are a great choice, especially when farm-raised. They offer a hearty dose of omega-3s, Vitamin B12, magnesium and potassium. Other similar picks: Arctic Char, sablefish (gindara)

These picks lack the omega-3 potency of the Best Picks, but are still good choices. Shrimp (left) offers pure protein with little risk of mercury and other heavy metals. Look for the word ebi, which indicates cooked shrimp; "sweet shrimp" usually means it's raw. Giant clam (center), or mirugai, is similar in taste and texture to conch, but more sustainable. White tuna (right), or shiromaguro, is usually Albacore tuna. Other similar picks: Squid, Cuttlefish

Some of the most delicious fish are also the most controversial choices, in terms of both health and sustainability. Bluefin tuna (left) is the prime example, for the reasons mentioned in "Know Your Tunas" above. Environmentalists will similarly give you the stink eye for eating freshwater eel (center), or unagi, which is diminishing in the wild. Hirame, which includes fluke (right), halibut, and sole, all have issues of sustainability. Other similar picks: Egg omelet (tamago) isn't endangered, but has 2 PointsPlus value of two per piece.

At just 6 PointsPlus values per roll, this likeable California roll (left) is one of the safest choices, delivering the benefits of lean protein from surimi, omega-3s from avocado, and a tasty topping of flavorful sesame seeds or fish roe. No wonder it’s one of the most popular choices for beginners and regulars alike. The cucumber roll (right), with 3 PointsPlus values, is among the lowest on the menu. The avocado roll, with 4 PointsPlus values, is also a great choice. These low-cal vegetarian rolls make a good follow-up to sashimi for a filling meal.

These rolls include poorer cuts of high-quality whole fish, which is why you're better off enjoying these fish varieties as nigiri sushi instead (not rolls). Sushi would also give you more fish and less rice, which cuts the PointsPlus values. Instead of having the shrimp roll (left) for 6 PointsPlus values, for example, you could enjoy six whole shrimp as sushi. The temptation to make it a spicy shrimp roll can up that figure to 9 PointsPlus values. Standbys like tuna roll (right) or yellowtail and scallion roll each have just under 6 PointsPlus values. Other similar picks: Salmon Roll, Boston Roll