Is Hibachi Healthy?

Hibachi-style dining usually includes a protein like chicken, steak, shrimp, or tofu that’s cooked on a flat-top grill with vegetables. It also typically comes with a side dish like fried rice or noodles. Meals often include starters of miso soup and a salad with ginger dressing. Dipping sauces such as yum yum sauce or teriyaki glaze may also enhance the meal.

While hibachi cooking uses less oil than deep frying, dishes cooked on a hibachi grill are often cooked using a lot of oil or butter. They’re also usually made using high-sodium soy sauce, which may be an issue if you’re trying to follow low sodium dietary guidelines.

The calories in a hibachi meal vary depending on your protein choice, portion size, and what you’re eating on the side, but here is a general idea of how many calories you can expect to find in hibachi dinners:

• Chicken hibachi: A typical serving (about 6 ounces) with vegetables and fried rice can have around 600–800 calories. Choosing steamed rice instead of fried rice can save 150–200 calories.
• Steak hibachi: A 6-ounce portion with rice and veggies may range from 700–900 calories, depending on the cut of meat and amount of oil or butter used to cook the food.
• Shrimp hibachi: Usually the lowest in calories, a shrimp meal at a hibachi restaurant is about 500–700 calories per serving when paired with rice and vegetables.
• Vegetable hibachi: If you’re just eating the veggies and rice, the dish can still clock in at about 400–600 calories, with most of the calories coming from the fat used to cook the veggies, the sauce added, and the rice.

The biggest nutritional drawback to hibachi meals, aside from the large amount of oil the food may be cooked in, is that they’re often high in sodium. A single meal can have over 1,500 milligrams due to the addition of soy sauce and seasonings, which is the daily recommended sodium intake of someone who is trying to follow a low sodium diet.

The healthfulness of both types of Japanese-style meals can vary greatly depending on preparation. Teriyaki dishes tend to be higher in sugar because of the sweet glaze. Hibachi meals typically have less sugar but may be higher in fat if cooked with a lot of butter or oil. Choosing hibachi with lean proteins such as shrimp or chicken is usually a good option. To make the meal healthier, ask if they can use less fat to cook the food on the grill, as well as using less soy sauce to keep the salt content lower.

In the U.S., most people refer to Japanese steakhouses as hibachi restaurants, and the two terms are used interchangeably. However, the style of cooking food on a flat iron cooktop with a theatrical show accompanying the food prep enjoyed at Japanese steakhouses is actually called teppanyaki and not hibachi.

If you’re trying to decide if a hibachi meal can fit into your diet, keep in mind that eating dinner at a hibachi restaurant may work with high protein diets since protein is the primary source of the meal. In some cases, you can request extra protein (for a fee) to increase the protein content. If you skip the rice or noodles on the side, hibachi can also fit into a low carb diet. This type of meal is typically not ideal for those following a low sodium or low fat diet, however, unless you request that minimal oil, butter, salt, or soy sauce are added.

Some people wonder if they can eat hibachi if they’re trying to lose weight. The short answer is that although hibachi is not an ideal weight loss food, most people can enjoy an occasional meal that doesn’t fit in perfectly with their normal dietary patterns. So if you’re headed to a hibachi restaurant and want to enjoy the meal just as it’s prepared, order what you want and savor each bite. Consider sharing a meal with someone or taking half home to keep portions smaller. Then get back to eating healthy at your next meal.

Want to know what the healthiest choices are at a hibachi restaurant? The Health eCooks dietitians suggest these better-for-you options:

• Pick lean proteins like chicken, shrimp, or tofu over fattier cuts of steak
• Ask for extra vegetables on the grill
• Choose steamed rice instead of fried rice, or skip the rice and ask for more veggies
• Request that less oil, butter, and soy sauce be used during cooking
• Go easy on high-calorie sauces like yum yum or teriyaki
• Start with miso soup or a salad with light dressing to fill up without adding too many calories