Japanese food is thought of as fresh and healthy, especially when it's cooked at the table right in front of you. It can be a perfect Atkins / Low Carb meal!

I'm a huge fan of Japanese food and even maintain a set of Japanese Restaurant Reviews. So when we began our low carb diet, it became quite important to look into how to eat Japanese food the low-carb way.

First of course, avoid all the rice. As much as I love Japanese rice, it's time to leave it off the plate. Sushi has rice, but sashimi does not, and is 100% carb free. So eat all the sashimi you want!!

Take a look at the soy sauce container you pour from. Kikkoman has 0g carbs which is perfect. Others - especially lite varieties - have up to 1g per Tablespoon. You probably won't down more than a tablespoon or two with your sashimi so that's not bad at all.

Avoid the batter-fried creations, the gyoza (dumplings) and noodle dishes. Miso soup can have up to 10g of carbs with tofu in it, so that might be a treat for you if you can spare the carbs.

The salads usually come with a ginger-vinegar dressing that has sugar in it. That can be around 5g carbs so try to avoid the dressing. Many Japanese restaurants also offer a cucumber salad which is just perfect.

The teriyaki sauce they use to grill the meats in can be sugar-laden but since it's not a huge amount comparatively, count it for about 4g carbs. The meat itself is of course great, and the fresh veggies they serve - zucchini and such - are delicious and low-carb-friendly.

So there's plenty to eat at a Japanese restaurant, if you keep your eyes open!

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