A Question of Nutrition?

If I don't eat the skin on fried chicken, how much fat am I really avoiding? Doesn't some seep to the chicken meat itself?

If poultry is cooked with the skin on, there is a membrane around the meat that prevents fat from being absorbed during the roasting process. This same theory should apply to fried chicken, but with frying it is more likely that some fat may seep through the membrane and into the meat.

Removing the skin from fried chicken before eating it should definitely decrease the amount of fat you get because the breading on any fried item tends to absorb fat during the frying process. Removing the skin, in the case of chicken, or the breading on other fried items should decrease the total amount of fat.

One 3-ounce breast portion of fried chicken can provide 12-16 grams of fat (almost 1/4 of the recommended amount of fat for someone who needs 2,000 calories per day.) That's equal to three or four tablespoons of oil.

A better choice is to select baked or roasted chicken breast with the skin on to prevent drying, then remove the skin before eating it. The same 3-ounce portion of roasted chicken breast with the skin removed provides about 3 grams of fat, or less than one teaspoon.  

How big a health risk is eating sushi in Japanese restaurants?

Eating sushi can be safe for most healthy people if proper precautions are taken. Very fresh fish should be used, and freezing at temperatures lower than usual home-freezer temperatures can protect against infection from parasites. The safest seafood, however, is thoroughly cooked seafood. Cook fresh fish to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for at least five minutes, or freeze at minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit for 72 hours to kill tapeworms, a parasite that can be found in raw fish.

Many cases of tapeworm have been reported in Japan, Scandinavia, and eastern Canada where raw fish is commonly eaten. Because of their decreased resistance and limited ability to fight infection, people with a chronic illness or who have impaired immune systems, such as those with AIDS, cancer (especially during chemotherapy) or liver disease or those on steroid medications, should not eat fish.