Is Hibachi Good For You? Here’s What You Need to Know

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Hibachi is where you can indulge in a huge amount of food because it just keeps coming, right? But have you ever wondered if hibachi is good for you? Well, the answer might be longer than you expect.

Yes, hibachi can be good for you. It’s a type of Japanese cuisine with grilled meat but also a great way to get a variety of vegetables into your diet, which are cooked quickly, preserving their nutrients. It does involve oil, which can make it high in fat and calories. 

In this blog post, I’ll explore hibachi’s health benefits (or lack thereof), so you can make an informed decision about whether or not it’s right for you.

Is Hibachi Good For You? Here's What You Need to Know

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Is hibachi good for you?

Hibachi is a type of Japanese cuisine that is cooked on a flat iron griddle. It typically consists of grilled vegetables, meats, and seafood.

The cooking process involves high heat and oil, which can (sometimes) make the food high in fat and calories. 

However, it can also be a healthy meal option depending on the amount and type of oil and the ingredients used.

Hibachi is a great way to get a variety of vegetables into your diet. 

The vegetables are usually cooked quickly, which helps to preserve their nutrients.

If you’re looking for an even healthier option, you can also choose grilled vegetables and lean proteins instead.

Overall, hibachi can be a healthy meal option if you choose the right ingredients and watch your portion sizes.

It’s a great way to get a variety of vegetables and lean proteins in your diet.

Just make sure to avoid fatty meats and too much oil, and there’s nothing more delicious and tasty.

Is hibachi greasy?

Yes, hibachi can be greasy depending on how it is prepared. 

Many hibachi restaurants use vegetable oil, sesame oil, or canola oil for cooking the food, adding unnecessary fat and cholesterol to the food along with some extra calories.

If you make hibachi at home, here are some substitutes for vegetable oil that are better for your health.

That being said, If you are on a diet or dealing with heart problems, hibachi can have depressing effects on your overall health.

Remember, hibachi is not the same as teppanyaki (differences explained)

Is hibachi noodles healthy?

Hibachi noodles can be healthy depending on the ingredients and how they are cooked.

They can be a good source of carbohydrates if they are cooked in healthy oil and not too much salt is added. 

However, as healthy and appetizing hibachi dishes can be, you still need to consider all those calories and fats and be careful with how often you eat such foods. 

For someone who wants to stay on the safer side, adding a bunch of vegetables to your plate might be the perfect solution to save yourself from all that extra cholesterol, or at least mitigate its effect. 

Is hibachi shrimp healthy?

Hibachi shrimp can be healthy if cooked in healthy oil and not too much salt is added. Shrimp is a good source of protein and can be a healthy part of a balanced meal. 

Since hibachi foods are already cooked with fairly high oil content, you want to go for naturally leaner foods.

Proteins like shrimp, fish, and chicken are generally lean, and you can always eat these without any problem. 

Does hibachi have nuts? 

Hibachi restaurants do not usually have nuts as an ingredient in their dishes.

Nevertheless, some restaurants may have hibachi dishes that contain nuts, so it is best to check before ordering.

Be it your general dislike for nuts or your allergy, you never want to take the risk. 

Are hibachi restaurants gluten-free? 

Hibachi restaurants are not typically gluten-free, as many dishes contain wheat-based ingredients.

It is best to check with the restaurant before ordering to ensure that the dish is gluten-free.

Do hibachi restaurants use msg?

Generally, hibachi restaurants do not usually use MSG in their dishes.

However, this can vary from restaurant to restaurant, and it’s better to check with them before you make your order. 

While Japanese food is primarily known for its MSG (umami) flavor, hibachi restaurants rarely use artificial ingredients. 

However, this is not true for Chinese restaurants. They quite generously use the ingredient in most of their dishes, including hibachi.

In other words, you would like to double-check! 

Does hibachi have a lot of sodium?

Hibachi dishes can have a lot of sodium depending on how they are prepared.

It is best to check with the restaurant before ordering to ensure that the dish does not have too much sodium. 

Generally, hibachi chicken is marinated in soy sauce before it is cooked.

Since soy sauce is rich in sodium, a chicken can contain anywhere from 126 to 747 milligrams of sodium per 4 ounces. 

It all comes down to the total marination time, or the amount of soy sauce absorbed when the chicken is dipped in the sauce before cooking. 

Does hibachi have dairy? 

Traditionally, hibachi restaurants do not use any dairy products. However, some hibachi restaurants use garlic butter in their dishes, but that’s quite rare. 

This is primarily a common practice in non-traditional or rather western hibachi restaurants. 

Some of them also use cheese, but that, too, is pretty unusual.

The best course of action would be to confirm it before you order anything from the restaurant.

What is the healthiest meal at hibachi restaurants? 

The healthiest meal at a hibachi restaurant would be a dish cooked in healthy oil and not containing too much salt or other unhealthy ingredients. 

It is also essential to ensure that the dish does not contain any dairy or other allergens, especially if you are lactose intolerant. 

That being out of the question, the following are some basic points that make traditional hibachi foods some of the healthiest out there:

Nutritional Value

Hibachi is a great option for those looking for a healthy meal.

It typically consists of grilled meats, vegetables, and rice, which are all low in fat and high in protein.

Vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, while rice provides complex carbohydrates.

Overall, hibachi is a great option for those looking to get a balanced meal.

Taste

Hibachi is known for its delicious flavor. The meats and vegetables are cooked over a hot grill, which gives them a smoky flavor.

The vegetables are usually cooked with various spices, which adds to the flavor. The rice is cooked in a flavorful broth, which adds to the overall taste.

Preparation 

Hibachi is usually prepared in a teppanyaki style, which involves cooking the food on a hot iron skillet.

This allows the food to cook quickly and evenly, which helps to preserve the flavor and texture of the food.

Health Benefits

Hibachi is a great option for those looking to eat a healthy meal.

Grilled meats and vegetables provide a good source of protein and vitamins, while rice provides complex carbohydrates.

Eating hibachi can help to reduce the risk of certain diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. It can also help to maintain a healthy weight.

Hibachi vs. teriyaki: what’s the difference?

Since both hibachi and teriyaki are cooked on a hot grill, people often confuse them, while, in fact, they are completely different cooking methods.

To break it down for you, let’s have a look at both from different angles: 

Type of sauce

The first and biggest difference between hibachi and teriyaki is the sauce used to cook both.

While both use soy sauce to an extent, the extra spices we add make it a whole different thing. 

When making hibachi, the chicken or protein is marinated for a while and then cooked with herbs like garlic, ginger, and sesame. 

However, teriyaki is prepared especially with teriyaki sauce, a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, spices, and a little alcohol.

The combination makes a sweet, spicy, and sour flavor that gives teriyaki a lot of complexity. 

Cooking method

When making teriyaki, the meat is cut into thin slices and dipped in teriyaki sauce before being put on a hot grill.

The meat is also glazed with the sauce during cooking.

This gives the much-needed flavor intensity to the meat. Moreover, once cooked, it is super juicy and soft. 

On the other hand, the chicken, or any other protein cooked in a hibachi, is briefly marinated in soy sauce and then thrown over a hot, super hot hibachi grill.

The cooked chicken, in the end, is quite dry. However, it is still quite enjoyable and healthy when mixed with veggies. 

Ingredients

Hibachi and teriyaki both use meat or protein as a base ingredient, cooked with totally different spices.

However, what makes them different are the other unique ingredients and how they are served. 

For example, both hibachi and teriyaki have vegetables. But in hibachi, it is stir-fried with protein to give complexity and flavor to the dish.

Since hibachi is usually served with rice, the whole combination beautifully accentuates and complements the rice. 

With teriyaki, the vegetables are not mixed or cooked together with the protein.

Nevertheless, they are steamed, served alongside it, and made up as an integral part of the whole dish.

In other words, both dishes necessarily use vegetables, but both serve them differently. 

Also read: Is teriyaki healthy? It depends on how you make it!

Taste

While both hibachi and teriyaki use soy sauce as the main base for flavoring sauce, the final results are quite different once cooked. 

When someone cooks hibachi, they dip or marinate the chicken in soy sauce and cook it immediately without adding any extra mumbo jumbos.

The dish is very mild tasting, light, and quite nutritious when cooked. 

Teriyaki is a different story. With so much complexity in the sauce’s taste, the final dish prepared has quite an intense flavor.

Sweet, sour, spicy, there’s something of everything there. 

That’s also one of the reasons why teriyaki is served with mild-tasted steamed veggies. Anything more flavorful would be simply overpowering. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, hibachi can be an excellent option for a healthy meal. It’s low in fat and protein and can be cooked with healthy ingredients like vegetables and lean meats.

Just be sure to watch your portion sizes and ask for sauces and dressings on the side. With these tips, you can enjoy hibachi without worrying about your health.

Read next: Is Takoyaki Healthy? Not really no, but this is what you can do

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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.