Healthy Vietnamese Cuisine?

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Dawmelvan
Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Eating at a Vietnamese restaurant tonight. Healthy options between 500-600 calories?

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  • emmakiko
    emmakiko Posts: 6 Member
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    I just order Pho without the noodles. Even with the noodles is about 600 calories for a small bowl.
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
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    emmakiko wrote: »
    I just order Pho without the noodles. Even with the noodles is about 600 calories for a small bowl.

    Good idea! Does it fill you up?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    If they have it, shredded mango salad with shrimp. Maybe just 300 calories. But pho and lemon grass chicken with rice are good options.

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  • Djrundle13
    Djrundle13 Posts: 54 Member
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    The shredded mango salad is fantastic too!

    Summer rolls are really good too, especially if they have a good peanut sauce.
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
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    Thanks guys! Never considered the shredded mango salad. I do plan on summer rolls....so good...healthy too!
  • jusayange
    jusayange Posts: 28 Member
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    You order the pho noodle but without the noodle??? Why bother ordering it if you're ordering noodles w/o the noodle.

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    jusayange wrote: »
    You order the pho noodle but without the noodle??? Why bother ordering it if you're ordering noodles w/o the noodle.
    Lots of Vietnamese places will just sell "meatball" soup. I love Vietnamese meatballs.

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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I love Summer rolls but I was absolutely shocked by the calorie content - it's often 450 calories or something for two... it's just veggies! I don't get it! I'm guessing the sauce is what adds to the calories? But now I don't eat them anymore, they just don't fill me up enough for the calories.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    I love Summer rolls but I was absolutely shocked by the calorie content - it's often 450 calories or something for two... it's just veggies! I don't get it! I'm guessing the sauce is what adds to the calories? But now I don't eat them anymore, they just don't fill me up enough for the calories.
    Some have pork in them too, but the sauce will not only contain peanuts but a sweetener (usually corn syrup) as well.

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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I love Summer rolls but I was absolutely shocked by the calorie content - it's often 450 calories or something for two... it's just veggies! I don't get it! I'm guessing the sauce is what adds to the calories? But now I don't eat them anymore, they just don't fill me up enough for the calories.
    Some have pork in them too, but the sauce will not only contain peanuts but a sweetener (usually corn syrup) as well.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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    Yeah it's funny actually, in France they never gave peanut sauce with spring rolls... just the orange sweetened kind (which I like much better too). So yeah, my advice either way is to try and have as little sauce as possible.
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I love Summer rolls but I was absolutely shocked by the calorie content - it's often 450 calories or something for two... it's just veggies! I don't get it! I'm guessing the sauce is what adds to the calories? But now I don't eat them anymore, they just don't fill me up enough for the calories.
    Some have pork in them too, but the sauce will not only contain peanuts but a sweetener (usually corn syrup) as well.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    Yeah it's funny actually, in France they never gave peanut sauce with spring rolls... just the orange sweetened kind (which I like much better too). So yeah, my advice either way is to try and have as little sauce as possible.

    I LOVE spring rolls...typically ones with tofu and I'm finding such differing info on caloric values for them. I've seen 65-265. Thoughts on this?
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
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    I LOVE spring rolls...typically ones with tofu and I'm finding such differing info on caloric values for them. I've seen 65-265. Thoughts on this?
  • nuvimi
    nuvimi Posts: 103 Member
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    jusayange wrote: »
    You order the pho noodle but without the noodle??? Why bother ordering it if you're ordering noodles w/o the noodle.

    Pho is a soup. It's still plenty of a soup without noodles. Are you thinking about bún (vermicelli bowl) instead of pho?

    In any event, pho without the noodles is awesome and very filling, especially if they have a large or extra large bowl. The calories are pretty low on it when you take the noodles away. Vietnamese wonton soup is also a great option (usually called súp hoanh thanh or mi hoanh thanh), but you want the kind that is just the wonton soup and not the one that is wonton soup plus noodles. It usually comes with both pork and shrimp in it in addition to the wontons. It's not as filling as pho, but is a great size for lunch, imo, and is usually about 400 calories for the whole bowl including the wontons.
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
    edited November 2014
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    THANK YOU EVERYONE! I ended up getting veggie spring rolls and did not eat the peanut sauce. And I took everyone's advice on pho without noodles (chicken). The broth was AMAZING and I used all of the bean sprouts that came with it. I was so surprised how filling it was and felt amazing that I didn't eat 600 cals of noodles. They didn't have shredded mango salad, but next time I get Thai I'm going to order it. Again, THANK YOU! It takes time to learn new eating patterns.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    I love green papaya salad which you can often get a Vietnamese although I associate it more with Thai.
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
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    Thank you @girlviernes! I'll try that one too!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,717 Member
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    I usually order bun with chicken or tofu. That's rice vermicelli, salad, and some stir fried meat on top. The dressing is fish sauce, vinegar and sugar, with no oil. The mango or papaya or salad is great, and the same dressing as bun.

    If you have summer rolls, just ask to have it with fish sauce based dressing (nuoc cham), and not satay sauce which is peanut based.

    I would also order pho, but just not eat all of the noodles.

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