General thoughts on Pho

SisterSueGetsFit
SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
edited February 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
I’m curious what people’s general thoughts on the healthiness of pho (Vietnamese soup) is. Obviously, the sodium content is high. I probably eat a small bowl twice a week. I TRY to overestimate the calories at around 550. Am I Way off here? I love the stuff and it’s comforting on cold days.

ETA: I only use half the noodles
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Replies

  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    SisterSueGetsFit wrote: »
    I’m curious what people’s general thoughts on the healthiness of pho (Vietnamese soup) is. Obviously, the sodium content is high. I probably eat a small bowl twice a week. I TRY to overestimate the calories at around 550. Am I Way off here? I love the stuff and it’s comforting on cold days.

    ETA: I only use half the noodles

    I don't see anything inherently unhealthy about pho except I have to watch sodium for hypertension...no ideas on the calories, but caloric density doesn't really have anything to do with the healthfulness of a food. I get it every once in awhile and it's just broth, thinly sliced beef, some noodles, mung beans, jalapeno, and thai basil and spices...I don't see anything particularly unhealthy there.

    I don't think a reasonable serving of pho would be particularly calorie dense...I doubt it would even be 550 calories, particularly if you're halving the noodles which would really be the only somewhat calorie dense part of the soup.

    Thank you! Those were my thoughts. I’ve googled and searched on here and I generally come up with 350-600 so i error on a high estimate.
  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    COGypsy wrote: »
    Now I’m thinking I should order in some Pho for dinner....

    I think you’re right!! :)

  • JodehFoster
    JodehFoster Posts: 419 Member
    edited February 2020
    if I know a soup is high sodium, I usually split it into two servings & then top back off with water (or no salt broth) to dilute the salt bomb.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    It's delicious! I think really it's all about portion size. It goes down easy. The bowls at the restaurant I loved in my old college town were massive.
  • teresadannar
    teresadannar Posts: 199 Member
    Love it! Today would be a perfect day for it too.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Every time I've had pho I'm still hungry afterwards lol! There's not much to it, It doesn't seem like it would be very high calorie.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    I eat a lot of Pho. There's a ton of Pho places near me and they're like a siren's call when I'm driving by. I really love soup and noodles, and pretty much everything that goes into a bowl of Pho :)

    Coincidentally, I too have been estimating it at 550. I guess it depends on what goes in it, but I think on average, that's a good number for it.

    The sodium is very high, which is why I don't eat it every day. But as an occasional thing, I don't worry about it.
  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    Love all the responses and love that ya'll love pho! I usually keep my portion size around a "standard" cereal bowl size. The smell is just heavenly and it does fill me up! Lots and lots of bean sprouts.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    I've had pho in my diary at 250 calories and at over a thousand calories.

    Of course the sodium is insane. But the rest of it really depends on portion size and what's in it.

    For most restaurant pho in Canada, unless you're going for something simple like a small pho Tai with half noodles and holding back on the sriracha and hoisin sauce, I would not consider 550 an over estimate.

    Grab a nonshim or other noodle soup maker's supermarket pho. They come in at around 200-300 Cal and are not nearly as meaty/fatty/oniony as a restaurant pho. Generally they have about 40-50g rice noodles.

    As an eye ball the noodles at restaurants are easily double even for small, plus all the above considerations.

    And I mean some places actually use quite a bit of meat and especially if you have things like meatballs that is not exactly zero. Other places not so much but you will still get a few ounces

    That said, the sodium will do more to the scale (temporarily) than a hundred or two calories!..

    And yes there has been a time where the pho was well under 500 at a restaurant when they took me to heart with the half noodle thing and didn't even put in as many as come in packaged pho! But that has not been my typical experience.

  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I've had pho in my diary at 250 calories and at over a thousand calories.

    Of course the sodium is insane. But the rest of it really depends on portion size and what's in it.

    For most restaurant pho in Canada, unless you're going for something simple like a small pho Tai with half noodles and holding back on the sriracha and hoisin sauce, I would not consider 550 an over estimate.

    Grab a nonshim or other noodle soup maker's supermarket pho. They come in at around 200-300 Cal and are not nearly as meaty/fatty/oniony as a restaurant pho. Generally they have about 40-50g rice noodles.

    As an eye ball the noodles at restaurants are easily double even for small, plus all the above considerations.

    And I mean some places actually use quite a bit of meat and especially if you have things like meatballs that is not exactly zero. Other places not so much but you will still get a few ounces

    That said, the sodium will do more to the scale (temporarily) than a hundred or two calories!..

    And yes there has been a time where the pho was well under 500 at a restaurant when they took me to heart with the half noodle thing and didn't even put in as many as come in packaged pho! But that has not been my typical experience.

    I typically order the small, which is, pretty small. Slightly bigger than a cereal bowl at this place. But, it’s entirely possible I’m underestimating!
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    I generally find the pho near me overly salty. But i love the idea of pho and often make basically the same thing at home with a broth base and then mix in meats and sprouts and large handful of herbs and I love the lime and hot sauces. Mmmmm
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    edited February 2020
    SisterSueGetsFit wrote: »
    I typically order the small, which is, pretty small. Slightly bigger than a cereal bowl at this place. But, it’s entirely possible I’m underestimating!

    Please note that I would call our small considerably larger than a regular sized noodle bowl. maybe closer to one of the "supersized" noodle bowls I see in the supermarket shelves these days.

    In addition to noodles I would expect the "outside" pho to have a higher level of fat in the broth. DANG IT! I WANT PHO NOW!!!!! :blush:
  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    SisterSueGetsFit wrote: »
    I typically order the small, which is, pretty small. Slightly bigger than a cereal bowl at this place. But, it’s entirely possible I’m underestimating!

    Please note that I would call our small considerably larger than a regular sized noodle bowl. maybe closer to one of the "supersized" noodle bowls I see in the market.

    In addition to noodles I would expect the "outside" pho to have a higher level of fat in the broth. DANG IT! I WANT PHO NOW!!!!! :blush:

    Bahaha! I think everyone commenting here wants pho now.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    Oh!

    Thank you. I'm planing my meals for next week and was a bit at a loss for ideas. Pho it shall be on Wednesday. :smiley:
  • Buttermello
    Buttermello Posts: 127 Member
    Its delicious! If I'm tight on calories, I just omit the noodles.
  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    Buttermello wrote: »
    Its delicious! If I'm tight on calories, I just omit the noodles.

    I usually go super light on the noodles. My problem is, I just have no idea about the broth. Sometimes it's more fatty, sometimes not. In any event, I figure it can't be HORRIBLE. Especially when it tastes so good. :)
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    I always have a large bowl of beef pho w/the steaknon the side, so it doesn't get over cooked. I always estimate 650 cals based on the major components (noodles/beef), rather err on the high than the low side.

    I also love eating a latge bowl of "bun bue hue," a spicy northern Vietnamese beef noodle dish that I estimate at 850 cals because its use of wheat noodles, beef shank and blood cubes and other calorie dense items.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Btw, don't know about others, but I never drink all of the broth, maybe 1/2 cup at most.

    Some NaCl is absorbed by the noodles, but if you don't drink all of the broth, I doubt that the sodium content of pho would be a health isdue for most people.
  • unstableunicorn
    unstableunicorn Posts: 216 Member
    edited February 2020
    Have you tried homemade with zucchini noodles? I’ll add a photo from my keto book. It’s really good, and you have control of the sodium. :smiley:

    s7cwapgx4o2u.jpeg
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Pho is great. If you are worried about calories leave some of the noodles in the bottom of the bowl and fill up on broth, bean sprouts and the lean rare beef. Some of the variants with stewed beef and meatballs use fattier cuts so I normally go for the type with slices of raw beef that cook as it sits in the hot broth.

    I never see pho with big globules of fat in the broth, so that shouldn't be a problem. Clear broths in general should be fine. Soups thickened with a roux can hide fat you can't see.
  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    I’m going to try to make some tonight. I’m guessing it won’t happen again as the ingredients cost a small fortune and I can buy it cheaper and it’ll likely not taste as good. Stay tuned!
  • unstableunicorn
    unstableunicorn Posts: 216 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Ya, you have control of the sodium because there is essentially none. Where's the fish sauce?

    You do realize you’re antagonizing someone for sharing an easily adjustable recipe, right?

    @SisterSueGetsFit Hope you enjoy! Hubby & I have been very happy with it. :)
  • tlkondo
    tlkondo Posts: 8 Member
    This is the recipe I use. But I don't add the salt, Fish sauce, hoisin sauce If you follow the recipe the Nutrition Per Serving: Calories 436 / Protein 23 g / Carbohydrate 74 g / Dietary Fiber 3 g / Total Sugars 6 g / Total Fat 5 g / Saturated Fat 1 g / Cholesterol 20 mg
    I don't know what a serving size is

    https://www.inspiredtaste.net/4307/vietnamese-soup-pho/
  • tmbg1
    tmbg1 Posts: 1,434 Member
    I want pho now.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    I have never tried to make pho broth myself. I have a Vietnamese girlfriend who first roasts off beef bones for a couple of hour before simmering many hours.

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