Anyone else love pho? Need calorie help

melsinct
melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
I am having pho for lunch and the database is no help, especially with vague amounts like "1 bowl." I will be getting pho with shrimp. The Vietnamese place near me gives you a one quart container loaded with broth, rice noodles, and shrimp, then comes with a condiment baggie with bean sprouts, herbs, and sriracha. I am going to get it without rice noodles because the broth is the star of the show for me. So, would this seem like a fair calorie assumption?

Beef broth (4 cups): 60 calories
Shrimp (7): 50 calories
Bean sprouts (1 cup): 31 calories
Sriracha: 5 calories

That seems awfully low to have all of that for less than 150 calories. What kind of calorie estimates do you come up with for pho? I think the broth estimate is throwing me off, it seems so low.

Replies

  • numberscolors
    numberscolors Posts: 254
    mmmmm i love pho! your estimate seems about right! pho is the perfect example of a high-volume, low-calorie-dense food. i think i'll get some for lunch...
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    I love pho and chances are that it won't be very high in calories but the sodium, now that's what's going to be through the roof!
  • skinnyme125
    skinnyme125 Posts: 396 Member
    it seems pretty low to me also but i really don't know. I would be carefull with the sodium in it. That could be very high as most broths are.
  • papercoyote
    papercoyote Posts: 5
    I actually made pho recently from scratch, so I can back you up on that. Taking it "apart", so to speak, into its major base components is the way to go.

    ...dammit, now I want pho...
  • doramouse
    doramouse Posts: 160
    Sounds good but then there is the sodium which I would try to find a way to enter in.............I too love love love the Pho and for me the broth is the star as well. I usually put it in at 600 cause of the noodles and sodium
    I like your way better - no noodles

    I'll watch this thread to see if anyone has other ideas on it..........Thanks for the post
  • kevanos
    kevanos Posts: 304 Member
    There is probably some fat in the broth to make it delicious, and lots of salt.

    i love pho too, the noodles are killer tho.
  • eamjohnson
    eamjohnson Posts: 18 Member
    I, too, am a HUGE fan of pho, but have also had trouble estimating the actual calorie content.

    I think the numbers you determined for the shrimp, bean sprouts, and sriracha are all fair. However, I am guessing that the beef broth has a significantly higher calorie count. Given that pho broth is typically made using beef bones and tough cuts of beef, I would think that there is a fairly high fat content -- depending on the method, of course.

    I would say a more accurate guess would be around 100 calories for every cup of beef broth. So, all in all, you're looking at about 486 calories for a bowl of pho that you described. Maybe round up to 500 to be safe?

    I'm making my estimates based on some research from the Web from people who get pho with lean cuts of beef, keep the noodles, and add all of the fixings: 700-800 calories.
  • Pril2000
    Pril2000 Posts: 254 Member
    Okay. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but pho has a lot of calories. It's not that it's bad for you, it's just the rice noodles are a lot.

    I LOVE pho. It's pretty much my favorite food ever. About 6 months ago, I was eating it many times a week. I was estimating around 600 calories for the regular and 700 for the large. I never can eat an entire bowl of Pho, so it's a little lower, but I always estimate higher. I found out that when I only eat pho once a month, I lose more weight. Lol

    I would just estimate about 600. If you get shrimp and not beef, it can be lower. I've researched a bunch of different websites trying to find a concensus, and it's just not there. 600 is a good estimate for a regular bowl which is approximately 3 cups of soup.

    If someone can find a definitive answer to this, please tell me!!
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    However, I am guessing that the beef broth has a significantly higher calorie count. Given that pho broth is typically made using beef bones and tough cuts of beef, I would think that there is a fairly high fat content -- depending on the method, of course.

    The broth is the unknown! When I have had leftover pho from this restaurant before, I have put it in the fridge and didn't get that congealed fat layer floating on the top...do you think this means the broth will be pretty lean?

    I have already accepted the fact that pho is a giant sodium bomb. I already drink lots of water every day and rarely eat processed/boxed stuff so my sodium levels are usually in check. One day of blasting my sodium levels off the charts with delicious pho won't hurt!
  • aschulze05
    aschulze05 Posts: 1
    I think it sounds low because everyone forgot to add the noodles.
    I've never had Pho without noodles.
  • cmirabelli7
    cmirabelli7 Posts: 1
    To the individual who was eating it several times a week- sodium will make you gain a TON of water weight.. A TON- so that is probably why you had the change.

    The vegetable broth that some pho places offer does not use meat at all...it is a vegetarian/vegan friendly soup they offer (again, at most places), so the soup wouldn't be as high calorie if you eat the vegetable broth version and just have them add the shrimp, etc.

    Make your own pho... it isnt too hard if you are doing the vegetable one, and you can control the sodium and amount of rice noodles. They also make other versions of rice noodles that are lower glycemic (made with whole grain, quinoa, etc)... I would just learn to make my own.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    I think it sounds low because everyone forgot to add the noodles.
    I've never had Pho without noodles.
    Yes, no noodle count......plus I generally add quite a few more ingredients, which has nothing to do with your Pho though....lol
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