Pho...WHY???

MSeel1984
MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I love Pho. So much.
I'm craving a giant bowl of it tonight...
But oh my gosh WHY is it so high in calories?!
I get the healthier version of it...white meat chicken only, lower fat broth...

I also cut back on the noodles when I make mine-end up throwing part of them away...

*sigh* it sounds amazing right now...
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Replies

  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I loooove pho. The only thing holding me back is that there's no good pho in the town I'm living in now.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    I think that all of the time! I plan for those days.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I make room for it. You either have it in its original form, or you don't.
    All the sodium, calories, and broth is worth it.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
    I didn't think it was that high in calories at all. When I go to eat Vietnamese I eat until I'm hobbling out of there in pain and it was still less than 1,000 calories.
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    How many calories? The broth can't have much. It seems like the majority of calories come from the noodles. I just read an article that a medium bowl has up to 6 oz of noodles. My go-to place only has a few ounces of meat and the steak may be lower in calories than the chicken. But they also serve it in a bowl as big as my head! We share it.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    mmmm...I love pho. I plan for it though, if I'm going to stuff my face with that awesomness, I pre log it so I know what the rest of my day should look like. You throw out the noodles??? That's blasphemy!! lol
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    it's high in calories?
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    it's high in calories?

    It can be a bit higher with the noodles, and if you opt for meatballs or slices of beef.
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    missiontofitness wrote: »
    I make room for it. You either have it in its original form, or you don't.
    All the sodium, calories, and broth is worth it.

    I've never had any... how am I supposed to know it's good pho? :confused:
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    Eh, if you have a head cold or sinus infection (it's winter, of course I have both!) Pho will clear out a good few pounds of grossness, the caloric binge is worth it.

    Biggest complaint? I don't have any good spots near me.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    I love Pho.
  • lngbrd
    lngbrd Posts: 279 Member
    Recently discovered it, love it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't find it to be that high in calories. On average a 2 1/2 cup bowl comes in around 350 calories or so. I figure the bowl at my favorite place is about double that...so 700 calories...maybe a little higher than one of my average meals, but not by much.
  • kozinskey
    kozinskey Posts: 176 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    it's high in calories?

    I'm still having trouble believing it's all that caloric. The pho I've gotten is mostly veggies with some token noodles and a few slices of meat. Does that mean it's bad pho?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't find it to be that high in calories. On average a 2 1/2 cup bowl comes in around 350 calories or so. I figure the bowl at my favorite place is about double that...so 700 calories...maybe a little higher than one of my average meals, but not by much.

    Right, same around these parts two.

    We now have two good places for Pho. My little town is start to try to get all cosmo on me.
  • congruns
    congruns Posts: 127 Member
    edited February 2015
    Probably before the hosin and sriracha sauce:

    http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/06/how_does_pho_measure_up_when_i.html

    Pho is one of the most popular Vietnamese menu items, often ordered as a light lunch or dinner, but is that steaming bowl of noodles really as nutritious as we think it is? Here’s an up-close look at how pho measures up, and how to tweak it to make it even better (nutritionally speaking, of course).

    The nutritional stats vary widely depending on serving size, type of meat, and amount of noodles added, but to get a ballpark idea of protein, carbs, and calories, we ordered beef pho (medium or ‘regular’ size, with flank steak or eye of round) from several restaurants throughout the city and deconstructed them to see just how much meat, noodles, veggies and broth were in each.

    On average, a medium bowl of pho contained three to four ounces of meat, six ounces of noodles, and 20 ounces of broth, along with an assortment of fresh herbs, onions, peppers, and bean sprouts. The calculated nutritional stats were 350 to 450 calories per bowl, with 35 to 50 grams of carbs, 30 grams of protein, and a whopping 1500 mg of sodium.

    The broth itself contains little or no oil, and is very low in calories, carbs, and fat – the main drawback is the high sodium content.

    Keep pho lean with protein choices like flank steak, eye of round, seafood, or chicken, rather than higher fat options like meatballs or brisket. And while tripe and beef tendon may not sound like healthful additions, a four-ounce serving of tripe (from the stomach of a cow) has just 100 calories and one gram of saturated fat, and beef tendon is very lean, with a couple of ounces packing in 20 grams of protein with very little fat.

    If an average of three to four ounces of meat per medium bowl of pho isn’t enough protein, you can always request double meat (or seafood or chicken).

    And requesting vegetables in place of noodles can save as much as 200 calories and 50 grams of carbs per medium bowl of pho, plus you’ll be getting the added nutritional benefit of veggies like bok choy, cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts.

  • Sydking
    Sydking Posts: 317 Member
    I get no noodles. Extra meat and Heaps of extra bean sprouts

    Tastes better then with the noodle and much lower cal
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    It tends to come in a huge serving size, which is a big part of the issue. Plus the noodles are high in carbs.

    I get veggie pho and eat half of the serving.
  • dcrain02
    dcrain02 Posts: 5 Member
    We make our own - its really not that hard. My bowl is mostly the veggies and meat. I skimp on the rice noodles.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't find it to be that high in calories. On average a 2 1/2 cup bowl comes in around 350 calories or so. I figure the bowl at my favorite place is about double that...so 700 calories...maybe a little higher than one of my average meals, but not by much.
    I don't find it all that high either. And I ask for it light on the noodles (I prefer the meat and bean sprouts). If we go to a restaurant a pho dish gives me 2 or maybe 3 meals.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    It tends to come in a huge serving size, which is a big part of the issue. Plus the noodles are high in carbs.

    I get veggie pho and eat half of the serving.
    Some places offer mung bean noodles which can be a better noodle choice for some.
  • leannems
    leannems Posts: 516 Member
    make it at home - super duper low cal version: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/quick-vietnamese-noodle-soup-with-beef
  • in_the_stars
    in_the_stars Posts: 1,395 Member
    !!!!!!!
  • srcurran
    srcurran Posts: 208 Member
    When I get Pho I divide into two or three servings so it's not so bad at one sitting.
  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
    Where I live, we have a pho place in practically every little strip mall. It's kind of crazy.

    I used to get the small bowl and eat what I could. Now I pay the extra dollar to get the large bowl, then bring home more than half of it.
  • lizzocat
    lizzocat Posts: 356 Member
    You can buy pho broth and fresh rice noodles. Add some lime, hot sauce, protein, some veggies and egg. Pretty good and you can totally control the calories
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Sydking wrote: »
    I get no noodles. Extra meat and Heaps of extra bean sprouts

    Tastes better then with the noodle and much lower cal
    I blame the noodles too. Not exactly 1/4 cup! I love this idea.
  • benboyd85
    benboyd85 Posts: 60 Member
    srcurran wrote: »
    When I get Pho I divide into two or three servings so it's not so bad at one sitting.

    This is what I do too. I love Pho, I can eat it for multiple meals in a row!
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
    Pho doesnt even compare(flavor wise) to ramen made at a good ramen noodle house...
  • efwolfcub
    efwolfcub Posts: 99 Member
    Pho broth kept me sane when I was in my pre-op for having my bariatric surgery, and did an even better job at keeping me sane when I was on clears. Pho was the first "real food" at a resteraunt after surgery. Compared to most places you could go out to eat (look at the calories in your average quart of fried rice, for example, or a bloomin' onion, etc) Pho is downright healthy.
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