Vietnamese fare is usually filled with fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables, so there are plenty of diet-friendly options to choose from. But diners who are counting calories should be careful to choose dishes that are made using the healthiest preparation methods to keep their diets on track.

Healthy Vietnamese Food Tips

Need more help navigating the Vietnamese food menu? Here are a few more tips to make your meal healthier.
Grilled vegetables on skewers are a good alternative to traditional barbecued spare ribs.
Caramel sauce is typically listed as nuoc duong thang on Vietnamese menus. This sauce is high in sugar and calories. Dishes that have been simmered may sound healthy, but the addition of this sugary sauce makes them less so.
Look for soups that contain lots of vegetables to increase your fiber intake. They will help you feel fuller and prevent you from overeating on other foods during your meal.
When eating family style, you experience a wider variety of foods, but be careful about portion control. Choose a roast, rice or noodles, a simmered dish and/or a steamed dish to share among the entire table. Leave off the deep-fried choices.
The best way to decrease the calories in any restaurant meal is to share the food. Vietnamese food is especially easy to enjoy “family style.” Split the plate when it arrives or ask your server to split it ahead of time. If dining solo, or if no one wants the dish you select, ask that half of it be packed up to take home before it even hits your table.

Choose This, Not That
The next time you visit a Vietnamese restaurant, scan this quick list of menu items to choose and those to avoid before you place your order.
Recommended items tend to be lower in calories, while the others tend to pack the biggest caloric punch.
A Healthier Version of Pho
One of the most popular Vietnamese foods is pho. This traditional street food is a soup made from broth, rice noodles, and meat, seafood, or tofu. You might see pho made with steak (phở tái), brisket or meatballs (phở bò), prawns (phở tôm), mushrooms (phở nấm rơm), or chicken (phở gà). The variations are endless, so the soup may or may not be healthy.

The calorie count of pho varies based on the ingredients and the portion size, but it can range from around 300 calories per bowl to 450 calories or more. It is usually low in fat if it is made with lean meat (like chicken) but higher in fat if it is made with fattier meat like beef. Pho may also contain high amounts of sodium. ( it’s Nước mắm công nghiệp ).

If you go to a restaurant that allows you to customize your pho, choose ingredients that are full of fiber (plenty of vegetables) and lean meat to keep yourself full and satisfied. You can also ask your server to cut back on the noodles, which are higher in carbohydrates. And if you are watching your calories, choose a smaller sized bowl of pho to keep your food intake moderate.

Lastly, choose your garnishes carefully. Spicy garnishes like peppers will add heat to your dish and may help you to eat less. But some of the sauces and garnishes in Vietnamese cuisine can be high in sugar and salt, adding some flavor, but very little nutritional value to your meal.

Some sound advice here, but have to take issue with the rice and noodles, neither of which meet the low carb nature of the BSD way of eating and both should be avoided. And indeed, lots of fruits (especially tropical fruits) are also very high in carbs, so are also best avoided, or at best only eaten in very small quantities.

Remember that on the BSD it is the carbs that need to be kept low and not the good fats. It is the good fats that help with feeling full and carbs drive the feelings of hunger.

Yes indeed, Sunny! The points you have raised are why most of us have given up Chinese take-out. Too many hidden
sugars lurk, and the oils used aren’t the healthiest ones, either. Then there are the white carbs, in the form of noodles
and rice….Landmines, all 🙂