Pho, pronounced as Pha, is a traditional soup from Vietnam prepared with rice noodles, herbs, and meat. Having rice noodles in it, many people get confused while ordering with a question occurring into their minds, is pho keto friendly?
Being the national dish of Vietnam, pho is the most eaten meal by Vietnamese, but it is now getting popular worldwide. However, if you are following a ketogenic lifestyle and always try to eat high fat and low carb diet, you must know pho calories and how many carbs are in pho.
Keeping this in consideration, Look Broad brings you once again a detailed guide on keto pho with complete pho nutrition information.
So, without a further ado, let’s start:
Is Pho Keto Friendly?
To know the answer, first, we need to look at the ingredients with which pho is made. Pho is available in different forms, such as pho made of rice and noodles and pho broth.
Traditional Pho:
Traditional pho, that’s also the national dish of Vietnam, is mainly produced using Rice Noodles. Rice and noodles are high in carbohydrates; hence, they are not considered ketogenic food.
Pho Broth:
Pho broth is prepared with various items. You have vegetarian pho as well as pho made with meat. As long as noodles and rice aren’t included in the recipe, and it’s made with keto-approved ingredients, Pho broth is totally okay to consume while following keto.
“Usually, famous Vietnamese restaurants offer traditional pho made of rice noodles that is high in carbs. However, you can ask about the ingredient from the restaurant staff to have a better idea.”
Pho Nutrition Information
Pho Calories Are Less:
Traditional pho made with rice noodles has significantly less amount of calories than other bone broths you drink or consume.
Carbs Count is Moderate:
Thanks to its ingredients, the carb count in pho is not less or more, but it has a moderate amount. However, on keto, we need low-carb food.
Protein Count is Low:
As there are no eggs or oil added to the pho recipe while preparing the traditional one, the protein count is also the least. That’s the reason keto followers like to ponder on is pho keto friendly before consuming it.
Sodium Content is High:
Sodium content is high in the pho because it is made with special spices. Many ingredients, including salt, make the recipe highly sumptuous, but the high sodium content makes it a little questionable.
This is not all. We have also mentioned how many carbs, calories, and or proteins are available in pho in numbers, so here you go:
How Many Carbs in Pho?
The amount of carbs in pho is moderate if we relate it to regular food. However, for a ketogenic diet, the carbs count of pho is high. So, is pho keto friendly? Based on the carb count, no.
1 cup of Vietnamese pho contains 23.98 grams of carbs.
When on a keto diet, the total number of carbs you can consume is around 20 to 50. It means eating pho will take almost half of your per-day allotted carbohydrates.
What is Pho Calories Count?
When it comes to calories, pho has a very moderate, somewhat less amount of calories in it. In the keto diet, women are allowed to consume 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day, while men can consume 1,800 to 2,200.
1 bowl of pho contains 350-450 calories
Based on the calories, you can think about a positive answer regarding the query is pho keto friendly. However, pho calories aren’t the only thing that counts.
How Much Protein Does Pho Have?
Pho is made in variations using different ingredients. Pho recipes can include beef, pork, chicken, or tofu. Still, the protein count of pho doesn’t meet the protein count of a keto diet.
1 bowl of pho contains about 30 grams of protein.
On the keto diet, you are asked to consume 1 gram of protein for 1 kg. It means you will need 30 grams of calories per meal, equivalent to per-meal carbs a body needs.
“Based on the above discussion, is pho keto friendly? No! Pho made of rice noodles is not keto friendly. That doesn’t mean you cannot consume Pho on a keto diet. You can order Keto-friendly pho at a ketosis restaurant or make one yourself.”
How? Let’s find in the lines coming ahead:
Ordering Pho at a Ketosis Restaurant
Luckily, Vietnamese restaurants have different variations of pho available. However, the ingredients aren’t mentioned on the menu. The same goes when it comes to a ketosis restaurant.
So, when visiting restaurants for keto-approved pho, you can simply ask the staff, chef, or the restaurant owner is pho keto friendly.
Further, you can check on ingredients. For a keto-friendly pho, ask restaurants to bring you pho broth made with beef with no noodles included.
You can also ask them to add protein-rich vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, or sprouts. Along with this, jalapenos and herbs like fresh basil are also added for taste.
The server will bring you sprouts, jalapeño, and fresh basil to add. Some restaurants will even give you veggies (, and so on) instead of noodles
If you don’t find a Vietnamese Ketosis restaurant near you, don’t worry. You can make keto pho at home. How? Here is the recipe:
Keto Pho Recipe
You can make Pho at home that’s keto-friendly and hygienic so that you can eat with complete confidence. Here is how you make one:
Ingredients:
Onions, sirloin (beef steak cut from the back of the animal), beef knee bones, fish sauce, Konjac noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, lime, and herbs like basil and star anise.
How to make:
First of all, you need to make pho broth. To do so
- Roast beef bones at 425o till they are brown.
- Roast onions at 425o for 45 mins
- Boil roasted the bones and onions in 4 quarts of water
- Add ginger, anise seed, fish sauce, and salt
- Cover the bowl
Let the broth simmer for 6 to 10 hours.
Now to the serving:
- Soak rice noodles in water for an hour
- Boil for one minute
- In a bowl, add noodles, sirloin, basil, and other herbs in a bowl
- Strain the broth and add hot to the bowl you have prepared
Hot noodles will partially cool the sirloin beef.
- Put the lime on another plate for serving
Let it get cold before you start eating.
Note: Konjac noodles added here are also known as miracle noodles because they have zero fiber. However, these noodles are made of Glucomannan which can cause digestion problems. You can skip it.
Pho can be very hot in essence hence you should drink plenty of water along with it. Also, it can be a great option to break your water fast to stay in ketosis.
Pho Noodles Near Me
You can check plenty of pho noodles on yelp by adding your location. It includes the menu, rating, and opening hours of the restaurant.
Before ending, here are some FAQs:
1. Is Pho Without Noodles-Keto Friendly?
Yes, pho without noodles can be considered keto-friendly because rice noodles are high in carbs. When pho is consumed without noodles, the carb content definitely declines.
However, without noodles is just bone broth and according to Vietnamese, it cannot be called pho when it doesn’t contain noodles.
For this sake, konjac noodles (the one without carbs) are recommended to eat with pho. But these can bring health issues like bloating.
2. How Many Carbs in Pho without Noodles?
Is pho keto friendly when eaten without noodles? Yes! When noodles are minus from the pho, the carb content becomes relatively low, making it keto-approved. You will find 70% Fat, 25% Protein, and only 5% Carbs in pho without noodles.
3. How Many Calories Does Chicken Pho Have?
Based on your likeness, you can make pho with chicken instead of beef. The calorie count of chicken pho is not so high since no ghee or oil is used in it. 1 cup of chicken pho contains 162 calories.
4. Is pho healthy for weight loss?
When eaten in a balanced way and keeping serving moderate, pho can be quite healthy for weight loss. You should exclude the noodles or add konjac noodles in the recipe.
Also to enhance the protein content, using eggs, lean meats like sirloin or chicken are recommended. Without a balance, pho cannot be a good option for weight loss.
5. How can pho make you gain weight?
If you eat too much pho with noodles, you are increasing the carb content in your body which can spike the blood glucose.
Along with this, more than the required amount of lean meats added to the pho can also add to the calories. In such cases, pho can make you gain weight.
Remember, balancing is the key.
6. Why does pho make you feel better?
Pho boosts the immune system because it is prepared by using magic ingredients like meat, bone broth, herbs, and spices with no added oil. Bone broth made of beef bones is extremely healthy to speed up body recovery.
The boosted immune system can be one of the reasons why pho makes you feel better.
7. Can You Eat Pho On Keto?
As a concluding answer to your query, is pho keto friendly? You can say it is when eaten in a balanced way with herbs, lean protein, and Konjac noodles. You can also skip the noodles.
Ending Lines
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