How to Eat Healthy Thai

Eating healthy Thai food can be easily accomplished.

Thai cuisine satiates your taste buds as well as olfactory senses with its blend of flavorful and aromatic food and spices. Thai food is increasing in popularity, as it focuses on combining vegetables, herbs and other healthy ingredients in food preparations. While eating healthy Thai food is easy to accomplish, whether you are cooking Thai at home or dining out at a Thai restaurant -- there are some food and preparation methods that are not healthy and should be avoided.

Instructions

1. Drink a bowl of broth-based soup. Avoid coconut milk-based soups, as 1 cup of coconut milk contains 45 g of unhealthy saturated fat.

2. Opt for a fresh and nutritious salad such as som tam, which is prepared with shredded green papaya, tomatoes, garlic and chilies. Som tam is rich in calcium, vitamins A, C and K.

3. Choose grilled food preparations such as pla pao, a grilled fish that blends the aromatic herbs lemongrass, basil and black pepper. These herbs have a carminative effect on the digestive system and improve blood circulation. Avoid massaman, a calorie-laden beef curry consisting of fatty short ribs, potatoes, coconut and nuts that can make you feel sluggish.

4. Avoid fried preparations of rice, spring rolls and noodles such as pad thai and mee krob. Choose steamed spring rolls, steamed or boiled rice and noodles, which are healthier options, since they have a low fat, carbohydrate and calorie content compared to fried Thai foods.

5. Eat a stewed dish such as gai tun, a chicken stew or ped tun, a duck stew. A bowl of this stew is invigorating and has a low-sodium content, since the meat is slow-cooked with the herbs anise, cinnamon and mace in a soy sauce broth.

6. Keep your consumption of fat and calories to a minimum, by avoiding fried meats. Nibble on chicken, fish or lean meat satays, which are skewered meats grilled without oil. Eat five pieces of satay by dipping each portion in 1 tbsp. of a healthy herb sauce of your choice, such as fresh mint, lemongrass, basil, chili or galangal.

Tips & Warnings

• Reduce your consumption of sticky rice, or opt for healthy brown rice.

• Avoid savory sauces that have a high fat content, such as nam jim satay that contains peanuts, coconut cream and sugar.

References

• Web MD: Ethnic Eating-Out Tips
• Health Castle: Survival Guide To Eating Out In A Thai Restaurant
• Dining In Thailand: Is Thai Food Healthy

Resources

• Reader's Digest: How To Make Healthy Choices At Ethnic Restaurants