Fresh spring rolls
Fresh spring rolls are a south Vietnamese favourite. Served cold, fillings are crisp and fresh, akin to a salad. Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls tend to have less fat than the fried option, for obvious reasons. They’re also known to contain veggies like cabbage and a light protein, such as seafood or mild white fish.
Fried spring rolls
Spring rolls are perfect in a low-carb Vietnamese diet, as long as you choose one that doesn’t include rice or starchy vegetables. The main carb in a fried spring roll will be the wrapper. If it’s protein-only, it’ll likely contain about 7 grams of carbs. When it comes to spring rolls in North America, they generally are a mix between north and south Vietnamese styles. Some contain heavy proteins like beef or pork belly, and ingredients like chicken, and sugar to balance the acidity or spice is also common.
Soups
Vietnamese soups like pho can generally be made to be low-carb rather easily. In most Vietnamese soups, you can expect to find stock of some kind, a protein source, and vegetables, as well as a mix of more pungent ingredients like scallion, chili peppers, and garlic. Do keep in mind some of the veggies to avoid that are higher in carb are pineapples and tomatoes. Any noodles may be a little much on the diet, depending on where you’re at with your carb count. Unsure about whether they’re worth it? Request to have them removed or excluded from your Vietnamese pho.
Salads
Vietnamese-style cold salad is not all that similar to the Western version we know here in Canada. Vietnamese salads are always low-carb, and contain elements like thinly sliced cabbage, lotus-plant stems, or shredded banana leaves. It’s not uncommon to find some cabbage salad with spicy chicken or cabbage salad with shrimp.
All in all, Vietnamese cuisine is a very healthy style of eating, with amazingly delicious meals ranging from fresh spring rolls to shrimp salad, pho noodle soup, Vietnamese rice porridge, lotus root salad, and sour soup. Living on a low-carb diet though, substitutions will still need to happen on occasion and some dishes are worth avoiding.
Unfortunately, another thing to remember is meals cooked in sauce are generally not a good choice especially in restaurants for low-carb or keto-style eating. That’s because some sauces contain flour or other thickeners, as well as sugar – all things you don’t need.
If you’re looking to eat low-carb in Toronto and want to pick up some Vietnamese cooking that fits the bill, visit Toronto Pho. We are the GTA’s #1 Vietnamese restaurant, always willing to go the extra mile for our customers ensuring they can enjoy tasty food without sacrificing their diets.
