Is there any Vietnamese superfood or dish with superior health benefits?

Though not often eaten apart from during traditional festivities, the little know “gac” fruit (or red melon), often nicknamed the “fruit of paradise” is the fruit with the highest concentration of carotenoids in the world (a precursor to Vitamin A).

The gac contains 75 times more lycopene (an antioxidant) than tomatoes. It can be considered a super fruit. Its taste is close to red melon and carrots. It is more and more popular in the U.S. or Europe as an eating supplement.

What are the healthiest local fruits and vegetables? (Dragon fruit, Sapoche, Kumquat, …) 

You might know the expression, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” -what’s the Southeast Asian equivalent? Even though there are a lot of vegetables in traditional Vietnamese food, the average daily consumption is twice less than the recommendations from the World Health Organization. 40% of cancers in Vietnam are linked to food consumption (principally because of processed food, bad eating habits, and bad eating hygiene).

Dragon Fruit

It is certain that if more fruits and vegetables were eaten, the situation could improve. Unfortunately, people are buying fewer fresh fruits and vegetables, because they are suspicious about their hygiene and sanitary conditions of them, and more canned products which are poorer in essential nutrients.

More important than the qualities of a certain food, the most important is to eat enough and regularly the greatest variety of fruits and vegetables. If we had to categorize them according to how rich they are in nutriments, we could differentiate:

– The richest ones in vitamins and antioxidants (lychee and rambutan, Chinese celery, Ceylon spinach, guava, papaya, kiwi, dragon fruit)

– The ones with the most sugar (to be careful with): lotus seeds, sweet potato, taro, banana, grapes, cherries, mango)

– The ones that are hydrating and less sweet: berries, watermelon, melons, citruses (oranges, pomelo, lemon, kumquat), apple, star fruit, gac fruit

Vietnamese are among the largest consumers of durian fruit, known for its smell more than for its qualities. It is called the king fruit here. In Indonesia, it is considered an aphrodisiac.

Durian

In Vietnam, it causes several deaths every year (the mix of alcohol and durian is toxic for the liver and excessive consumption can cause hypertension). The link between what people eat and how healthy they are is not obvious yet for many Vietnamese, which causes a lack of interest in nutrition.

Eating street food in Vietnam: Sauces, pho, banh mi, herbs… Shall we avoid Vietnamese sauces?

Sauces are a very important part of the Vietnamese food experience. A meal without sauces is like a meal without bread in France. You should not ban them. Even sauces that are very sweet or salty should not be banned totally. At reasonable doses, they represent only a fraction of the food intake compared to carbs like rice. Keep it simple and traditional!

Is Pho healthy? Should the broth be drunk or left aside? 

The pho, the most famous Vietnamese food, is certainly one of the most balanced dishes I know. Eaten all day long, it contains carbs, good proteins (beef or chicken), little fats, a lot of water, a lot of dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals (herbs and vegetables), and antioxidants (spices, chili, lemon).

Pho Bo

Who does not feel full after eating a Pho? If you want to balance it, even more, you can add a raw vegetable salad with vegetable oil for appetizers or a fruit salad for dessert. Add a few dry fruits too like nutmeg, peanuts, and almonds.

The broth should be drunk because a lot of water-soluble vitamins and minerals are dissolved in the water during cooking. They are intact inside the broth (except for the B1 vitamin, B3, and C which are partially altered), a gold mine full of nutritive ingredients.

The broth is as important as other ingredients of the pho. It is a source of water and thus hydrates and cools the body (just like nomads in the desert drink hot tea: a hot brew cools and hydrates the body better than cold water). The body reacts to hot liquids with several cooling processes (perspiration, transpiration, more efficient digestion, etc.).

Is Ban Mi healthy? 

The banh mi is a sandwich that can be made in a multitude of ways depending on where you eat it. More often, it contains a source of proteins (pork, chicken, ham), some vegetables (lettuce, carrots, green bean sprouts), bread, and sometimes industrial soft cheese (The Laughing Cow brand).

Banh Mi

The white bread used is not as filling as rice and noodles and is poor in good fat and fiber. You should be careful in making sure the ingredients added are not processed food (pate, sausages, cheese) and that not too much sauce is added (particularly if it is sugar or fat).

You could replace the processed cheese with yogurt (made of milk! It is not bad if the portion is reasonable and it can complement well a banh mi, nutritionally speaking). Contrary to pho, the banh mi does not hydrate the body well. You can accompany it with a fresh drink while you eat such as lime juice, coconut water, or sugar cane juice. Nevertheless, be aware that drinking anything during meals is not the best solution for optimum digestion as it dissipates the acids needed for our digestion.

Do the herbs added to the recipes have nutritional or health benefits (Cilantro, Mint, Cinnamon, Herb, etc.)?

Aromatic herbs contain a lot of antioxidants and vitamins, whatever they are, often with a higher concentration than that found in most fruits and vegetables. It is because they smell good that they are so interesting because the aromatic molecules, the ones responsible for the good smell, are also directly responsible for the medicinal properties of those herbs.

They have diuretic, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties. Not only do they contain very few calories, but they are also an interesting source of fiber and contain phytosterols that could help if taken in high doses, reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Very helpful to improve one’s cardiovascular health.

However, the overall daily intake is relatively small compared to other ingredients. Parsley contains three times more Vitamin C compared to oranges but you’ll need three bowls to cover the daily recommendations. Not very easy! Still, if you consume herbs all day long at different meals, it will cover part of your nutritional needs.

I would recommend considering them for what they are, aromatic plants. They can make your dishes more tasty and delicious. The healthy part is a bonus. Cinnamon herb is an excellent diuretic and anti-inflammatory. Mint can help if you have nausea and it helps digestion, just like coriander.

Conclusion: Vietnamese food is healthy, but be careful with the ingredients

There is a Vietnamese paradox: even though Vietnamese food is healthy and full of flavors and nutrients, the trend is towards artificially flavored, industrially processed, and nutrient-enriched food.

Pay attention to where you eat and the ingredients used in the preparation of the dishes. Pho might be healthy somewhere because natural ingredients are used, while another one won’t be as nutritious because it uses food enhancers.

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*Credit: Antoine Yvon – Dietetician/Nutritionist at the CMI Ho Chi Minh City. You can contact him for an appointment (in French). His website: www.nutrytion.fr.