What are the healthiest choices when eating out at a Thai restaurant? Obviously, portion control, but what elements should I look for/avoid?

Thanks!

You can check this out

http://www.healthyoptionsbuffalo.com...Tips_thai.html

Anything that says coconut milk will generally be delicious but caloric The curries often contain coconut milk.

ooh good link, chunkchic.

Thanks

My favorite light options are

Spring rolls (the salad wrap described by Michelle is sometimes called spring or summer rolls).

Papaya salad. This is green papaya is more like a vegetable than a fruit. It's sort of like a cole slaw.

Laab (chicken or beef) this is a minced meat salad. Chicken will always be cooked, but the beef can be raw. It's not legal in our area to serve raw meat, so they can prepare it for takeout (because you could take it home and cook it), but can't serve it in the restaurant. Just to be safe, you should ask if the beef is cooked (it probably will be cooked, unless it's a very high-end expensive restaurant in an area that allows beef to be served raw).

Pho is not a bad choice. It's a clear broth noodle soup, served with optional additions such a fresh herbs and vegetables and condiments. Be careful with the condiments some have oil or fats in them and some have sweeteners, and some are very spicy. I do love adding the hoisin and/or peanut butter (if it's offered), but add only about a tsp or two.

When I go for Thai, or any ethnic food really, I just try and eat half and save half for later. Especially if it's a special event or a treat dinner, meaning something you don't do every week, there is no way in **** I'd pass up having some of what I love. If I ate the cold veggie roll thing, which sound kind of yuck to me anyway, while others were having yummy spicy curries it would really just depress me and sabotage my efforts in a psychological way.

Personally this is about the long haul, making better choices but doing so in such a way that I am still happy with what I am eating. I am a foodie, in the usual sense that I love good food and appreciate it the way some people appreciate fine art. Compromises are one thing, but just flat out giving up stuff I love all together? Not gonna happen.

My advice would be to order what looks good, stick to chicken or veggies. Skip the soup which tends to have lots of coconut milk, and ask for a to go box right off the bat. Put half into the box before you even take a bite, then savor the rest.

I find that even the lightest options at a thai restaurant are so full of flavor, that deprivation isn't my first thought.

Even if I decide on a heartier entree, I feel a bit disappointed if I don't order the spring rolls or the papaya salad as an appetizer. The spring rolls are so good. The mint and fresh basil along with the lean meat (usually pork and shrimp, but the pork is so lean it looks like thinly sliced turkey breast), leaf lettuce, shreds of green onion and carrot - not to mention the hoisin/peanut dipping sauce. Umm, absolute heaven.

The papaya salad is a great appetizer too, but as such would serve about four people. It's a tiny bit like an extra garlicky caesar salad dressing (only fish sauce instead of anchovies). It's the most common lunch food among women in thailand.

Another dish I love is spicy tilapia. It's usually served in a huge portion (head on) and I've gotten as many as four meals out of it. The sauce is full of bell pepper, cilantro, green onion, tamarind - just absolutely awesome.

Thanks so much for your answers, everyone! That link looks great, chunkychic.

Prinna, I think I'm most in line with your way of thinking My favorite Thai place down the street serves great hot&sour soup, but I would have to watch myself on the shrimp crispies that go with it...and then my favorite dishes are the curries. It's good to know that the coconut milk isn't calorie-counting friendly. I think my strategy would be watch my portion even more (I usually didn't eat the whole thing, anyway) and to take it verrrrry easy on the steamed rice.

Does anyone have any experience with Thai recipes to make at home?

Oh my. Spring rolls are one of my absolute favorite things to eat! Be careful with the peanut sauce, though.

I eat much like prinny suggested. I absolutely LOVE Thai and I try to make light versions at home, but I can never match the stuff I get at the local joint.

So I pass on any sort of appetizer except the fresh raw spring roll thing (that I like). I order my favorite veggie-stuffed curry with chicken or tofu. I try not to use TOO much rice -- just enough for texture. And I make sure that I only eat half of what I'm served.

If I ate Thai food more often I would worry more about exactly how many calories it has. But I eat it out MAYBE once a month (although I do make it at home more frequently) so I just enjoy it in moderation.

As far as what I PERSONALLY enter in for calories, I assume that my curry is 100% coconut milk, and I'd say that I eat about 6 oz of the curry sauce along with the veggies, so I count that as 350 calories. I count my rice as 300 calories for a cup. The curry I get looks like it's probably got about 4 oz of tofu in it, so in the half I eat I figure about 85 calories for 2 oz of tofu. I don't add calories in for the veggies in the curry.

I think I over estimate the calorie count on the curry because there are lower-calorie things in there than JUST the coconut milk, but better safe than sorry. I usually eat about 1500 calories a day, but on a day I know we're going out for Thai I try to keep breakfast and lunch light and still end up well below 2000 calories for the day. I use it as a "high" day in my calorie cycling scheme.

So, that's how I choose to eat Thai food. Your mileage, of course, may vary!

I think maybe you mean the rice paper wrap and rice noodles? I do find those a bit weird too!

Thanks, Rebound! I appreciate your sharing your calorie figuring - that's very helpful! Thai is my favorite but I only have it once a month, if that. I'm glad to realize that it won't be TOO devastating to my plan if I indulge sensibly.

Where have you found the recipes you've made at home?

Hi there!
I split an order of fresh salad rolls (with pork not deep fried) with DH, and have a beef noodle soup (broth, rice noodles, sliced beef, green onions...). Or I'll have the rice noodles with pork and green salad instead of the soup. I do this every week and I SO love my evening out...

Kira