Healthily Thai Restaurants

[minefield]

I understand from reading different posts the Thia's in general use a lot of Sugar and MSG in there cooking, Not what I would call healthy food.

Is it possible to ask for no sugar and no MSG,?? when ordering a meal and would they take offence, I have also heard that most cook in Palm oil and I have read enough in regards palm oil and how unhealthy it the cause of most Thai health problems

Interested in your comments

Edited November 1, 2009 by minefield

[gotlost]

I understand from reading different posts the Thia's in general use a lot of Sugar and MSG in there cooking, Not what I would call healthy food.

Is it possible to ask for no sugar and no MSG,?? when ordering a meal and would they take offence, I have also heard that most cook in Palm oil and I have read enough in regards palm oil and how unhealthy it the cause of most Thai health problems

Interested in your comments

No sugar. No MSG. No Palm Oil. Why the Thais would not know how to cook You want them to starve?

[IMA_FARANG]

I understand from reading different posts the Thia's in general use a lot of Sugar and MSG in there cooking, Not what I would call healthy food.

Is it possible to ask for no sugar and no MSG,?? when ordering a meal and would they take offence, I have also heard that most cook in Palm oil and I have read enough in regards palm oil and how unhealthy it the cause of most Thai health problems

Interested in your comments

Thai food CAN be cooked without Sugar, MSG, Fatty Oils, etc. Unfortunately it is becoming a lost art nowadays.

My Thai wife has a liver condition and has had a gall bladder operation. She has to eat a regular diet of low fat, low sugar, no MSG, etc. foods that she cooks for herself. She is 60 years old now. Her mother was a cook for a well-off farang family when she was a child, and she learned how to cook from her mother 50 years ago. She uses a lot of vegatables and natural ingredients in her food. I've had some of her chicken stew, and it was great. So good, tasty, and healthy Thai food is possible. (I've actually thought about writing a book of recipies for healthy Thai food...but I'm not sure my wife would be very happy to get involved in that kind of a long term project.)

Unfortunately, you will have a hard time finding that kind of food now. It takes longer to prepare, simmering vegatables and cooking stews rather that simply frying everything in oil. That's why restaurants don't do it now.

The best you can do is search around for Thai/Chinese vegetarian restaurants. They are more likely to take better care with the ingredients and how they cook them. And learn to go with soups, not fried rice and such.

The other choice is to learn to cook yourself.

I have high blood pressure and MSG makes my blood pressure shoot up to dangerous levels. My Thai wife always makes it understood at restaurants that I want no MSG. If your Thai isn't up to it, you probably need someone to translate.

[minefield]

I understand from reading different posts the Thia's in general use a lot of Sugar and MSG in there cooking, Not what I would call healthy food.

Is it possible to ask for no sugar and no MSG,?? when ordering a meal and would they take offence, I have also heard that most cook in Palm oil and I have read enough in regards palm oil and how unhealthy it the cause of most Thai health problems

Interested in your comments

Thai food CAN be cooked without Sugar, MSG, Fatty Oils, etc. Unfortunately it is becoming a lost art nowadays.

My Thai wife has a liver condition and has had a gall bladder operation. She has to eat a regular diet of low fat, low sugar, no MSG, etc. foods that she cooks for herself. She is 60 years old now. Her mother was a cook for a well-off farang family when she was a child, and she learned how to cook from her mother 50 years ago. She uses a lot of vegatables and natural ingredients in her food. I've had some of her chicken stew, and it was great. So good, tasty, and healthy Thai food is possible. (I've actually thought about writing a book of recipies for healthy Thai food...but I'm not sure my wife would be very happy to get involved in that kind of a long term project.)

Unfortunately, you will have a hard time finding that kind of food now. It takes longer to prepare, simmering vegatables and cooking stews rather that simply frying everything in oil. That's why restaurants don't do it now.

The best you can do is search around for Thai/Chinese vegetarian restaurants. They are more likely to take better care with the ingredients and how they cook them. And learn to go with soups, not fried rice and such.

The other choice is to learn to cook yourself.

I have high blood pressure and MSG makes my blood pressure shoot up to dangerous levels. My Thai wife always makes it understood at restaurants that I want no MSG. If your Thai isn't up to it, you probably need someone to translate.

Thats just it, My Wife and I intend to retire in Phuket in the new year when I retire, I'm very fit and healthy now and I want to stay that way, I intend to learn Thai and take Thai cooking lesons, " BUT" It's nice to go out for a meal and the point I was making was if you go out for a meal and say to the waiter , What sort of oil are you useing, "AND NO MSG OR SUGAR PLEASE" What sort of reaction would you get, Because for me if they just looked at me with a dumb expression I would just get up and walk out .

[sabaijai]

There have been several discussion threads on these topics already, have a search for 'glutamate' or 'palm oil' in this subforum.

[minefield]

There have been several discussion threads on these topics already, have a search for 'glutamate' or 'palm oil' in this subforum.

All very well saying that , But a lot changes over time,,, People change , attitudes change and with that so Doe's cooking styles change, The more farange's complain about the Thais unhealthy cooking styles

the faster things and people change,

By your attitude you are stuck in the past

[ColinChapman]

There is the problem that in most retaurants, they will just tell you what you want to hear. I have never been sensitive to MSG in Chinese restaurant food in England, but the Thais must use much greater quantities. It makes me very restless and unable to sleep and gives me a slightly uncomfortable swollen feeling in my stomach. My (Thai) wife suffers the same way. She always asks if they use MSG, but we never know until after we have eaten and returned home whether their response that they don't is true or not.

We also enjoy ponlamai pan made with fresh fruit and not the disgustingly sweet syrup, and have several times been told our drink will be made fresh, only to be delivered something that makes Sunny Delight seem healthy and delicious. This can be spotted at the first sip and sent back, but do check they don't add it to the bill. Over the last few years, more and more places seem to be changing to the syrup, I suppose it's cheaper and easier and the fact it tstes disgusting and loses you two customers doesn't matter.