Is Thai Food Actually Healthy?

[Scully]

I always read these threads and think I am in a different country, yes some of the food is bad for you, not unlike food in the west.

The difference being the amount of fresh fruit people eat here, there is all kinds of wonderful fruit and veg and a snack for a Thai is usually some guava, mango, mandarind etc etc not a packet of crisps( chips for those over the pond.). The west you are usually stuck with only a little more choice than banana's, grapes, apples and oranges, plus the fruit here is so much more tasty.

I might have a little too much fat or salt one day but vary your diet and always take a kilo or two of fruit home from the market, we are spoilt for fruit in this country, enjoy it.

Edited May 10, 2013 by Scully

[Card]

I agree with everything you wrote. As with most national foods, there are good and bad aspects. The basic ingredients of Thai food are very healthy - especially the following:

1. always fresh and unprocessed,

2. incorporation of a variety of coloured veggies and fruits,

3. stir frying, steaming.

4. variety of ingredients,

5. tasty (depends on how it is done, but tasty food does contribute something to healthy food as it enhances the 'joy' factor in life)

Downsides are:

1. Additives - especially the white baddies like you mentioned, MSG, salt and sugar, as well as in seasonings like fish sauce etc.

2. contaminants - especially unknown, unregulated and uncontrolled amounts (even in 'safety chemicals, organic?) of pesticides, faecal bacteria and maybe even droppings). And the dreaded cheap, multiple-used, overheated cooking oils.

3. too much deep frying

4. too much white rice

5. too much meat, especially pork.

So the way forward is to avoid the downsides and enhance the benefits. This can be done by cooking at home, if you can, like I do (my thai partner only uses the best and freshest ingredients, with quick cooking and uses cooking oils once only. Also make sure you wash all fruits and veg in special veggie detergent thoroughly. You might also try to stick as much as possible to fruits and veg that are peelable. Alternatively, avoid street food and try to find restaurants that you know you can trust, if that is possible. Also try to eat only until you are full, as Thais usually do! Oh and avoid all those sugary Thai desserts, if that's possible (mango sticky rice is permissible!)

Edited May 10, 2013 by Card

[CliveWallUK]

I personally eat chicken or duck noodle, I like Som Tam half a pepper in it at
the most, I go to the Talad Sod and eat fresh cooked fish and prawns. I enjoy a lot
of fruit and I go for a Japanese sometimes, the Khlong Toei markets have some
good food, it is just like being in good old Blighty, you can eat crap or eat
sensibly a tin of sardines is more healthy than a big mac, don’t you agree?

It's up to the individual, I would rather eat fruit and cereal in the morning than a
greasy British breakfast, but must admit sometimes I've got to have a bacon
butty with brown source or some beans on toast, which I have cooked sometimes
in the morning. I would like to ask everyone what they crave for, I used to
want some blue cheese and cheese Picklelilly, one of my mates craved for Kippers.

Let’s know what everyone craves for after living in Thailand for years.

Cheers

Clive

[Card]

Real beer is nutritious.

Swimming n beer....that's my diet and I'm fit as a fiddle.

Years ago, I thought mine was until I had a liver check-up with blood tests and ultrasonics - found I had a fatty liver - you should get yours checked before it's too late! Oh and check your cholesterol levels - they zoom up with alcohol. You might like beer but your body hates it and one day it will come right out and say so.

[Gerald14]

If everything fails there is always McDonalds..........Now there is real healthy food for you

[ginglee]

Generally I think Thai food is healthier than western...yes the cheaper places do tend to use poor oil, to much salt & msg....And yes white rice has less nutritional value than brown.....but they use lots of vegetables, and coconut oil- despite being a saturated fat, has so many health benefits....but the main problem with us westerners is that we simply consume to much

[Card]

Considering that Asians have been surviving for centuries with their diet I find it hard to believe that it can be too bad for you. Why do farang males seem to like the slim, trim beauties that Thailand seems to produce. But, when those same Thai women marry farangs and start eating western food they quickly fatten up like us western women on our supposedly "better" diet. .

Nonsense. The OP clearly qualified what he said about comparing western food with asian - read his post again.

[chiangmaibruce]

Considering that Asians have been surviving for centuries with their diet I find it hard to believe that it can be too bad for you. Why do farang males seem to like the slim, trim beauties that Thailand seems to produce. But, when those same Thai women marry farangs and start eating western food they quickly fatten up like us western women on our supposedly "better" diet. .

they haven't eaten for centuries what they eat today. There was ZERO oil, nobody used MSG, sugarcane and palm sugar was the sole source for sweetening. There was no breaded food, no 7/11 chocolates and cakes. There weren't any wheat products, no extra sweet joghurts and no sugar loaden after-school drinks. What you talking about. Thai eating culture has changed rapidly and greatly from what they ate 40 years ago and further back. The "westernization" has brought oil fried, breaded oil loaden sugary foodstuff to Thailand.

Where are the slim thais? They are vanishing, their days are counted. Today you see obese kids and fat women literally everywhere.

a couple of posts have mentioned the growing issue of obesity in Thailand. i am actually just working on a paper on that subject now, and if anyone would like to peruse the draft, you can see it here - any feedback would be welcomed.

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

I'd rather knock back a protein shake with avocado, banana, protein powder and rolled oats and follow it up with a couple of salmon steaks if I wanted more protein

I am sorry, that is not food, that is nutrition.

Its food and its healthy.. never knew rolled oats and salmon steaks were not food.. protein shake.. is nutrition but better as that English breakfast health wise. The guy calling it the artery clog-er was right.

Exercise helps but it can eliminate bad diet completely.

can't?

[Card]

The OP wrote that white rice has no nutritional value. How can that be true? It provide calories needed by your body. Healthy eating is not about the food - but the portions that you take. But it seems the OP would rather have a Big Mac with a Big Gulp.

Before Starbucks, Big Macs, Pizzas and other western food were introduced in Thailand, obesity rates among Thais were low. Twenty years ago, I estimated there were two to three kids out of a hundred that was overweight. Today, that figure is around 30 out of a hundred (just my estimate by the way).

The kind of food available to kids have changed. Before it was Papaya pokpok and Larb. Now its deep fried processed S!@#$T dipped in batter, crepe, fries and other western-influenced snacks. Kids just love it! They they leave school and hit the video games shop. Hmmmmm....

Why do some farangs always think that fat Thais are fat because they eat too much Western food? A correlation between the upsurge of western food in Thailand with increased obesity does not mean a cause and effect. You could equally say it is caused by the upsurge in electronic media or increased use of cars. U ever see schoolkids avoid eating the deep-fried Thai food and sweets outside schools? Or walk home instead of being picked up in air-conditioned luxury? All of this equates with obesity, along with dcreased need to skip a meal or reduce the size of meals that they had to do in the old days.

Edited May 10, 2013 by Card

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

Traditional Thai food is a distinctive cuisine. The term "western food" does not describe a distinctive cuisine and as such you can't make a comparison between them. All food is at it's best when it is subjected to the minimum amount of processing necessary to make it edible. The best rules to observe are the same everywhere in the world. Eat as fresh as possible, don't overindulge, don't make taste the primary reason for selection, eat the widest variety of food that you can and if like me, you are paranoid about what people put into prepared dishes, then cook your own. The people who are interested in food and nutrition are in most cases the ones at least risk. Those who die prematurely through bad diet,obesity and lack of exercise are blissfully unaware of what killed them.

Edited May 10, 2013 by Rajab Al Zarahni

[Card]

Considering that Asians have been surviving for centuries with their diet I find it hard to believe that it can be too bad for you. Why do farang males seem to like the slim, trim beauties that Thailand seems to produce. But, when those same Thai women marry farangs and start eating western food they quickly fatten up like us western women on our supposedly "better" diet. .

they haven't eaten for centuries what they eat today. There was ZERO oil, nobody used MSG, sugarcane and palm sugar was the sole source for sweetening. There was no breaded food, no 7/11 chocolates and cakes. There weren't any wheat products, no extra sweet joghurts and no sugar loaden after-school drinks. What you talking about. Thai eating culture has changed rapidly and greatly from what they ate 40 years ago and further back. The "westernization" has brought oil fried, breaded oil loaden sugary foodstuff to Thailand.

Where are the slim thais? They are vanishing, their days are counted. Today you see obese kids and fat women literally everywhere.

a couple of posts have mentioned the growing issue of obesity in Thailand. i am actually just working on a paper on that subject now, and if anyone would like to peruse the draft, you can see it here - any feedback would be welcomed.

Chiangmaibruce: good overall review of possible causes, but not much on which ones might be or have been shown in other countries to be the most important factors. I also often wonder if there has been any research or consideration of any differences between rural areas and urban areas in Thailand, or between cities in different parts of the country, which may tell you something. Of course, you would expect greater obesity rates in urban areas, but is the difference enough to justify apportioning blame to a cause prevalent in urban areas, eg. western food outlets, lack of exercise opportunities, rather than to a general cause, eg. access to electronic media?

[GuestHouse]

I'm more concerned over the agro-chemicals/agro-pharmaceuticals with which Thai farm produce is drenched than I am over sugar/salt/fat in my food.

It is common practice for Thai farmers to raise two crops - chemical drenched crops for sale and chemical free crops for home consumption.

[robblok]

I am sorry, that is not food, that is nutrition.

Its food and its healthy.. never knew rolled oats and salmon steaks were not food.. protein shake.. is nutrition but better as that English breakfast health wise. The guy calling it the artery clog-er was right.

Exercise helps but it can eliminate bad diet completely.

can't?

That was what i wanted to type my mistake.

[overherebc]

Add the fried mushrooms, baked beans ( for the protein ) maybe even a sausage ( beef of course ) a fried tomato, black pudding has to be fried until crispy by the way and you don't need to eat until late in the day even after your one hour walk with the dog.

By the way this is not a sarcastic reply, I mean it:D

Beef sausage? Crispy Black pudding?

Good god man, what sort of philistine are you?

And what about the fried bread?

Fried bead only at the weekend and of course must be fried in beef dripping. You have to maintain some kind of balance in your diet.

[winstonc]

i went veggie 7 months ago AGAIN,not sure if i feel better,but ,it must be musnt it surely,certainly spending less,i know that,god i found brussel sprouts in central in ubon ,so a veggie roast dinner was consumed,with bubble the next day,glory be to thailand,,,,,,,,

[winstonc]

by the way guys,the wife wont tell you what shes putting in your food shes after that UK pension shes entitled to hahahahahahaha

[Card]

i went veggie 7 months ago AGAIN,not sure if i feel better,but ,it must be musnt it surely,certainly spending less,i know that,god i found brussel sprouts in central in ubon ,so a veggie roast dinner was consumed,with bubble the next day,glory be to thailand,,,,,,,,

They sell good frozen Brussels in Makro

[Berkshire]

Those who die prematurely through bad diet,obesity and lack of exercise are blissfully unaware of what killed them.

People die prematurely from bad diet, do they? Hmmm. I think folks can get a bit paranoid when discussing what is healthy to eat and what's not, especially when conflicting research constantly reveals that so and so food increases the likelihood of so and so cancer. I still haven't got a definitive answer on whether eggs are unhealthy or not. And as far as processed food and the like, unless you own a farm with livestock and can grow all of your own food (without pesticide), then you're SOL. So why sweat it?

My solution is simple: Cover the 4 major food groups, do so in moderation, and exercise. You can minimize your risk for a number of health problems (e.g., heart disease, Alzheimer, prostate cancer, diabetes, etc.) by simply exercising regularly. No amount of pristine produce is going to save you if you simply sit on your a*s all day long. I pretty much eat what I want simply by staying physically active.

[DRONGOH]

Coconut milk ?

nothing better than that!!!

The perfect food.

Ketons.

Just gooogle it.

[DRONGOH]

Those who die prematurely through bad diet,obesity and lack of exercise are blissfully unaware of what killed them.

People die prematurely from bad diet, do they? Hmmm. I think folks can get a bit paranoid when discussing what is healthy to eat and what's not, especially when conflicting research constantly reveals that so and so food increases the likelihood of so and so cancer. I still haven't got a definitive answer on whether eggs are unhealthy or not. And as far as processed food and the like, unless you own a farm with livestock and can grow all of your own food (without pesticide), then you're SOL. So why sweat it?

My solution is simple: Cover the 4 major food groups, do so in moderation, and exercise. You can minimize your risk for a number of health problems (e.g., heart disease, Alzheimer, prostate cancer, diabetes, etc.) by simply exercising regularly. No amount of pristine produce is going to save you if you simply sit on your a*s all day long. I pretty much eat what I want simply by staying physically active.

55555555555555555555555555555!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Card]

Those who die prematurely through bad diet,obesity and lack of exercise are blissfully unaware of what killed them.

People die prematurely from bad diet, do they? Hmmm. I think folks can get a bit paranoid when discussing what is healthy to eat and what's not, especially when conflicting research constantly reveals that so and so food increases the likelihood of so and so cancer. I still haven't got a definitive answer on whether eggs are unhealthy or not. And as far as processed food and the like, unless you own a farm with livestock and can grow all of your own food (without pesticide), then you're SOL. So why sweat it?

My solution is simple: Cover the 4 major food groups, do so in moderation, and exercise. You can minimize your risk for a number of health problems (e.g., heart disease, Alzheimer, prostate cancer, diabetes, etc.) by simply exercising regularly. No amount of pristine produce is going to save you if you simply sit on your a*s all day long. I pretty much eat what I want simply by staying physically active.

55555555555555555555555555555!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what's equally important as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise is health monitoring. it's very easy and cheap in Thailand to get check-ups and blood checks and stress tests for the major ailments and these allow you to modify and measure the results of changes in diet and exercise after each one. I did this a few years ago for my alcohol and sugar intake and apart from stopping smoking a few years ago, was one of the best decisions I have ever made. They showed up some incipient problems with my liver (alcohol), heart (lack of exercise) and cholesterol (alcohol and sugar intake). I remedied all those and am now in excellent health and apparently look 10 years younger. You may feel good but comprehensive check-ups are the only way to see if your body agrees with you.

[Mudcrab]

The OP wrote that white rice has no nutritional value. How can that be true? It provide calories needed by your body. Healthy eating is not about the food - but the portions that you take. But it seems the OP would rather have a Big Mac with a Big Gulp.

Before Starbucks, Big Macs, Pizzas and other western food were introduced in Thailand, obesity rates among Thais were low. Twenty years ago, I estimated there were two to three kids out of a hundred that was overweight. Today, that figure is around 30 out of a hundred (just my estimate by the way).

The kind of food available to kids have changed. Before it was Papaya pokpok and Larb. Now its deep fried processed S!@#$T dipped in batter, crepe, fries and other western-influenced snacks. Kids just love it! They they leave school and hit the video games shop. Hmmmmm....

Agree,

I saw an old video clip of a rock concert in Victoria, Australia taken in the 1970's......not a fatty to be seen. these days however...................

[pattayadingo]

A Thai doctor told me not to eat Thai food. Said it was bad for me. Enough said

[SunsetT]

Coconut milk ?

nothing better than that!!!

The perfect food.

Ketons.

Just gooogle it.

............It is said to be a natural electrolyte.

[Mudcrab]

Edited May 10, 2013 by Mudcrab

[Kitsune]

What you describe is not Thai food.

This is what has become of Thai food because of mass tourism/globalization/loss of own cultural values.

Street/restaurant food is going downhill big time.

Go back to original recipes and stop eating from stalls

[thaicbr]

What you describe is not Thai food.

This is what has become of Thai food because of mass tourism/globalization/loss of own cultural values.

Street/restaurant food is going downhill big time.

Go back to original recipes and stop eating from stalls

Ahhh but who knows the original recipes???

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

[Dr Wanchai]

Isn't everything that's tasty and delicious bad for you.

Definitely not !

If you regularly dine at the Y you'll know wot I mean !!

[Docno]

Research is indicating that coconut milk, flesh, and oil may not be as bad as previously thought: http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2008/09/25/2372372.htm#.UYy3vMr3onk. I read a more recent piece that said that, in India, life-spans are longer in those areas where coconuts are a central part of the diet.

Chilies have good nutritional value as well as medicinal properties: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper#Nutritional_value. There is also evidence that they act as an overall pain killer ... if you have back pain, pop a few chilies. (Of course, the cynical among you will say that you'll be so preoccupied with the pain in your mouth that you'll forget the pain in your back ).

MSG is controversial. I hate the stuff and forbid my gf from using it if she's cooking for me. But she'll otherwise use it like crazy. As far as I'm concerned, Thai food is not a cuisine that needs a leg-up from MSG, anyway.

The big problem is the partially cooked fish (plah la) used in Isaan style som tam, etc ... contains parasites and causes liver and bile duct cancer. See here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/532830-northeastern-thais-found-with-worlds-highest-rate-of-liver-and-bile-duct-cancer/