Does PHO count as Broth?

fasting
broth
pho
(Carolus Holman) #1

I have been on a 72 hour fast. I call it a BPC (Bullet Proof Coffee) fast, because I do drink coffee with Heavy cream in the morning. I also had some beef broth last night. I have lost about 2 pounds as of this morning (60 hours), I had some PHO this afternoon without any noodles. I may have eaten about 2oz of lean chicken and handful of bean sprouts. I know technically it is not fasting, but I still feel fasted! Does PHO without added stuff count as bone broth? I have had a killer cold, thats why I craved hot soup! :hotsprings:

(What The Fast?!) #2

I gain when I eat soups like pho, even without the noodles
I assume water retention from the sodium but I supplement with salt all the time so not sure what’s up.

(TJ Borden) #3

I’ve never counted it as bone broth, but I do have it for lunch from time to time. I order it without noodles and extra meat (I prefer tendon). I’m a regular at the shop I go to so he also adds a bunch of veggies to it to fill it out since the noodles generally make up most of the volume.

It took trial and error on my part to find a place that I didn’t seem to have a reaction to. As near as I can tell, sugar/startch is added to some broths, and between language barriers and chefs trying to be secretive about their recipes (since the broth IS pho, and can make or break a restaurant), it’s not usually easy to find out if there are added carbs.

(Jo O) #4

Did you make the pho?
Does it gelatinize when cold like bone broth?

Otherwise, no.
FYI sugar is in recipe. So if you are getting it at a restaurant, It will have sugar and probably msg.
AND unless the restaurant is a Vietnamese pho restaurant, the broth probably comes out of a jar.

(Mike W.) #5

Are you fasting for weight loss or shooting for autophagy? Either way, eating anything will break your fast. Clear liquids are your best bet.

(George Hernandez) #6

Pho usually has sugar

(Candy Lind) #7

All the above, especially the sugar warnings, plus 
 maybe when you’re ill is not the best time to fast? :sneezing_face: Get yourself well, and then when you decide to fast you won’t have to worry so much about what counts & what doesn’t. :slightly_smiling_face: Feel better soon!

(Carolus Holman) #8

I got sick while fasting, but i was not hungry anyway. Thanks for the info about the Pho, I couldn’t detect any sugar on my palette, and the restaurant is run by Vietnamese people. Still down a pound anyway! Thanks for the feedback!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

Forgive my ignorance, but what does PHO stand for?

(Rob) #10

It doesn’t. It’s just its Vietnamese name.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #11

Thanks, I’ll Google it.

#12

I’ll echo what has been said here already: PHO HAS TONS OF SUGAR IN IT!!!

(Carolus Holman) #13

I looked at recipes on the internet and the only sugary thing I spotted, was the condiments. Where is the sugar?

(Rob) #14

Pho broth has no sugar in it if you don’t add the noodles which is what the OP was asking.

#15

Pho broth has tons of sugar in it. I’ve asked at maybe 5-10 pho places in the Seattle area and they all say they put sugar in the broth.

The OP asked if pho broth counts as bone broth, the answer is a resounding “no”. Aside from the added sugar debate the broth has onions and sometimes carrots which adds a fair amount of carbs also. Drink some and do a blood glucose test after a few hours, I’ve done it. It put me well into the 100’s when I’m never usually over about 90 after a meal.

#16

I had never heard of PHO. Link for PHO article in Wikipedia:

(TJ Borden) #17

What the Pho? (Couldn’t resist). Like @Rian said, most pho places in the US add sugar. If you find a place that doesn’t, it’s worth a dry. Pho is DELICIOUS. Especially with tendon, tripe, and other
not so typical meat parts. You could also make it. If you’re used to making bone broth, you’re almost there.

(Rob) #18

A Vietnamese chef on reddit estimated about 100g of carbs in 75qts between soup base powder and rock sugar in a ‘standard recipe’. That isn’t much per bowl. I’m sure it varies between restaurants as do individual’s reactions to it.

#19

I’d believe that for the traditional preparation, unfortunately it’s been Americanized like many other things. I’m not saying it’s going to be as bad as a slice of bread but pho broth is not the same as bone broth. The bone broth that people like Fung approve in small amounts during a fast is made from bones and water, salt and spices. Not carrots and onions and sugar. That’s all I’m saying.

(Carolus Holman) #20

Well this has given me plenty to go on, I agree that Pho can be prepared a multitude of ways. We have some very Traditional Pho shops in Garland Texas, some without english menus! The Pho is definitely different. I will probably avoid while fasting, but I did not notice a spike in Blood Sugar last time I had it. This proves SUGAR is insidious and is hiding everywhere! Thanks for everyone’s input!