A good deal of Vietnamese dishes can be easily mistaken for salads due to the large platters of vegetables along with fruits that come with them. However, there are plenty of health benefits that come along with Vietnamese cuisine. The ingredients tend to be all natural without any additives or any growth chemicals. Being Vietnamese myself, the cooking of Vietnamese cuisine tends to be pretty light and not heavy at all. As a result, it’s hardly greasy most of the time.

To know the health benefits of Vietnamese cuisine, one must be familiar with the ingredients used such as fruits, herbs, spices, and vegetables. Each one of them has their set of health benefits associated.

Durian fruit gives you sugar, vitamin C, potassium, tryptophan, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. But consumption should be minimized due to the high-glycemic index that it possesses. Keep in mind that the fruit itself gives off a pretty bad smell. If you’re into the organic raw food movement, durian fruit is something you may want to try out if you can bare the strong smell it gives off.

Dragonfruit possesses plenty of antioxidants and can be used a substitute for rice. In short, you can get a good amount of fiber. Diabetics should pay close attention to dragonfruit. Other benefits are the prevention of colon cancer and diabetes, helped digestion, and toxin neutralization. For those with a bad cough or asthma, regular consumption helps a lot.

Lychee nuts are very low in calories. This is a very popular fruit in Vietnamese cuisine.

Mangos and Guavas both give off your vitamins: A, B, and C.

Shallots have purposes of aiding digestion, increasing appetite, menstruation regulation, and the relief of the symptoms associated with the cold. This is one herb that should be used often as possible as a health benefit of Vietnamese cuisine.

White basil helps with indigestion and relieves a person of flatulence. If you got a gas problem, add white basil to your cooking. Sweet basil is similar; but, aids in digestion, increases perspiration which helps clenz your body, fighting parasites in the digestive tract, and relieves constipation. Both types of basil should be used. Coriander leaves and roots have the same health benefits as both types of basil.

Lettuce and cabbage are the two most common vegetables in Vietnamese cuisine. Lettuce possesses a good amount of fiber and carbohydrates. They possess the important beta carotene which converts to vitamin A. But, beta carotene is also important for your eyesight.

Cabbage also has high amounts of beta carotene. Consumption of cabbage helps reduce colon cancer.

But the main trick is that these ingredients that make up the various dishes under Vietnamese cuisine are that they are cooked in either water or broth. Oil is hardly used in the cooking which is why there’s hardly any fat or calories present.

The popular soup known as Pho isn’t cooked in oil. It is cooked in broth or water. Pho is a very popular soup amongst the Asian populace. It is also considered one of the healthiest soups in the world. The meat present isn’t cooked in oil either.

Raw spring rolls tend to be healthier than fried spring rolls. They are wrapped with lettuce or rice paper. Rice paper is a long and flat thing made of rice. In a sense, it’s like a rice tortilla. When you add water, the rice paper changes forms quickly.

You can reap the health benefits of Vietnamese cuisine as long as you stay away from fried foods. In a sense, go the raw route and eat things cooked in either water and/or broth.

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