6 Healthy Dishes you Need to Eat in Thailand
Thai food is one of my favourite cuisines. You’ve probably noticed on my blog that I have a lot of Thai-inspired dishes. (Like my Thai coconut curry tofu.) I love all the bright and vibrant flavours that Thai food has to offer. I’ve traveled to Thailand twice now, and each time I’ve been blown away with every dish I’ve eaten.
While It’s easy to spend your days in Thailand guzzling down buckets of mai-tais and and crepes from the street carts, it’s also easy to find healthy food alternatives. Now I’ll admit, I didn’t stick to the health regime during my last trip, (I mean, YOLO right?) but I tried my best to incorporate as many fresh and healthy dishes as possible into my diet.
It’s important to always find balance in everything you do, and that includes culinary adventures!
Here are my 6 Healthy Dishes you Need to Eat in Thailand:
1. Papaya Salad (“Som Tum”)
Papaya salad is one of my favourite appetizers. It’s made with green papaya, long beans, and some grated carrots. It’s a great way to get in some veggies and vitamins into your Thai meal. (Bonus: It’s always one of the cheapest dishes on the menu!)
2. Tom Yum soup
Tom Yum soup is an all time classic. It’s sweet, sour, tangy, and delicious! It’s a light soup broth-which is great to fill up on bold flavours, without consuming added fats and carbs. It also usually comes filled some delicious veggies! (Check out my recipe for Thai red curry soup)
3. Vegetable Pad Thai
This ones a classic. You can’t visit Thailand without having a pad thai! While some may argue that pad thai isn’t particularly healthy, It’s made with rice noodles that are gluten-free, and a lot lighter than wheat noodles. You can also have this made vegetarian, with lots of veggies & tofu, for a well rounded meal of carbs, fats & protein to keep you going! (Wanna get extra healthy? Pad Thai is made to order, so ask the chef to hold the oil on your order!)
Want Pad Thai for dinner tonight? Try my extra healthy pad thai recipe
4. Mango & Sticky Rice
One of my all time favourite desserts! Now this one has some sugar in it (hey, it’s a dessert after all!) but as far as treats go, I’d say it’s a much better choice than grabbing an ice cream bar from the freezer at the 7/11. Plus the sticky rice will keep you full and the mangos in Thailand are unbeatable!
5. Fresh Juice & smoothies
My daily morning ritual. I’d always grab a smoothie or a fresh juice on the streets. There’s no better way to start the day than with a smoothie loaded with mangos & passionfruit juice! Make sure to ask at the smoothie bar for no added sugar in your drink, (a clear liquid sugar syrup that they add in) trust me, the fruits are sweet enough as is!
6. Fresh coconut
Some days at the beach you’re gonna want to grab a refreshing cocktail. But for those days when you want something a little more healthy, grab a fresh young coconut. This is the best coconut water you’ll ever try. It’s also loaded with electrolytes to keep you hydrated in that Thailand heat. These coconuts are usually served with a spoon, so you can scoop out the coconut meat after your done drinking. (A drink and a snack all in one!)
If you can’t make it out to Thailand, try making some of my favourite Thai recipes right in your kitchen!