Low FODMAP Vietnamese Food Guide: Pho Banh Mi and Spring Rolls with IBS

Low FODMAP Vietnamese Food Guide: Pho, Banh Mi, and Spring Rolls with IBS

By Dr. Onikepe Adegbola, MD PhD — Johns Hopkins-trained physician-scientist and founder of Casa de Sante

Safe Vietnamese Orders

Pho (Rice Noodle Soup)

• ✅ Pho broth base: Traditional pho broth is made by simmering beef bones with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger for hours. The base is naturally low FODMAP. However, most recipes also include onion in the broth — ask if they can prepare without, or accept that the onion is strained out (extracting some fructans into the broth).
• ✅ Rice noodles: Naturally GF and low FODMAP.
• ✅ Protein choices: Rare steak (bo tai), well-done flank (bo chin), chicken (ga), or shrimp are all safe.
• ✅ Toppings: Bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime juice, jalapeño slices. All safe.
• ❌ Hoisin sauce: Contains garlic and wheat. Skip it or use very sparingly.
• ⚠️ Sriracha: Contains garlic. Small amounts may be tolerated; avoid heavy use.

Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

• ⚠️ The bread: Traditional banh mi baguette is wheat-based (fructans). Rice flour is sometimes blended in, making it lighter than standard French bread. One small banh mi has less wheat than a full-size sandwich — may be tolerated.
• ✅ Fillings: Grilled pork (thit nuong), grilled chicken, or pâté. The meats are usually marinated in lemongrass + fish sauce + sugar — generally safe.
• ✅ Vegetables: Pickled daikon and carrot (safe in small amounts), cucumber, cilantro, jalapeño.
• ❌ Avoid: Vegetarian banh mi with tofu (soy varies in FODMAP) and any with sautéed onion.

Spring Rolls

• ✅ Fresh spring rolls (goi cuon): Rice paper wraps filled with shrimp, pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce, and herbs. One of the safest appetizers at any restaurant. The peanut dipping sauce may contain garlic — dip lightly or ask for it without garlic.
• ⚠️ Fried spring rolls (cha gio): Rice paper wrapper (GF) filled with ground pork and vegetables. The filling may contain garlic and onion. Frying adds fat, which some IBS patients are sensitive to.

Rice Plates (Com)

• ✅ Broken rice plates (com tam): Steamed broken rice with grilled pork chop (suon nuong), shredded pork skin, fried egg, and vegetables. The rice and grilled meat are safe. Ask about the marinade — lemongrass-based is ideal.
• ✅ Stir-fried rice (com chien): Fried rice with egg, vegetables, and protein. May contain garlic — ask for preparation with oil only.

Other Dishes

• ✅ Bun (rice vermicelli bowls): Cold rice noodles with grilled meat, fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and nuoc cham (fish sauce dressing). The nuoc cham typically contains garlic — ask for it on the side and use sparingly.
• ⚠️ Bun bo Hue (spicy soup): Rich, spicy broth with thicker rice noodles. Contains lemongrass (safe) but also shallots and chili — more irritating than pho for IBS.
• ✅ Canh (clear soups): Simple clear broths with vegetables and protein. Often very gentle on the stomach.

Home-Cooked Low FODMAP Pho

Broth: 2 lbs beef bones + 2 inches fresh ginger (halved, charred) + 3 star anise + 1 cinnamon stick + 3 cloves + 1 tbsp fish sauce + 1 tsp sugar + salt. Simmer 4-6 hours. Strain. No onion needed — the ginger and spices provide all the aromatic depth.

Assemble: Cook rice noodles according to package. Place in bowl. Add thinly sliced raw beef (it cooks in the hot broth). Ladle boiling broth over. Top with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedge, and jalapeño.