Ordering Thai food with less salt and sugar: sodium in noodle soup, what to ask
One bowl of noodle soup holds 1,304-2,862 mg sodium per Thai Department of Health data, against WHO's 2,000 mg a day. How to ask for less sauce, sugar and broth.
- WHO advises adults to keep sodium under 2,000 mg a day, under 5 g of salt. The average Thai intake is about 3,636 mg.
- A 500 g bowl of noodle soup holds 1,304-2,862 mg sodium depending on the kind and the shop. One bowl can use up a whole day.
- What works best: no extra seasoning at the table, leave the broth, and ask for sauces on the side.
- Thailand's Department of Health advises at most 24 g (6 teaspoons) of sugar a day. One normally sweetened iced tea or coffee can pass that.
Many Thai dishes are saltier than they taste. One bowl of noodle soup can come close to, or go past, a whole day’s sodium. You do not have to give up your favourites, just order smarter: no extra seasoning at the table, leave some of the broth, ask for sauces and dips on the side, and order drinks less sweet or unsweetened.
This is general information about ordering, not medical advice. If you have a condition that needs salt or sugar limits, use the figures your doctor or dietitian gives you.
Numbers worth knowing
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended sodium, adults | Under 2,000 mg a day (under 5 g salt) | WHO |
| Sodium per meal | No more than 700 mg | Thai Department of Health |
| Global average intake | 4,278 mg a day (2021) | WHO |
| Average Thai intake | About 3,636 mg a day | 24-hour urine survey, cited by Thailand’s salt-reduction network |
| Recommended sugar | At most 24 g or 6 teaspoons a day | Nutrition Division, Thai Department of Health |
| Free sugars | Under 10% of energy (about 50 g at 2,000 kcal); under 5% brings further benefit | WHO |
WHO notes that sodium comes from processed foods and from condiments such as soy sauce and fish sauce, which are the backbone of Thai cooking.
Sodium in noodle soup
Regional Health Promotion Centre 7 (Khon Kaen) of the Thai Department of Health published sodium ranges for one bowl (500 g) of noodle soup:
| One bowl of noodles | Sodium (mg) |
|---|---|
| Clear broth (nam sai) | 1,406-2,397 |
| Stewed pork or chicken | 1,782-2,072 |
| Nam tok (blood broth) | 2,104-2,316 |
| Tom yum | 1,304-2,862 |
| Yen ta fo (pink broth) | 2,233-2,723 |
The ranges are wide because every shop seasons differently, and they do not include what you add at the table. The department advises avoiding extra seasoning and not drinking the broth down to the bottom of the bowl.
Example: one lunch
Say you order a bowl of clear-broth noodles and add a teaspoon of fish sauce.
- Clear-broth noodles: 1,406-2,397 mg sodium.
- One teaspoon of fish sauce has about 464 mg sodium (Thai Department of Health, Nutrition Division), so the total is 1,870-2,861 mg.
- Against the 700 mg per-meal guide: 1,870 ÷ 700 ≈ 2.7 times, up to 2,861 ÷ 700 ≈ 4.1 times.
- Against the 2,000 mg daily limit: 90% to more than 100% in one meal.
- Skipping the fish sauce cuts about 464 mg straight away. Leaving the broth cuts more, though there is no exact figure, because it depends on each shop’s stock.
No extra seasoning and leaving the broth in the bowl work at every shop, and you do not have to ask anyone.
Phrases to use
| You want | Say | For |
|---|---|---|
| Less salty | “mai khem na” (not salty), “prung on on” (season lightly) | stir-fries, curries, soups |
| Less sauce | “sot noi” (less sauce), “mai sai sot hoi nang rom” (no oyster sauce) | made-to-order stir-fries |
| Dip on the side | “nam jim yaek”, “khor nam pla yaek” | salads, som tam, chicken rice |
| Broth on the side | “yaek nam” | noodles, curries |
| No MSG | “mai sai phong chu rot” | stir-fries, broths |
| Less sweet | “wan noi”, “mai sai nam tan” (no sugar) | som tam, pad thai, drinks |
| Syrup on the side | “khor nam chueam yaek” | tea, coffee, juice |
The point of “on the side” is that you control the amount: dipping uses less than pouring over the whole plate. Ordering noodles with broth on the side, or dry (haeng), also stops you from finishing the broth without noticing. For ordering at a noodle shop in detail, see how to order at a Thai noodle shop.
Sugar, on the plate and in the glass
Many Thai dishes use sugar to balance salt and sour, such as pad thai, som tam, yam salads and dipping sauces. Asking for “wan noi” (less sweet) is normal and most cooks will adjust.
Drinks are the bigger part. Published figures put a normally sweetened tea, coffee or sweet drink at about 40-60 g of sugar per cup. Against the Department of Health’s 24 g a day, one cup is already 1.7 to 2.5 times over. “Less sweet” has no standard meaning; for real control, ask for no sugar or for syrup on the side.
Common mistakes
- Seasoning before tasting. The cook has already seasoned it. Taste first; many dishes need nothing.
- Thinking “not salty” means low sodium. Sweet or spicy broth masks salt. The numbers in the table above are for food that may not taste very salty.
- Cutting salt but adding dip. Dips are made from fish sauce, soy sauce or salt. More dip means more sodium.
- Ordering “less sweet” and assuming that is enough. Some shops’ less sweet is still more than the whole day’s allowance.
- Using general figures instead of your doctor’s. If you have a medical condition, use the figures your doctor sets.
For the seasonings hidden in Thai food from an allergy point of view, see how to eat Thai food safely with a food allergy.
Sources
- Salt reduction — World Health Organization
- Healthy diet — World Health Organization
- Sodium in five popular noodle dishes (Thai) — Regional Health Promotion Centre 7, Thai Department of Health
- Department of Health Nutrition Division: sugar at most 24 g a day (Thai) — Naewna
- Thais average 3,636 mg sodium a day (Thai) — Thansettakij
- Sodium in seasonings per tablespoon and teaspoon (Thai, 2024) — Department of Health, Nutrition Division
FAQ
Does asking for no MSG make the food less salty?
MSG is monosodium glutamate, so it contains sodium, and WHO lists it as a sodium source. But most of the sodium on the plate usually comes from fish sauce, soy sauce, other sauces and broth, so cutting those does more.
How much sodium should someone with high blood pressure or kidney disease have?
This article gives general information for healthy adults. People with conditions such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease or diabetes should ask their doctor or a dietitian; the right figure may differ.
How much sugar is in a drink ordered 'less sweet'?
There is no standard; every shop differs. If you want real control, ask for no sugar or syrup on the side and add it yourself.
Ingredients and heat vary by kitchen and recipe. If you have a food allergy, ask before you order, every time.