Korean Food: Healthy?

[letunstall@gmail.com]

Interesting article/thread regarding Korean food and it's alleged health benefits: http://caloriecount.about.com/korean-food-ft137914

My opinion: - Feel free to correct me on some things if you are more enlightened on nutritional info  :)

Everyone told me how much weight I would lose when I came to Korea as long as I ate Korean food. Well, I do eat at least one "Korean" meal a day, being the school lunch. I've gained weight since being here a year and I rarely drink alcohol. My digestion is also bad. Now, I realize activity level is a factor, so let me explain myself. I walk and climb a hell of a lot more stairs here than I ever did in America. So, arguably my activity level has increased, so why have I gained weight?

Everyone glorifies kimchi, alluding to fiber, lactic acids, and "good" bacteria. Granted, I do like kimchi, especially kimchi jigae, so I'm not knocking it or critisizing those who want to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, Kimchi has 33 calories a cup, where raw or boiled cabbage only has about 10 calories. Is this low in calories? And what about the sodium content? Sure, other cultures eat fermented foods, such as sour kraut, but are they as good as most people say?


Let's move onto rice. One cup of rice (half the size of a woman's palm) has about 100 calories. Most Koreans I see eat twice that with one meal. Unless it is whole grain, rice does not have much nutritional value. It breaks down into sugar, just like pasta or noodles would.

How about the sauces you seen on various foods, such as the black seedy sauce on tofu? What is the sodium content? And the hidden oils used, let alone how many dishes are fried.

And the soups? Sodium content? Octopus and other bottom feeding types of seafood are mixed in.

Pork? None of my health conscious friends eat pork and it's banned in most other cultures.

Spam and strange "ham" products? It's in many gimbap rolls.

Yes, I know Americans are obese. I'm not suggesting we stuff ou faces with burgers and pizza, but what about grilled chicken and fish and FRESH (not pickled) vegetables and fruits?

[misskris]

I totally wonder about this.
I do not think it is as healthy as Koreans beleive it be,  but more so that their bodies are used to eating it.

I, for one, cannot eat Korean food that often. And Im mainly talking about the rice.
I dont know about anyone else, but eating the amount of rice that everyone else does makes me feel extremely lethargic and BLOATED!  I do not feel like this when eating other carbs, such as pasta for example.
I always bring my own lunch to school (which makes me very interesting to the korean teachers hahah)

I ate the Korean lunch for one winter camp (which was jsut 3 weeks long) and I GAINED weight!  I even tried to eat minimal rice!

Yep, gonna stick to making my own lunch!

[gmosborn]

Number one killer in Korea is stomach cancer...something they are eating is killing them..I was quite surprised it wasn't heart disease or lung cancer the way people smoke here...

[misskris]

Number one killer in Korea is stomach cancer...something they are eating is killing them..I was quite surprised it wasn't heart disease or lung cancer the way people smoke here...

WHAT???? REALLY????  KIMCHI!!!!

[Yu_Bumsuk]

What it seems some westerners fail to realise is that calaries consumed > burned = you put on weight. So, there's the other side of the equation - what are you burning?

Our dormitory students get three meals a day at our cafeteria and if they want something else they can walk ten minutes to Family Mart between dinner and study hall. None of them are obese and only a few are overweight. Something in the above equation must be working for them.

[misskris]

well clearly you have to burn more than you eat.. thats an obvious.
What Im saying is, if I sub in the Korean rice and food into my normally balanced diet and excercise regime (which maintains my current weight) , then I gained.

[wafflebunny]

After coming from the Whale Wonderland that is called America, I have been able to stay thin in Korea. You just have to watch what you eat. Street foods and fried foods and etc are going to add a problem to that. Maybe the stomach cancer is caused by tobacco and excessive drinking. Plus if you minimize the amount og pork and chicken you take in, it can help you too.

I don't know about y'all but I am more concerned about getting big, fat and greasy in America or the UK than in Asia. People move alot in Asia and walk a alot. But trust me, I seen my share of obese Koreans.

[mlcarn]

"Healthy" doesn't necessarily mean "low calorie." Stuff doctors recommend you to eat in Western countries, like nuts and olive oil, are very fatty, but full of healthy nutrients. Also, I wouldn't really get bent out of shape that cup of kimchi is 33 calories. On a 2,000 calorie daily diet, that's basically nothing. Kimchi is considered healthy because it's saturated with tons of vitamin C. But I agree with you that a lot of Korean food probably has a high salt content. I feel like all of the soups and sauces in food I eat at school and restaurants are loaded with salt. When I make Korean soup at home, it never tastes as good, and I think it's because I don't use any salt (besides a little bit of soy sauce.) Also, come on, saying all Americans are fat? I know that somewhere around 50% of the US population is overweight, but still- no need to stereotype.

[Davey]

Interesting article/thread regarding Korean food and it's alleged health benefits: http://caloriecount.about.com/korean-food-ft137914

My opinion: - Feel free to correct me on some things if you are more enlightened on nutritional info  :)

Everyone told me how much weight I would lose when I came to Korea as long as I ate Korean food. Well, I do eat at least one "Korean" meal a day, being the school lunch. I've gained weight since being here a year and I rarely drink alcohol. My digestion is also bad. Now, I realize activity level is a factor, so let me explain myself. I walk and climb a hell of a lot more stairs here than I ever did in America. So, arguably my activity level has increased, so why have I gained weight?

Everyone glorifies kimchi, alluding to fiber, lactic acids, and "good" bacteria. Granted, I do like kimchi, especially kimchi jigae, so I'm not knocking it or critisizing those who want to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, Kimchi has 33 calories a cup, where raw or boiled cabbage only has about 10 calories. Is this low in calories? And what about the sodium content? Sure, other cultures eat fermented foods, such as sour kraut, but are they as good as most people say?


Let's move onto rice. One cup of rice (half the size of a woman's palm) has about 100 calories. Most Koreans I see eat twice that with one meal. Unless it is whole grain, rice does not have much nutritional value. It breaks down into sugar, just like pasta or noodles would.

How about the sauces you seen on various foods, such as the black seedy sauce on tofu? What is the sodium content? And the hidden oils used, let alone how many dishes are fried.

And the soups? Sodium content? Octopus and other bottom feeding types of seafood are mixed in.

Pork? None of my health conscious friends eat pork and it's banned in most other cultures.

Spam and strange "ham" products? It's in many gimbap rolls.

Yes, I know Americans are obese. I'm not suggesting we stuff ou faces with burgers and pizza, but what about grilled chicken and fish and FRESH (not pickled) vegetables and fruits?

kimchi is still quite low in calories and is nutritious. it's a veggie and it's better than not eating veggies at all. but, that doesn't mean there aren't healthier veggies available in korea.

white rice definitely isn't nutritious; what i do is eat more veggies (e.g., kimchi) and eat a lot less rice, sometimes none at all.

the Korean diet isn't perfect, but overall it's still better than the typical Western diet.

but perhaps you gained weight due to your other meals?

IMO, sodium isn't such a big deal as long you exercise and are in a healthy weight range. i admittedly consume a pretty high sodium diet and my blood #s are outstanding. and i'm not an ectomorph where i simply burn all the food i eat; i have to exercise regularly and watch my calories to stay in a healthy weight range. i also supplement with omega-3s.

[constantinople]

We have to look at Korean street/fast/restaurant food and home cooked meals separately.

Home cooked food is always healthier. But is still not that healthy. I used to eat at my ex's mother's house every weekend. It was delicious, for sure, but loaded with salt, fat and carbs.

White rice is not healthy. Salt is not healthy if eaten in large quantities, as is the case in Korea. Fresh vegetables and fruits are rare to find when eating out, and Koreans tend to mostly cook their foods. Sauces and salad dressings are filled with chemicals and processed ingredients.

I don't get why people think Korean food is so healthy! Sure, if you're comparing it to french fries and burgers Korean food is quite healthy, but when you look at it for what it is, not in comparison, it's loaded with a lot of unhealthy ingredients.

[WorkingTitle3484]

Sure I think Korean food is healthy.  It's more often than not natural and devoid of preservatives,artificial flavoring, etc.  However, I do think eating every thing pickled does do a number on your stomach, therefore causing the stomach cancer.

As was mentioned before, I think Korean eating habits are what's keeping every one so fit.  Chopsticks can only allow so much in, they go for a walk after they eat, they munch consistently throughout the day (Round 4 are you kidding!), and they don't wash it down with soda.

Keep in mind, 'healthy' standards completely change depending on the country.  Red meat and cheese is great in the States, but it makes Koreans sick if they eat it all the time.

[vitamin-d]

I get the impression that my colleagues stay thin because lunch at school is their main meal. From what I can tell they hardly cook at home. I've put on weight because I still have a large meal in the evening and now consume a much bigger lunch than I have ever done travelling / living in the UK.

[Davey]

We have to look at Korean street/fast/restaurant food and home cooked meals separately.

Home cooked food is always healthier. But is still not that healthy. I used to eat at my ex's mother's house every weekend. It was delicious, for sure, but loaded with salt, fat and carbs.

White rice is not healthy. Salt is not healthy if eaten in large quantities, as is the case in Korea. Fresh vegetables and fruits are rare to find when eating out, and Koreans tend to mostly cook their foods. Sauces and salad dressings are filled with chemicals and processed ingredients.

I don't get why people think Korean food is so healthy! Sure, if you're comparing it to french fries and burgers Korean food is quite healthy, but when you look at it for what it is, not in comparison, it's loaded with a lot of unhealthy ingredients.

yes, that's true--distinguishing the meals eaten outside and at home. with chinese food, it's similar.

the greasy chinese food you eat at chinatown  isn't how chinese families really eat at  home--the restaurant food is like fast food to them.

they usually eat a variety of steamed veggies, some meat, and some rice at home.

[kevin]

This is very interesting to me as I consider myself to be 'healthy' and in good shape. I found when I first came to Korea a year ago that I was putting on a little weight. I found the reason for this was the Korean need to eat together. By eating every meal together Koreans are forced to eat three huge meals which can be hard on your body if it's not used to the schedule. To combat this I pack healthy snacks (fruits, vegtables, nuts, etc.) snack throughout the day. I still eat with my co workers (Lunch, dinners, etc...) but I eat a lot less at a time. I know this may sound like a pain in the ass but it is worth it.

[JamericanTeacher]

I agree with the OP.  Furthermore, according to my research the fermentation process of the kimchi and other veggies Korean consume produce carcinogents.  Thats right, the stuff found in rat poison and pesticides. 

Kimichi has its benefits, but consume it 3+ times a day, every day of your life and you're begging for stomach cancer as is the #1 cancer here.

So, their overall cancer rate is relatively low, but they have the highest gastric cancer rate in the world.

Bottom line, too much of anything isn't good.  Not even water.

Americans are obese bc we drive everywhere, especially in the south.  When you compare northerners who have public transportation and walk a few blocks to and from the bus stop to the southerner who has to drive 30 minutes to the nearest gym or supermarket, you'll see a big size difference.

[teacherjenni]

I dont know about anyone else, but eating the amount of rice that everyone else does makes me feel extremely lethargic and BLOATED!  I do not feel like this when eating other carbs, such as pasta for example.

Last semester I asked the question why I got so terribly bloated after lunch. I think it was the rice for me too. I ate rice in the States, but usually a brown, long grain rice. I still eat the lunches, but even though I have started eating about half the amount of rice and don't feel quite so bloated, I still feel like killing over for a good hour. Usually all I hear after lunch is "you look so tired!"

One other thing, I think the amount of sodium in the food must be high, but does anyone else get extremely thirsty? I'm parched right now, but only have a bathroom cup size of water that I can refill every-so-often.

[Sara]

What it seems some westerners fail to realise is that calaries consumed > burned = you put on weight. So, there's the other side of the equation - what are you burning?

Our dormitory students get three meals a day at our cafeteria and if they want something else they can walk ten minutes to Family Mart between dinner and study hall. None of them are obese and only a few are overweight. Something in the above equation must be working for them.

I think I read somewhere that Chinese, Korean and Japanese have higher metabolisms than the average Westerner. Even back home in America, it seems like the rate of obesity in east Asians is much lower than in the general public. Let me see if I can find that article...

[Pearl4885]

What is 'healthy' and what is 'un-healthy' is always being debated... that's why the 'diet' industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.

In my personal opinion- yes, Korean food is very healthy. Look around you. Traditional Korean food is natural and a combinations of vegetables, whole grains, spices, and lean protein. Sure there is sodium and sugar in some sauces and seasonings, but if you try to eat a PERFECTLY healthy diet you will probably end up mal-nourished anyway (look up orthorexia). Personally, I think that if the majority of your diet is balanced and composed of mainly whole and unprocessed foods, you can just listen to your hunger cues and you will be fine. If you are eating when you are not physically hungry you will probably gain weight. If you are not eating when your body wants to then you will be hungry but loose weight.

[gifappeltjie]

I have been here for longer than a year. Last year I ate school lunches for the first semester. I gained sooooooo much weight!!!! I also developed some kind of funny stomach problem. I have had it now for about 10 months. My body seems not to digest foods as well anymore. As soon as I went home for 2 weeks, the stomach ache went away, when I got back to Korea, it all just started again. I bring my own lunch to school everyday which consist of a packet of crackers. Can't eat any thing else because then I have severe stomach ache and have to run out of my classes to go to the bathroom. I went to the doctor last week and he gave me some medicine for too much acid if I interpret the Korean right. I have been feeling much better, but as soon as I stop taking the medicine, the stomach ache just returns. I've lost a lot of weight since I have stopped eating at school. I must just add that I'm at an all boys middle school so the lunches are packed with starch and lots of rice. I just think that Asian people are more accustomed to eating rice every day. I don't think they gain weight from eating rice. We are not used to eating it so often, so we gain weight from it. Also, the lack of exercise did not help! 

[vitamin-d]

I must admit, I never suffered from heartburn before coming to Korea.
Now I get it every day. Does anyone else experience this?