Korean Food: Healthy?

[anthonybrooks]

The original poster said it very well.

I think some side dishes are healthy & kimchi is ok in moderation.

My real anger is sam gup sal!  That is just filth, by name is it is unhealthy.

sam gup sal - 3 layers

3 layers of fat greasy crap that even the shoddiest restaraunt would not serve in UK or Canada etc.

That crap is a pure disgrace & I despise it.  It is the most unhealthy national dish in the World.  I may sound extreme but look at it next time, the amount of fat that comes out & the stench!  I have eaten it many times but now I refuse any pork barbeque here, mok sal - all of it is cheap crap.


Raw tuna (hui) on the other hand is something I think is healthy in moderation.

whoa whoa whoa. let's all take the chill pill here and know what we're talking about before talking about it.
So bacon is also a filthy dish to you too? Both bacon and samgiyopsal come from the pork belly, which in French AND Canadian cuisine is considered fine dinining if you did a little research.
The animal fat in these dishes is unporcessed, delicious and in no way harmful to anyone's health in moderation. The animal fat is also what gives it taste.

The packaged grocery bacon from back home is worse, because it IS processed and salted, probably comes from dozens of different pigs and treated in ways noone know about.

Well said Sophia !!   I couldn't agree more,  that lost500 guy doesn't make a lot of sense.

[beccaraella]

The original poster said it very well.

I think some side dishes are healthy & kimchi is ok in moderation.

My real anger is sam gup sal!  That is just filth, by name is it is unhealthy.

sam gup sal - 3 layers

3 layers of fat greasy crap that even the shoddiest restaraunt would not serve in UK or Canada etc.

That crap is a pure disgrace & I despise it.  It is the most unhealthy national dish in the World.  I may sound extreme but look at it next time, the amount of fat that comes out & the stench!  I have eaten it many times but now I refuse any pork barbeque here, mok sal - all of it is cheap crap.


Raw tuna (hui) on the other hand is something I think is healthy in moderation.

whoa whoa whoa. let's all take the chill pill here and know what we're talking about before talking about it.
So bacon is also a filthy dish to you too? Both bacon and samgiyopsal come from the pork belly, which in French AND Canadian cuisine is considered fine dinining if you did a little research.
The animal fat in these dishes is unporcessed, delicious and in no way harmful to anyone's health in moderation. The animal fat is also what gives it taste.

The packaged grocery bacon from back home is worse, because it IS processed and salted, probably comes from dozens of different pigs and treated in ways noone know about.

tru dat.

[salabbe]

BIG MAC FROM A CANADIAN MCDONALDS

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 sandwich / 269g

Amount per Serving
Calories 700 Calories from Fat 351
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 39g 60% Saturated Fat 17g 85%
Cholesterol 120mg 40%
Sodium 1520mg 63%
Total Carbohydrate 45g 15%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 8g   
Protein 40g 80%
Vitamin A15%
Vitamin C2%
Calcium30%
Iron45%
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 50.1% Carbs 25.7%
Protein 22.9%

...and with a coke and fries...

McDonald's Coke (medium) Cal: 210 Fat: 0g Carbs: 58g
Fries - Large-Sized --> Cal: 550 Fat: 26g Carbs: 71g Protein: 6g

I'm no math teacher but that looks to me to be about 65 g of fat and about 1460 calories.

Compare that with this...

KOREAN BBQ

갈비구이
Galbi Gu-i: Grilled marinated beef.
254 g=566 kcal
9.91 g carbs 39.62 g protein 38.99 g fat

돼지갈비찜
Dwaeji Galbi Jjim: Grilled pork marinated in galbi sauce.
133.5 g=187 kcal
11.69 g carbs 13.09 g protein 9.56 g fat

삼겹살구이
Samgyeopsal Gu-i: Grilled pork (fresh bacon).
201.5 g=671 kcal
0 g carbs 35.23 g protein 57.41 g fat.

I'm not trying to say that Samgyeopsal is the most healthy food or that Mcdonald's should be some kind of benchmark for a Western diet. Quoting McDonald's as representative of all Western food is about as fair as quoting  Samgyeopsal as representative of all Korean food. Just eat healthy and in moderation and take it easy. However, even in this extreme example, it looks like Samgyeopsal wins out.

This is where I got this information:

http://www.seouleats.com/2008/08/how-many-calories-are-in-soju-rice.html
http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/mcdonalds-canada/


ps. I think salt is one area you have to watch out for. Historically having a lack of vegetables in the winter, we all know the amount of pickling that goes on here. Delicious but it can be high in sodium.

Beverages:

막걸리
Makgeolli: Fermented rice liquor.
150 g=69 kcal
0 g carbs 0 g protein 0 g fat

생맥주
Saeng Maekju:Draft beer, domestic (serving size is one 500cc glass).
500 g=190 kcal
0 g carbs 0 g protein 0 g fat

소주
Soju: Clear rice spirits (serving size is one shotglass).
45 g=64 kcal
0 g carbs 0 g protein 0 g fat


Moral of the story: DRINK MORE MAKGOELLI!

[grajoker]

i was literally served grass with a meal and asked why  co- teacher simply said it was well-being food!

[eveliens]

i was literally served grass with a meal and asked why  co- teacher simply said it was well-being food!

That was me and the pine needles 

[adriansergiusz]

Just a little TED talk that discusses some diets with regards to western diet (American). Watch till the end (it's only 3 1/2 min) and he mentions the Asian diet  prevents and reverses cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Now ...I realize 'Asian diet' and food is broad but Korea does fall into this.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dean_ornish_on_the_world_s_killer_diet.html

Also interesting how he mentions Asian's are starting to eat like Americans, and now die like Americans.

Have you heard of Michael Pollan? Some great tedtalk presentations and his book "In defense of food" also really good

I think what is contributing to a great deal with high sodium levels and increase unhealthy eating out is the growing "westernized" diet of western fast food joints, the instant noodle consumption doesn't help either (ex Ramyeun) lol

Some traditional foods are great and its consumption can be seen in the reason for Korea and Japan leading the world in lowest obesity rates.

[Cal]

Where can I guy artificial sweetener in Seoul?  (not by mail)  Thanks!

[WorkingTitle3484]

Today for lunch, we had a new deep-fried 'meat'.  After a few tasty bites, I asked my teacher if it was pork, and he told me he didn't know.  He asked the other teachers, 3 or 4 of them, and came back to me with an enlightened, excited look.  He looked at his phone and told me, 'It is squirrel.'.  Shocked, more so for the fact that Korea has squirrels, I ask him again, 'Squirrel?'  'Yes, Squirrel.'  'Oh, OK...'  After this, he seemed to have noticed my slightly perturbed aura, and tells me, 'No, it's not squirrel.  It's pork'

But, aside from this, I still think Korean food is healthy, even if their squirrels are delicious.

[dpsmith]

it doesnt do your argument any justice to compare a mcdonalds meal to a korean barbecue. compare apples to apples. western foods are of better quality and nutritional value than korean. hands down. but dont forget to compare apples to apples!

[#basedcowboyshirt]

western foods are of better quality and nutritional value than korean. hands down.

Please tell me this is trolling.
There is nothing 'hands down' about your argument, whatsoever.

[AcidTeacher]

Here's my two cents:    I like some of the non-spicy items of Korean cuisine, but I still have issues with the some of the pickled vegetables.   At my first teaching job in Korea, I would bring my own lunch (read: leftovers from dinners made at home).   I would usually bring brown rice, stir-fried vegetables, pan-fried tofu (mandu) and dessert.   At my current teaching job, I bring snacks (chopped apples or homemade blueberry crisp) to munch on.   Since the lunches at my current job taste better (on the average) than at my previous job, I only bring brown rice and eat what's being served for lunch.   

While I'm building a tolerance for kojujang, I seriously doubt I'll be able to eat regular kimchí.     Moderation's the key to everything.   I find doing pilates (mat exercises and the Reformer), hiking and lots of walking helps burn calories.

[Kelooki]

Where can I guy artificial sweetener in Seoul?  (not by mail)  Thanks!

SmMart - in the coffee aisle with the cubed sugar. I got some in a light blue bag, says 0Kcal on it so shouldn't be too hard to find.

[EPSK]

the instant noodle consumption doesn't help either (ex Ramyeun) lol

I'm glad someone mentioned ramyeun. I won't lie, Shin Ramyeun every now and then is delicious, but you pretty much feel like you've downed an entire shaker of salt. I asked one of the male teacher's at my school once, "What is your favorite food? If you could have any food in the whole world right now, what would it be?" He didn't even hesitate and said, "Ramyeun because it is so delicious and easy!" The instant noodle section of any store in Korea is mindblowing.

[confusedsafferinkorea]

Where can I guy artificial sweetener in Seoul?  (not by mail)  Thanks!

SmMart - in the coffee aisle with the cubed sugar. I got some in a light blue bag, says 0Kcal on it so shouldn't be too hard to find.

Type 'sweet poison' in Google and read what it says and I guarantee you won't use artificial sweetener again. It is cancer in a tablet !!!

[Morticae]

It is cancer in a tablet !!!

I disagree, and the research trying to peddle that assertion is junk science. BUT, we're all entitled to our opinions! I don't think any processed sugar is a good thing, real cane sugar or artificial, doesn't really matter IMO... but it's OK every now and then.

[siamagoo]

I think what is contributing to a great deal with high sodium levels and increase unhealthy eating out is the growing "westernized" diet of western fast food joints, the instant noodle consumption doesn't help either (ex Ramyeun) lol

I'll second the quotation marks around "westernized". The western food here is not the healthy kitchen-cooked half of my food culture, but the unhealthy packaged snack food half. One of my students has a lollipop every morning for breakfast (!?!). Are lollipops western? Yes. She would be better eating the Korean kimchi and rice, but she would also be better eating the Western oatmeal with a side of grapefruit. I have yet to find oatmeal or grapefruits here in Korea.

[joseph921]

As with any other industrialized nation, everything is becoming "processed" in factories and therefore, moving away from the natural and fresh.   Korea, like America and other western nations are so saturated with processed foods loaded with msg and other chemicals to fool your brain into thinking you are eating delicious food when in fact it's 'dead' food. 

It is a shocking statistic that more than 1 out of every 4 americans will have cancer, 2 of 3 are obese, and 1 out of 3 deaths are caused by heart disease.  There are plenty of healthy foods in America, but there are even more unhealthy foods.   Unfortunately, because East Asian countries like Korea and Japan have adopted the food processing practices and diets of America, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease is rapidly increasing where 50 years ago they almost a non-issue.   

Look up on youtube the effects of MSG, and also Jamie Oliver's food revolution.   While back home in Canada, I love my oatmeal, blueberries, shredded wheat, and stuff like that and Korea has its soybean, tofu, garlic, cabbage, roots and herbs too.   It's more a matter of what you choose to eat and how much of it these days then what country you live in and their foods.

[EPSK]

I've purchased both grapefruit and oatmeal in Korea. Homeplus for grapefruit and Costco for oatmeal. They also make a Koreanized version of oatmeal.

[gilbert.a.h]

I think what is contributing to a great deal with high sodium levels and increase unhealthy eating out is the growing "westernized" diet of western fast food joints, the instant noodle consumption doesn't help either (ex Ramyeun) lol

I'll second the quotation marks around "westernized". The western food here is not the healthy kitchen-cooked half of my food culture, but the unhealthy packaged snack food half. One of my students has a lollipop every morning for breakfast (!?!). Are lollipops western? Yes. She would be better eating the Korean kimchi and rice, but she would also be better eating the Western oatmeal with a side of grapefruit. I have yet to find oatmeal or grapefruits here in Korea.

Most of my elementary school students at my previous school ate choco pies for breakfast...

But as for grapefruits, they are everywhere. Oatmeal is at costco. You should also be able to get it from Home Plus cause the one I live next to has it.

[Morticae]

It is a shocking statistic that more than 1 out of every 4 americans will have cancer, 2 of 3 are obese, and 1 out of 3 deaths are caused by heart disease.

It is an even more shocking statistic that they use the junk science of BMI to determine these useless statistics, instead of something that actually matters, like body fat percentage.

No doubt there are fat people a plenty, but I have a problem with their [statisticians and agencies who collect this information] measurements based solely on "weight" and not the composition of that said weight, nor any other factors that are clearly relevant should you actually be interested in determining the health of your weight.