What is Korean Food?

 

Korean traditional food is considered one of the simplest and healthiest in the world. There is no division in their cooking into holiday and weekday menus, and all Korean dishes are based on rice, seafood, meat, and vegetables and the combination of these products makes healthy Korean food very popular. This is why Korean girls eat and don’t get fat and can only be envied.

Walking around Korea, you will rarely see overweight people.

Korean celebrities are fit and slim. They work hard, and they need to keep their health and body in good condition. For instance, actress Ha Ji Won thinks they should combine cardio and strength training to achieve a perfect body. But Korean women also have a few more secrets.

 

What is the secret of slimness: genetics, Korean diet foods, or hard work?

 

Baked dishes and vegetables

Korean cuisine is spicy and varied. The main dishes are rice, noodles, soups, and appetizers. Koreans try to minimize the consumption of processed, fatty, or sugary foods and do not use much fat in cooking, preferring baked dishes.

There are a lot of vegetables at the table – their meals are usually rich in fiber, which helps with digestion. Interestingly, Koreans hardly ever eat bread. Also, they do not have a traditional breakfast, but the first meal must be nutritious and nourishing. More often than not, “breakfast” consists of soup and vegetables. They do not overload the stomach and save energy in the body for other important activities.

The Right Sweets

In Korea, chocolate, cakes, and pastries are not popular. Korean women prefer to indulge in fruit or jellies, which don’t contain as much sugar. Let’s not forget that a lot of sweets make you overweight, so following the example of Korean girls, it is better to exclude them from your diet.

Alternative Fast Foods

Fast food is another problem in the fight against excess weight, but Korean women are coping with it perfectly. There are plenty of fast food places in Korea, and they’re popular with young audiences. But there are also healthy alternatives such as kimbap and rice rolls.

 

Eating without dairy

Dairy products of animal origin are available in Korea. You can find kefir, cottage cheese, and cheeses on store shelves, but they are not in much demand.  Eat well in Korean means eliminating dairy products from your diet (at least to a reasonable extent), you can lose a few extra pounds and get clear skin if you are lactose intolerant.

 

Water during meals.

Korean girls drink a lot of water in addition to tea and coffee. This has only positive effects on their beauty, slimness, and health. In general, in various diets, you can often meet the opinion that it is necessary to drink more water. Ideally, non-carbonated water. And Korean women follow this advice. They always have clean drinking water on their tables during meals.

A bicycle instead of a cab

Walking every day is a great benefit for the body. Koreans love to walk around the city. In most cases, it is easier to walk somewhere than to call a cab.

Fitness bracelets and fitness watches are very popular in Korea: they count steps, analyze the distance walked, and determine heart rate. But they also have a well-developed bicycle infrastructure. Almost all over the country, a network of modern bicycle paths has been built. And many people in their free time prefer cycling. It is both interesting and very useful!

 

Bibimbap 비빔밥

Like Korean barbecue, bibimbap is one of the most popular Korean dishes outside the country. It literally means “mixed rice” and refers to a bowl of warm white rice topped with gochujang (Korean chili paste) and various roasted and seasoned vegetables such as cucumber, soybean sprouts, radish, spinach, and mushrooms. Often an egg (raw or fried) and sliced meat, usually beef, are added. The contents are then thoroughly mixed before consumption.

Bibimbap is healthy because it is a low-calorie dish that also provides the body with the necessary level of protein.

There are many varieties of bibimbap, one of the most famous being Jeonju bibimbap. Grandma Yu’s bibimbap is considered one of the most authentic places in Seoul to try Jeonju bibimbap.

Bingsu 빙수

Bingsu is a popular Korean ice dessert. Looking at it, you might think it is a recent creation, but records show that its earliest forms have existed since the Joseon Dynasty. At its core, bingsu consists of shaved ice covered with an endless variety of ingredients such as red beans, sliced fruit, green tea, chocolate, and other sweets. Real healthy Korean food. The most traditional versions always contain red beans and are known as patbingsu. Bingsu refers to more modern versions made without red beans. You will find bingsu stores everywhere, but one of the best and most popular is Sulbing. It’s a chain of bingsu cafes with hundreds of stores all over South Korea.

Gejang 게장

Some people call gejang the perfect healthy Korean food. These are raw crabs marinated in soy sauce. For this, the crabs are thoroughly cleaned and then placed in a clay jug where they are salted for six hours. A marinade of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, green onions, ginger, garlic, and red pepper is boiled for a short time, then poured over the salted crabs. An hour later, the marinade is removed, simmered, and poured over the crabs again in a process that is repeated several times before the dish is cooled and consumed. Eaten with rice, it’s absolutely divine.

Kimchi 김치

Without a doubt, kimchi is healthy Korean dish that is synonymous with Korean cuisine and culture. A staple of Korean cuisine, kimchi is a traditional side dish made from pickled and fermented vegetables-most commonly cabbage and Korean radish-with various seasonings such as chili powder, green onions, garlic, ginger, and jotgal (salted seafood). There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi prepared using various vegetables as the main ingredients. Kimchi is considered the national dish of both North and South Korea. Kimchi is usually served as one of the many banchan side dishes at the beginning of your meal.

Samgyetang 삼계탕

This tender and healing broth is made from young three-month-old chicken stuffed with ginseng, rice, ginkgo Biloba, dates, and chestnuts. Due to its healthy, easily digestible nature, it is recommended for pregnant women and definitely belongs to the healthiest Korean foods. The chicken is served whole and eaten with the soup. This dish is especially popular in winter and before the harvest. Definitely our favorite Korean soup. You will appreciate it when you eat most spicy dishes and your stomach will ask for a break from chili peppers.

Kkori gomtang 꼬리곰탕

This beef tail soup can be eaten even in the middle of the night. In Seoul, there are many restaurants associated with the butcher shop, where after selling the best cuts of meat, many less popular parts of the carcass are left over. Koreans love this warming and strengthening food, especially after a party. it adds strength to the body and helps it recover. Returning home from guests sipping kkori gomtang can even be found right in the morning.

Haemul pajeon 해물파전

 

A rice flour pancake fried in oil with seafood, potato chunks, lots of green onions, leeks, and shallots, sometimes called Korean pizza. Low calorie Korean food is a good idea for breakfast, although Koreans also enjoy eating it with beer.

Nakji bokkeum 낙지볶음

Goulash of crab meat in a sweet chili paste and fermented soy with a small octopus. A spectacular dish, it comes complete with scissors that can effectively slice large chunks of shellfish. The dish is rich in phosphorus, which has a positive effect on the reproductive system, and is considered a healthy Korean food.

Juk 죽

Rice porridge, often eaten for breakfast, and traditionally served to children and the elderly, is one of the best Korean diet foods. It is easy to digest, so it is also part of the diet for the sick. Its varieties are endless, the most popular being: pine nuts, with pumpkin and rice balls, with black sesame paste and snails.

Japche (Stir-fried Glass Noodles) 잡채

Transparent sweet potato noodles. Sliced potatoes with sliced carrots, cucumbers, onions, and mushrooms are fried in aromatic sesame oil and sprinkled with fried sesame seeds. A very nutritious and dietary Korean dish, popular with vegetarians.

 

THE BENEFITS AND HARMS OF KOREAN FOOD

In the world, fans of Korean food are mainly those people who are constantly watching their weight, as this is the food that is considered the most dietary. Traditional Korean dish is based on separate eating, which implies the fact that there is no combination of incompatible foods in the dishes. Korean food contains a lot of healthy fiber and all sorts of spices, which have a beneficial effect on the human body. Korea is one of the last places in the ranking of countries where obesity is rampant [6]. The biggest health problem in Korean cuisine can be found in the generous addition of hot peppers to almost all food. If there are obvious gastrointestinal and cardiovascular abnormalities, it is better not to eat such food.