The ketogenic, socalled 'low carb' diet (a diet that eats less carbohydrates and more fat) is coming down one step at a time from the top. This is because of the medical community warning about high-fat intake and the increased health awareness after the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Rather than aiming to lose weight unconditionally, it is now more important to lose weight more healthy while maintaining immunity, even if it takes time.
Under the influence of the diet boom through healthy food and the Hallyu craze represented by the idol group BTS, the number of young people who are trying to follow the diet through Korean food eaten by Hallyu stars is increasing. This is the beginning of the so-called 'K-pop diet' or 'K-diet'.
It was 2012, when singer Psy's "Gangnam Style" made it to number two on the US Billboard's "Hot 100" chart. However, recently BTS's number one on the Billboard chart is as if they were ranked on a domestic music program, and they are more accustomed to it than before. Thanks to the rising BTS craze, broadcasts where members make kimchi and photos taken at Korean restaurants are spreading, and the popularity of Korean food is also increasing. This trend is occurring not only in Southeast Asia, but also in the United States. Last year, Forbes, an American economic magazine, selected Korean food as the “hottest food that will lead the United States in 2020,” citing a survey by Yelp, the largest restaurant search and evaluation app in the United States. Yelp said, “The popularity of BTS has contributed to the recent explosive increase in demand for Korean food.”
Moreover, after the COVID19 crisis, media from around the world began to introduce Korean food as a 'healthy food'. As it was reported as a relatively low-calorie healthy food, it was often referred to as a diet diet for this reason. Healthline, an American media, gave a high score of 3 points (out of 5) for the 'short-term weight loss effect' in the 'Korean diet' diet evaluation, but gave it 4 points for the 'long-term weight loss effect' and 'nutrition quality'. In an article titled “Why the Korean food diet loved by Hallyu stars worldwide became a hit,” NBC affiliated U.S. media, Today.com, also analyzed the Korean diet introduced by K-pop stars in an interview. In this article, US bestselling author and well-known nutritionist Kristin Kirkpatrick said, “Korean food is focusing on fermented foods such as kimchi” as an advantage of the 'K-diet' and “whole grains, plant foods, and fermented foods” If you follow the Korean food pattern that emphasizes food, you can lose weight and get help with overall health.” She added, "Korea has a lower obesity rate than the United States."
Nutritionist Christine Kirkpatrick emphasized that it is necessary to understand the basic ingredients of the Korean 'traditional diet' before implementing the 'Kdiet'. Korean food contains variously colored vegetables and vegetable proteins such as tofu and beans along with brown rice or multigrain rice, she explained.
The elements of the Kdiet that foreign media are paying attention to include not only these ingredients, but also fermented foods, which have been attracting attention for gut health after Corona 19. Gut health is a field that has recently become more relevant to diet. Research results (Davis Medical School, Calif., USA) that overeating are caused by a decrease in the function of the appetite suppressing hormone (leptin) when “bad” bacteria in the gut dominate.
In terms of 'nutrition quality' and 'nutrition quality', it was highly evaluated with 4 points. In an article titled “Why the Korean food diet loved by Hallyu stars worldwide became a hit,” NBC affiliated U.S. media, Today.com, also analyzed the Korean diet introduced by K-pop stars in an interview. In this article, US bestselling author and well-known nutritionist Kristin Kirkpatrick said, “Korean food is focusing on fermented foods such as kimchi” as an advantage of the 'Kdiet' and “whole grains, plant foods, and fermented foods” If you follow the Korean food pattern that emphasizes food, you can lose weight and get help with overall health.” She added, "Korea has a lower obesity rate than the United States."
‘Food ingredients, fermented food, recipes’ elements of Korean diet
Nutritionist Christine Kirkpatrick emphasized that it is necessary to understand the basic ingredients of the Korean 'traditional diet' before implementing the 'Kdiet'. He explained that Korean food contains vegetables with various colors along with brown rice or multigrain rice and vegetable proteins such as tofu and beans, which “provide sufficient nutrition for dieters.”
The elements of the Kdiet that foreign media are paying attention to include not only these ingredients, but also fermented foods, which have been attracting attention for gut health after Corona 19. Gut health is a field that has recently become more relevant to diet. Research results (Davis Medical School, Calif., USA) that overeating are caused by a decrease in the function of the appetite suppressing hormone (leptin) when “bad” bacteria in the gut dominate.
Korean food is also different from Western food in ‘recipes’. Traditional Korean food involves more cooking such as steaming or blanching than frying or oily foods. It is a way to cut calories even with the same food. In addition, traditional oils such as sesame oil and perilla oil are ‘good’ oils that are rich in unsaturated fatty acids. On the other hand, butter and lard (pork fat) used in Western cuisine are animal oils and contain a lot of saturated fatty acids and trans fats that are harmful to the body.
It is also advantageous in terms of minimizing processing. Unlike fast food such as hamburgers and bread, traditional Korean food is often cooked at home. This can help you lose weight while reducing the use of sugar, salt, oil and artificial additives.
In fact, the diet effect of Korean food has been scientifically proven. The joint research between the Rural Development Administration and Seoul National University has been published in 'Nutrients (2019)', a renowned overseas nutritional journal. As a result of the 4 week experiment, it was concluded that the Korean diet was more effective for weight loss than the westernized diet, and could help health such as improving total cholesterol levels and increasing beneficial bacteria in the gut.
“Even if it is Korean food, food selection is important”
The Korean food provided in this study consists of two basic components: rice + soup/jjigae + kimchi + side dishes, and is not much different from our daily dining table. Jeon Eunbok, a nutritionist at Global 365mc Daejeon Hospital, said, “Traditional Korean food is a nutritionally balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables, so it is possible to lose weight.
However, even in Korean food, you need to be careful when choosing food. Jeon Eunbok, a nutritionist, pointed out, “It is recommended to reduce the frequency of consumption of foods such as rice cakes, noodles, and tteokbokki, which can quickly raise blood sugar and affect fat synthesis.” Salty foods such as salted fish and crab should also be restricted. This is because salty foods can cause edema and at the same time interfere with dieting through an increase in appetite. A former nutritionist recommended reducing the amount of soy sauce, and introduced that it is healthier to mix mashed nuts and tofu when using ssamjang. He added, “In the case of rice, which is the staple food, eat it with brown rice or multigrain rice, or add mushrooms, radishes, bean sprouts, and chwinamul to the rice to help diet and supplement nutrients.