Hello from South Korea!

ihateroses

Hi everyone!

I am currently on month 2 of a brand spankin new healthy lifestyle. I've decided that I need a support system so here I am! Right now my biggest challenge is food because I have been living in South Korea for 6 months and usually have trouble figuring out what is healthy and what is not (shout-out to any helpful native Koreans out there that can help me with that). Other than that I have no problem being active (hiking, walking, biking...no shortage of that here).

So that's me, I'll probably be sticking my nose around the boards because it helps to motivate me. Feel free to add me/message/chat.

-Rina

ahrtemis

Lucky you! I just got back from a 5month stay in Korea not that long ago for study abroad and cannot wait until I get another chance to go back. Korean food is amazing in terms of both taste and health. As an ethnically Korean myself, I grew up with a mom who always swore by the "health benefits of kimchi!" I'm not sure how right she is, but I do think Korean food for the most part is fairly healthy; we love our all-veggie side dishes, whole-grain/barley rice, and green tea everything! If possible, try experiencing the really authentic Korean food that usually comes with rice, sometimes some type of soup, and lots of veggie side-dishes; these meals are very portioned and come super balanced. The only thing to watch out for is the street food. Since its so cheap and readily available, it's really easy to get sucked into the cycle of eating out at these vendors late at night (my friends and I were notorious of this) This may also be no big surprise, but all the coffee shops and bakeries should be avoided. Again, my friends and I would spend hours at these cafes and consume way more sugar than necessary. Remember, everything in moderation.

(Just on a side note, the best workout I ever got was spending a couple hours at a "noraebang" or karaeoking. You'll be surprised by how many calories you burn, belting out your favorite tunes! ^^)

ihateroses

I definitely know what you mean about the street food! Its so tempting, especially on a night out. And everyone really does swear by kimchi here haha ("oh are you sick? you should eat more kimchi!").

Never thought of noraebang as a workout but it makes sense, especially if you add a dance number in hahaha.

Thanks for the advice! I'll be looking for that barley rice.

dennisroc

Hello,i live in South Korea also and love the food,sum guip sa,spell check is one of my favorites.Bacon,rice,kimchi,sprouts all rapped up in a lettuce leaf along with a bowl of soup. I go easy on the bacon and rice though.