***Need Suggestions/Going to S. Korea & need food advice

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d_llopez
d_llopez Posts: 167 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been eating at home and in a little over mth i'll be going on vacation for a week to Sth Korea. I know i will eat a lot of dishes that aren't on here. Not sure how i go about selecting foods when i'm out and about. I will take snacks w/me but i know we will be going out to eat most of the time.

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Replies

  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Stick to whole foods if possible. If you know the ingredients try to guess the portion and content for each meal.

    Also, don't stress...enjoy your vacation! Korean food is so tasty! If you put on a few pounds while you're there, it'll balance out after a week or two of being home and back in your normal routine.
  • ranjant
    ranjant Posts: 33
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    now worries I been to S Korea all the food there is healthy, mainly tofu dishes and lots of kimchi and vegetables! You may end up losing weight during your vacation everything there is walk walk walk.
  • ang364
    ang364 Posts: 5 Member
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    I lived in Korea for a year and a half. The food is really healthy - just beware of all the rice :) You'll have lots of options and since many things are served with lots of side dishes you can choose carefully what you eat. There are fruits and vegetables for sale all over the place. Walk lots and enjoy your trip!
  • catemar
    catemar Posts: 3
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    oh you are making me hungry. Yummy food, primarily veg - so you are in luck. Just easy on the white rice and meat with sugar in sauce...Delicious food. Have a great trip. Tofu, veg, broth, pickle (kimchee) tea, fish, grilled anything except maybe bbq stuff that has sugar in marinade...
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Avoid LA galbi if you can. Those are very very tasty, but one strip of LA galbi packs a surprising load of calorie and fat for such a small amount of food.

    I'd also avoid things like ttukbokki/ 떡볶이 (carbs carbs carbs)... The add-ons aren't healthy either (fried ramen noodles, fried dumplings, sauteed faux fish meat, etc).

    Otherwise, I think you'll be safe! I heartily recommend dolsot bibimbab/ 돌솥비빔밥 with bulgogi. Tofu dishes are also great. Another thing, the Pizza Huts in Korea are a lot better than their American counterparts.
  • live4turns
    live4turns Posts: 314 Member
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    Korean food is generally healthy, aside from the sodium. Most dishes are made with vegetables. Also, food is usually boiled into some soup (jjigae) or grilled. Frying is rare. For meat: try to stay away from the "samgyupsal" (pork belly) and stick with red mean (very expensive though)...fish is always fresh in Korea so you could go that route. If you are drinking stick with the SOJU and away from the beer.
    Overall though Korean food is healthy...If you take a look around, you will rarely find an overweight person in Korea.

    You are only there for a week so I wouldn't worry so much. It's a vacation! Relax and enjoy it! I also agree with ranjant RE walking and losing weight. If you are going to Seoul you will likely be walking and taking the metro most of the time so you will be burning whatever you eat. BTW almost every metro station requires walking up and down LOTS OF STEPS because they are very deep underground so there's another workout for ya.

    Enjoy the food and your vacation!!! I soooo envy you!
  • pixiestick
    pixiestick Posts: 839 Member
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    Be aware of the fatty pork... they like to stick it in a lot of dishes.

    And with all the salt, drink LOTS of water.
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
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    Also, look up some sample foods you may be expecting on MFP beforehand. I buy a ton of food from a local Japanese market, and I was shocked by how many Japanese-only products were already listed here! (I know Japanese food is more mainstream in the US than Korean food, but still I was really impressed!)
  • d_llopez
    d_llopez Posts: 167 Member
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    Thanks for listing some of the foods to stay away from. I'm half Korean and i've been raised to eat primarily Korean foods. Being here in Japan i try not to eat sushi so much because of how much rice ill consume. I'll think i'll try to stay away from their sweet rice cakes and pork. Fish is a really good idea. Thanks for helping. Gotta plan all this out. I haven't been back since i was little so i am excited but hesitant.

    Thanks again!
  • jady121584
    jady121584 Posts: 48 Member
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    I am living in Korea now. One thing that has saved me is that at the grocery store, All the packaged foods have labels that say how many calories are in the whole container as well as each serving- so you don't have to do the math. It'll be labeled as Kcals.

    I noticed there are a lot of Korean foods already in the MFP database though so you might luck out.

    The markets will be full of fresh food that you can have.

    They also have a bunch of green tea flavored products here. Sweet potato is also a flavor that's really popular, also. If you find yourself in the Yongsan train station, check out a store there on the 3rd floor (the floor where you can buy train tickets) that specializes in products either made of green tea or flavored with green tea. It's one store over from the burger joint, Lotteria.

    I second what most people have been saying- Have fun on your trip- And don't forget to count log the soju (korean alcohol) that will inevitably be forced upon you!

    :smile: :drinker: :heart:
  • d_llopez
    d_llopez Posts: 167 Member
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    I've been eating at home and in a little over mth i'll be going on vacation for a week to Sth Korea. I know i will eat a lot of dishes that aren't on here. Not sure how i go about selecting foods when i'm out and about. I will take snacks w/me but i know we will be going out to eat most of the time.

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