Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Children's eating disorders jump in the U.S.

I mentioned children with "disturbed eating attitudes" in my blog about eating disorders in Korea.

Here's an article from the CBC about children's eating disorders in the U.S. There is also mention of Canada's stats...quite alarming really!

A 2001 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that of 1,739 Ontario schoolgirls aged 12 to 18:

* Twenty-seven per cent said they engaged in bingeing or purging.
* Twenty-three per cent said they were dieting.

* Eight per cent reported self-induced vomiting.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/11/29/eating-disorders-kids-hospitalization.html

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Interview with D - A Korean's take on Western food


For those of you who have been following my blog, you may have noticed that I have mentioned a mysterious “D” in some of my previous posts. D is a young Korean woman who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past year. She has given me huge insight into Korea’s inner workings, (food, teaching, love/sex, plastic surgery…you name it!), and we have become good friends in the meantime!

Here is an interview with her about her view on Western food from the time she spent at University in the United States. I hope you find it as smart and insightful as I did!

Q: How long were you in the United States, and where exactly did you live?

I was in the U.S. for about 2 years, and I lived in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was a really small city.

Q: What did you think of food in the U.S.?

At first, it was just great. Everything was very delicious. I enjoyed it for a while but later it made me fat, and I started to think it was too oily. In Korea, my ordinary meal was just rice with some side dishes, but in the States I had to eat out every time because I was in a dormitory, and every meal was too huge and heavy. I never ate everything at a restaurant. I gained too much weight and so fast, about 8 kilograms.

Q: What was the most surprising thing about American food?

The biggest difference was that the average number of calories in the food was much higher than Korean food. People enjoyed appetizers and desserts. In Korea I eat the meal, mostly vegetables, and usually do not have dessert. The average size of a dish was much bigger than that in Korea.

It is the same with desserts. A cup of ice cream was huge. When I first went to Coldstone, I was surprised that the smallest size of a cup was still too big. It was good the first time, but l started to think like, "Why do people eat that much for no reason?” And for the size of a cup of coffee, the largest size in Korea was “grande”, not “venti”. For me, everything was too much and too big.

Q: What were some other differences between American and Korean food that you noticed?


We do not usually order any drinks in Korea when we eat out. I was surprised that most people had soda or sweet tea during their meal. I think that was one of the reasons that I gained weight.

Also they ate too many fried things. People who control their diet still eat healthily even in the States, but most people eat too much oily food.

One more thing - people in the States eat too much meat. We eat meat sometimes in Korea, but not everyday. I don't think eating meat everyday is a way to be healthy.

Q: Did you eat more American food or Korean food while you were in the U.S.?


I couldn't eat the same as Americans. I was worried that if I kept eating like them, I would suffer from obesity. My body couldn't stand the food that I ate everyday. So I ate subs or salad, or went to Asian restaurants, but the dishes were still huge.

Sometimes I ate Korean food at the only Korean restaurant when I felt sick of eating Western food, but not very often. It was too expensive, because I would compare the price in Korea with the price there.

Q: How about the way of eating, like not sharing your food with other people (something that is common in Korea)? Was that surprising?

It was not that surprising. Since a dish is very big, it could be a good idea for two people to share it, but I knew it was a cultural thing, so I wasn't surprised. In Korea, we do not share food that much like before, especially younger people don't do it that much. But still, we sometimes order food and eat it together - it happens between close friends. Sharing has to be natural in Korea, because we have a lot of foods like big stews that we boil on the table during a meal. I think it's just a cultural difference.

Q: How often do you eat Western food now that you’re back in Korea? What kind of food do you eat?

I'm on a diet now, so I try not to eat Western food except like salad. But before I ate it maybe more than once in a week. They're not original, but I can find Western restaurants everywhere. I liked cheeseburgers and subs. Since the taste of Western food is not the same as what I had there, I sometimes cook for myself things like chicken noodle soup or macaroni and cheese.

I miss cheap hotdogs, buffalo wings, chicken noodle soup at the school cafeteria, burgers at Wendy's (there's no Wendy's in Korea), Chick Fil-a...mostly I can't taste them here.

Q: Anything else to add about your experiences with food in the U.S.?

I think the food in the States is very delicious and I'd like to enjoy it, but it's hard to find healthy options. I prefer Korean food for my everyday meal. It’s just too oily to eat everyday.

Before I went to the States, I couldn't understand the reason why my Western friends said Korean food is very healthy, but I can understand now.


Thank you D! <3

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Rice and diabetes

A follow-up to the blog I wrote about white rice and its link to type 2 diabetes ("Like white on rice")...

This was a study published recently in the Korean Diabetes Journal, where overweight and obese Korean women with type 2 diabetes were given smaller rice bowls than the standard (able to hold around 200 kcal of rice), in an effort to curb carbohydrate intake. Body weight decreased in both the overweight and obese groups, and macronutrient balance was obtained. However, it must be noted that the sample size was relatively small and the study period was short, so further research is needed.

Click here for the full article:

The Effects of Small Sized Rice Bowl on Carbohydrate Intake and Dietary Patterns in Women with Type 2 Diabetes

Another study comparing the small rice bowl diet plan to the conventional meal exchange program in type 2 diabetic women showed that the small rice bowl meal plan was as effective as the meal exchange plan in terms of reduction in body weight and increase in glucose control.

Click here for the full article:

Small Rice Bowl-Based Meal Plan versus Food Exchange-Based Meal Plan for Weight, Glucose and Lipid Control in Obese Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Monday, November 15, 2010

South Korea's luxury cattle a source of national pride

An article from CNN on South Korea's cherished Hanwoo beef.

Watch the video for footage of the massive riots following the lift on U.S. imported beef...I was very surprised at how strongly Koreans feel about the issue!

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/05/southkorea.ilist.beef/index.html

"I have a wife and kids, but these cows are almost the same to me," says farmer Park Young Kil.


Kimchi crisis leaves South Koreans in a pickle

Here's an interesting article, from a month or so ago, about the kimchi crisis in South Korea! Who knew?!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130371965


It really gives you a sense of just how important kimchi is to a traditional Korean diet...

"I don't know how long I can keep ignoring my grandkids' and my husband's demands for kimchi every meal," said Kim Hyung-sook, who lives in northern Seoul. "You're not Korean if you don't eat kimchi three times a day."