Following a traditional Korean diet focuses primarily on balance and seasonal eating. The Korean culture has focused much attention on the advantages of colorful, seasonal vegetables, as well as using the ratio of eating 70 percent of their diet as carbohydrates, 14 to 17 percent protein and 13 percent fat. This is a very different ratio of macro-nutrient intake than Americans and Europeans tend to enjoy. Pickled vegetables are also a staple food style in the Korean tradition.
Step 1
Eat a staple carbohydrate of short grain rice or noodles at every meal. Create a soup of boiled beef bones with the fat skimmed from the broth. Add seaweed and soybean sprouts to the broth and enjoy the soup with the bowl of rice or noodles.
Step 2
Prepare various side dishes, called banchan. The main banchan is usually beef, pork, chicken or seafood. Soy sauce and bean paste can also be used with the main banchan sides.
Step 3
Add a pickled vegetable to the main rich bowl of soup and the primary meat banchan. Kimchi is a term that represents any number of pickled vegetables, unique to Korean cuisine. The most popular of these is the traditional Napa cabbage variety, made with garlic, chili powder and salted seafood.
Step 4
Fill the rest of the table with a myriad of little seafood options, such as shrimp or oysters and seasonal vegetables. Seasonal vegetables are rich in nutrients and full of flavor, so use vegetables that are in season and as local as possible to ensure optimal nutrient availability.
Tips and Warnings
- Savor the flavors of ginger and honey, which are used frequently in Korea food dishes.
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