Asian food?

[taragettingthin]

Are there any Asians here in 20-Something group?
I'm visiting Korea in 5 months and it's been over 4 years! Their food is very high in sodium and I'm already worried on how to handle the diet while I'm there. My parents have some workout machine so I will be doing that a lot during the 2 wks I'm there.. (unless they got rid of it in past 4 years. lol) I'm just worried about the food because I AM a Korean, haven't had true Korean food for last 4 years and there are so many stuff I have been missing that I KNOW I'm going to get to. So I'm already in between and

Any ideas?

[orthodiva]

My family is Indian and growing up the joke always was that visiting relatives in India was a sure-fire way to come back skinnier. Our American stomachs couldn't handle eating normal stuff over there and so you ate way less and ate only simple foods cooked at relatives homes. If you got stomach problems then hello accelerated weight-loss! Ok, so that wasn't such a healthy way to drop some pounds. I would imagine that Korea is a much more walk-friends society. Maybe to balance the good food you're craving, you can go out and walk a lot with your family and daughter? Portion control as always to keep from overeating, but I would just concentrate on not gaining while you get to indulge in those traditional foods that are hard to come by in the US. Hit the weight-loss plan hard core before you leave and when you get back.

[taragettingthin]

Thank you ortho. I totally forgot about the walk-friendly society. =) I will be walking a lot and using more public transportation. I def will be walking more! I have no problem with portion control with any other food, but whenever I eat Korean food, especially those spicy ones.. oh dear...I just can't get myself to stop. Since I still have about 5 months to "practice," I really will have to pay attention to the portion control, especially when I'm eating Korean food so that I have no problem when I get there.
Thanks again! =)

[gastronome]

I am not Korean but I'm Chinese... Usually the foods they serve there are pretty low fat and have a lot of veggies so you do end up losing weight along with the fact that you have to walk everywhere. There is this one Korean dish I love to eat when I eat at Korean places called bi bim bap. Since you're Korean you must know this...just veggies and meat stirfried with some noodles served over rice. Man did I wolf down that stuff when I was pregnant!!! I also loved the fresh kimchee at this one restaurant. It wasn't overly spicy like some kimchees. It was so good I ate just bowls of that stuff. Way little calories if you like this stuff. Anyway, I'm sure there are also soupy items you can eat like noodle soups or even tofu dishes if you like them. Most of my experience with Korean foods have been in restaurants here during my pregnancy (cravings) and even then I considered them to be pretty healthy. I always ordered some sort of hot pot which is kind of like a stew that they serve in a super hot vessel and eaten with rice. I never had foods swimming in oil or had any digestive issues after eating them (like I do with any high fat foods).

Also wanted to add about the hot pots (not sure that's what they're called) but they were always soooo boiling hot that it was impossible to eat and I always filled up on some sort of salad before being able to eat it. I would pour some in a separate bowl to let it cool, eat salad and then eat the little bit of my dish that was cool enough to eat and repeat. The sheer hotness from the dish prevents me from eating too fast and I usually get full on less food. Maybe you can try to use a similar tactic?

[orthodiva]

Here's one other thing that's worked for me that might also apply to you. Lots of white rice in Asian diets, as you know. When I hit the Indian buffet now with my friends or eat traditional foods when I go home, I've drastically cut back on the amount of white rice I eat. White rice is nothing special so cutting back on it leaves room for calories in much more interesting dishes. I still take a little bit (mabye 1/2 to 3/4 cup cooked) to get the texture with the dishes that require rice, but nothing like before where I would go through copious amounts of rice (2+ cups cooked) mixing it with every vegetable, stirring it in with every gravy, etc.

[taragettingthin]

I remember my mom cooking brown or mixed grain rice before I left Korea. But my dad and brother prefer white rice, so I think she might have stopped cooking them. I may have her get some brown or mixed grain ones while I'm there so I don't eat that much white rice, at least while eating at home.
Also, you are right, gastronome. Korean dish does have a lot of veggies... Bi bim bap is one of my fav Korean dish, but it actually has about 500-600 cal...but I think if the amount of rice was less, it would go way down.
I still got 5 months left and feel like I'm leaving tomorrow. heh =)
Thanks for all the advice!!

[orthodiva]

I'm excited for you too! It's totally something to look forward to and a great goal to keep you motivated. The co-worker whose desk is right next to mine is from Korea so he talks about it. He is always on the phone and talking in Korean, and we've picked up on his greeting and mannerisms and find it very charming.