Winter Diet Foods

Translated from the Korean original.

Winter Diet Foods: Managing Your Weight While Eating Warm Meals

Do you think winter is the enemy of dieting? It is the season when cold weather makes you crave warm food and exercise feels like a chore. But Korean cuisine has plenty of dishes that are warm and filling yet low in calories — ideal for a diet.

1. Doenjang-guk (soybean paste soup) — the classic low-calorie, high-protein dish

Doenjang-guk is Korea’s national health food. One bowl (about 200 ml) has roughly 40–60 kcal, and as a fermented food doenjang provides probiotics, isoflavones and amino acids that strengthen gut health and immunity. A bowl of rice plus doenjang-guk plus vegetable side dishes makes a balanced diet meal of around 400–500 kcal.

2. Konjac tteokbokki — spicy without the calorie worry

Tteokbokki is the food that is hardest to give up in winter. If you use konjac tteok instead of ordinary rice cakes, you can cut the calories by more than 70%. Konjac has almost no calories at 5–10 kcal per 100 g and is rich in dietary fibre, so it keeps you feeling full. Buy konjac tteok at the supermarket, or try the instant diet tteokbokki sold at convenience stores.

3. Chicken breast gukbap and sweet potato

Instead of pork sundae gukbap, choose chicken porridge or chicken gukbap made with chicken breast. Chicken breast is the best diet protein, with 23 g of protein and 110 kcal per 100 g. For a snack, nothing beats a roasted sweet potato. It has a low glycaemic index so it raises blood sugar slowly, and one medium sweet potato (150 g) has about 130 kcal — perfect as a replacement for biscuits and chocolate.

Key principles for a winter diet

• Eat mainly warm food to keep your stomach comfortable
• Use low-calorie soups for both a feeling of fullness and hydration
• Get enough protein from chicken breast, tofu, eggs and the like
• Managing the temptation of late-night delivery food is the crucial part

There is no need to give up dieting just because it is winter. In fact, winter — when your basal metabolic rate rises — can be an opportunity for weight management. Eat well and have a healthy winter! 🥗❄️