Delivery Food While Dieting: What Can You Still Eat?

Hello, I am Choi Yeon-seung, the Head Director of Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

"As a dual-income couple, it's hard to cook at home every day. But I worry about gaining weight if we order delivery too often. Are there any less harmful options?"

If you're on a diet, it's best to limit your consumption of delivery food. This is because most of them are high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sodium, which can hinder weight loss. However, sometimes busy daily life makes ordering unavoidable. In such cases, it's wise to choose menu items that have fewer detrimental effects.

First, we recommend stews or soups.

Korean dishes like Kimchi jjigae, Doenjang jjigae, or Maeuntang (spicy fish stew) are good choices. The broth helps lower calories, and adding plenty of various vegetables helps balance nutrients. However, make sure the broth isn't too salty, and it's better to get protein from sources like beans or fish rather than meat.

Second, try utilizing salads.

Salads, rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, are ideal for dieting as they provide satiety while being low in calories. You can boost their nutritional value with protein sources like chicken breast or salmon, and nuts and seeds. However, it's best to avoid menu items with high-calorie dressings like Caesar or mango salad dressing.

Third, choose rice bowls over fried rice.

Fried rice often contains rice stir-fried in oil and various high-calorie ingredients, making it easy to gain weight. In contrast, rice bowls topped with fresh sashimi or vegetables over multi-grain rice can be a relatively healthier choice. Seasoning with soy sauce or wasabi instead of gochujang (Korean chili paste) dressing would also be a good tip.

"I often order a variety of cuisines, not just Korean, but also Western, Chinese, and Japanese. For menus like pizza or pasta, what should I choose?"

For pizza, it's advisable to limit greasy cheese and meat toppings and opt for vegetable or seafood toppings. Choosing a thin crust can reduce flour intake. For pasta, tomato-based dishes are lower in calories than cream sauces. It's also good to include chicken breast or mushrooms instead of bacon or salami. For Chinese cuisine, you can lower calories by opting for dishes that aren't stir-fried in oil, or by asking for sweet and sour pork sauce (Tangsuyuk) on the side for dipping. For Japanese cuisine, sashimi and sushi are healthier choices than fried items (tempura). It's also important to control the amount of soy sauce and wasabi, and to wisely consume a variety of fish.

In addition to wise food choices, efforts to reduce the frequency of delivery orders are also important. Ideally, it's most desirable to prepare and eat healthy meals at home with fresh ingredients. If meal management is difficult, trying a healthy meal delivery service is also an option.

Combining diet with exercise can double the weight loss effect. Try regular light walks after meals, and strength training. Prescribing traditional Korean herbal medicine tailored to your constitution can also help with weight loss by increasing your basal metabolic rate and promoting metabolism. For practicing a healthy diet, consistency is more important than perfectionism. Even if you make mistakes occasionally, don't give up; try to persevere with a long-term perspective. Remember that food is not an enemy, but a precious nutrient that nourishes our bodies.

Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic will always support you in regaining your healthy vitality through a balanced diet and proper lifestyle habits. Since the weight loss journey is never easy, we recommend navigating it wisely with an expert. We wish you to become a dieter who enjoys food in moderation without losing that sense of ease. Thank you.