In fact, many people have even referred to the standard of beauty in Korea as unobtainable, as the ideal height of 162 cm (approximately 5 feet and 4 inches) and weight of 42 kg (about 93 pounds) is outside the reach for many, due to the strict exercise and diet regimen necessary to attain and maintain such a figure.
One of the great aspects of the Korean lifestyle and diet is that they limit eating processed, fast foods and avoid sugary foods and drinks. They prefer home-cooked meals over fast foods, which are one of the biggest reasons behind obesity in many countries.
Chinese people take their meal times seriously and they eat no more than three times a day. Their breakfast is very important and they never skip it. They have moderate amount of well balanced food in both lunch and dinner. They try to eat healthy, filling food each time to cut down the in-between meals.
The disparity stems from the fact that the international standard for obesity is a BMI of 30 or more, while the Korean standard is a BMI of 25 or more. South Korea classifies BMI figures of 25-29 as first-level obesity, 30-34 as second-level obesity, and 35 and above as third-level.
After studying the eating patterns of a total of 110,000 people between 1998 and 2008, ranging from meals to snacks, it said the average Korean woman consumed 1,556 kilocalories (kcal) a day in 2008, down sharply from 1,729 kcal in 1998.
Koreans don't distinguish among breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so it's not unusual to eat rice three times a day. In addition to individual bowls of rice, you may get a single serving of soup. Hot pots (jjigae or jungol), which are thicker and saltier, are set in the middle of the table for everyone to share.
In 2021, the average weight of South Korean women aged 19 years or younger lay at 59.87 kilograms. Women across all age categories tended to have similar weight averages, with the exception of women aged 80 years and older, who weighed significantly less.
The K-pop diet is all about cutting down on fried, oily and fat-loaded foods. It focuses on foods that are rich in protein and other essential nutrients. While red meat is one of the staples in Korean cuisines, chicken and seafood are the preferred source of protein in the country. These also help in losing weight.
Eating healthy, regularly and in small portions are key methods in having and staying slim. Focusing on whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates are important. Many K-Pop idols prefer to stay away from processed foods and fried snacks, due to the high-fat content.
Therefore, the following modified BMI cut points are commonly used for analyses of the Korean population: underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5-22.9 kg/m2), overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥25.0 kg/m2) [24].
But the average woman aged 20 to 24 in the country is 1.6m tall and has a waist size of 28 inches and hip size of 36 inches, according to the Korea Agency for Technology and Standards in 2015.
In 2021, the overall obesity rate in South Korea fell to 37.1 percent.
They count their calories, perhaps by fasting for rest of the day. They only do Mukbangs on rare occasions. They exercise a lot. Using editing tricks, they eat much less than what is seems.
Koreans are very particular and strict about their meal and diet. They make sure to balance their food content. For eg, they consume from carbs to fat to protein yet, they do not gain weight as they consume everything in a balanced proportion. They make sure to exercise every day and not overeat.
In 2021, the average male middle school student in South Korea weighed 63.7 kilograms, while the average female student weight 53.6 kilograms.
What is “plus-size” in Korea? Compared to western countries like the US, Canada, the UK, etc., plus size in Korea starts very small. Whereas, the average size for women in the US and some other countries is around 16, in Korea a size 6-8 is considered plus size.
The average BMI was 23.2 for both sexes (Table 1), and the majority of subjects had a BMI below 25.0. The BMI was below 18.5 in 2.2 percent of men and 4.7 percent of women; above 25.0 in 23.8 percent and 26.8 percent, respectively; and above 30.0 in 0.8 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.
Top 10 Healthiest Countries in the World (2021 Global Health Security Index): United States — 75.9. Australia — 71.1. Finland — 70.9.
The Nordic Diet is inspired by the cultures of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The diet focuses on consuming high amounts of protein and fibre. Staples of the diet include fish, berries, whole grain cereals, low fat dairy products, root vegetables, and rapeseed oil.