Why are Koreans so slim? (from a Korean's perspective)

너무나 아름다우십니다.

American school lunch is disgusting. I have no idea why they call it nutritious.

menurut saya cewe korea jangan terlalu kurus juga lebih baik mereka dapat kan tubuh yang ideal tidak terlalu kurus tidak terlalu gemuk

I live in Germany but visited Seoul two weeks ago and I was shocked by how amazing the public transport is.

Kimchee & other fermented veggies are very dense with beneficial nutrients. The 🐘 in the room is ultra processed food that makeup about 60% of typical Amer diet, even more so of the poor. Junk food pushed so hard in our TV, sports events actually were scientifically derived to stimulate brain dopamine, notice it is hard to stop eating.

At least in Korea you don't get raped robbed and chemically terrorised because some loser wants to steal your stuff.... Bhegin in USA always be robbing people

USA cops are rapist look at jaylen Fleer shit

western food so full of crap. sugar makes them junkies for more and thte cycle continues

When I moved to Korea everyone told me I would lose weight but I actually gained a lot while staying with a Korean family. I think it's because I personally tended to eat pretty healthy in the US, most of my meals were majority vegetable and in Korea there was a lot of rice. I also wonder if non-Koreans process rice differently? If I ate the same amount as my Korean family members I gained weight quickly.
An interesting thing about the US in my experience is there's the very unhealthy side and also a super-duper healthy side. Super-duper healthy as in everything is fresh farmers' market fruits/veggies, superfoods and healthy fats and green protein shakes. Like in a lot of places you can go to restaurants and have like quinoa kale salmon salads and green juice or whatever. Whenever I've lived abroad I feel like that stuff is harder to find, it's mostly just normal food. Obviously there's a big class divide between nutritional education/availability but that health-nut side may be bigger in the US than other countries from my experience. Maybe I have a distorted view from my own bubble?

Yeah u.s. is huge and cars are needed. Too much time in commutes is really hard. Also, you can't ride bikes in most places cars will hit you. No bike lanes. Where i live on a state rd., you can no longer walk on the road. People drive too fast and are often on phone or distracted in some way. They only way to get exercise here is to join gym $$$, walk rail trail, certain parks. All of these require driving at least 5 miles. Or figure a workout routine at home that doesnt require expensive equipment i do love the parks in korea that have stretch and workout pieces for adults. All ours are geared toward children. Bike riding used to be my fave thing. Unless i can get my bike in and secured, drive to the trail, i can't safely do that. How is korea on accessibility for people who are disabled from disease?

I agree 100% here in America it’s really hard to find healthy food when dining out and depending on the area what’s available wish I had an answer how we Americans can change our diet esp where portion control

nah because im american and i cant even finish the portion sizes in an average restraunt they are so huge and its annoying and then im expected to bring leftovers home like i do not need all of that.

By no means am I an expert in nutrition- but when I took a nutrition course at my college I learned a lot of useful information.

I know a big part of weight management is indeed calorie consumption. But in the long run, if you are to eat over processed foods, high amounts of trans fats, cholestoral, etc- these foods will most likely bring your inflammation levels up in your body. Which eventually affects how your body breaks down certain foods. And you can get to the point of diabetes if your inflammation levels are high enough- which means your body wont be able to break down the sugars you intake.

Versus someone who eats more whole grains & veggies, who has low inflammation levels in the body, will be able to eat junk food still without long term affects, cuz their metabolism is higher, and their body is in a better place to break those sugars down.

High inflammation can lead to high blood pressure as well, which could cause issues if you dont address it. Diet is underrated for the treatment on things like this (versus docs who just like to prescribe meds right away, and barely touch on diet)

아무래도 두 나라를 오가면서 사셔서 정확한 정보를 균형잡힌 시각으로 잘전달해주시는거 같아요!!

but isnt being at least a little fatty good? I see kpop being soo thin it is insane it almost look unhealthy

I am skinny and I dont work out. I just eat low carb and I live in the states. It’s all about what you prefer to eat. I grew up in LA and was exposed to alot of Asian food so I prefer rice to bread(it is bad on my gut) also breaded meats are not appealing to me so I cook in animal fat as I raised this way. Americans that are fat grew up eating a specific way according to their family. We are not a monolith here. Being skinny is frowned upon though contrary to what people say online about fat shaming. It is quite common to be overweight and is acceptable to ask someone “why are you so skinny?”. Fast food is what people mainly eat by choice. I also dont have an oven lol the house I rent did not include one so we cook just as you described.

The culture hates in heavy Korean women and is seen as classist. As someone who lived there, the women are heavily pressured to conform otherwise good luck with jobs, partners, or finding clothes that fit

I grew up here and there between Italy and the UK. I don't know how it was in your school because you didn't say anything about it but the lunches we got served in the UK were straight up diabolical. Typically, they'd serve greasy, cheesy pizza, fried chicken wings or crispy fried cod. You could also get a donut as a side dish. I remember I used to feel hungry after lunch every day even despite the number of calories. Back in Year 8, I wasn't fat at all but I wanted to get healthier so I started bringing a packed lunch, lost weight, felt lighter and felt much happier., though I only lost a few kilos. It's shocking to me how the canteen was even allowed to sell that food and it doesn't surprise me how so many people were so obese at that age. After Year 8, I came back to Italy, got depressed and put on weight myself but, thankfully, my experiences dieting in the UK partially helped me go back to being healthy

I lived in Korea for about a year and a half, and gained almost 20 pounds. I was doing a lot of walking and not overly eating, but I think because it was a change to the kind of food I was eating before, my body just reacted to it differently. What’s important to remember is that we are all built and made up differently. Asians are just naturally slimmer and built that way. My sister and I grew up eating the same foods and living similar lifestyles, and yet she is built bigger than I am. Every body is different. If you focus on eating healthy and being active, then embrace the body that God has given to you! Don’t compare yourself to others, just take good care of yourself, and enjoy the blessing of being able to do things

I’m Korean-American and for the majority of my life have been skinny. I had a really fast metabolism until I hit my 40s. Now in my early 40s and my metabolism has significantly slowed down, but I walk a lot, watch my portions, and eat much healthier than I did in my 20s and 30s.

Good video I appreciate your insight. Thanks for sharing this with us.

더 정확하게는 사회 전체적으로 장애인, 못생긴 사람, 뚱뚱한 사람 등과 같은 “정상인” 이 아닌 사람은 밖에 나오지 못하도록 만들었죠.... 결국 길거리에는 “정상인“ 만 돌아다니는거죠

there is a lot of misleading in this video, better to focus on describing population in korea and body type ...etc. , because when you start talking about nutrition and which food is healthy and which not there is a lot of false claims.

Well, how you eat sure makes you gorgeous, along with soooo many Korean women.

The Korean lifestyle sounds impressive but miserable at the same time. I don’t think my anxiety could handle it.

Such a great video for the analysis. Like Anna pointed out, being overweight is regarded as laziness whether it is true or not. In addition, being laziness is quite taboo in Korea, so they tend to make themselves very stressful all the time not to feel guilty that they are useless. So those working hard and being spontaneously in stressful state makes them consume lots of energy. You may think it's good to have healthy body, but it's not actually. Koreans have less disease due to obesity but they have much more disease due to stress. The portion of having a cancer in their life is almost top in the world. Also the ratio of suicide is top in the world. those are from always stressful circumstances.

I am an American and recently, I started getting my food sent to my house because It's basically just me, and it is more convenient. This particular service has chefs that prepare the food and dietitians that approve it. The food is awesome. I am like most Americans overweight (about 25 pounds), and I had been trying to lose weight, but couldn't. I noticed about 3 or 4 weeks into using this service, that I had begun to lose about a pound per week. I did not start this service to lose weight, I started it because I am lazy. This was interesting because I was actually eating larger quantiles (but far fewer calories) of food because this service has everything prepared, and you just heat it up in the microwave for 2 minutes. The key issue is that they use whole fresh foods and none of it is processed ahead of time. I went back to check the food that I used to eat, and I could not find a single thing that did not have high fructose corn syrup added to it. Even things that have no business being sweetened has it. Also, I found out that even when the exact same product and brand are sold in other countries, the sweeteners are not added. I am now only 12 pounds overweight and dropping steadily.

I think that you are right !! its not just what you eat- its also the amount/size of portions! After all >>>cows and elephants are vegetarians !!

Dying of hunger more like

Fascinating and so well researched. Thank you for sharing.

한국인은 연구대상이 되었나요..?

Arent koreans fatphobic

남자 비만율 엄청난데 흠..

I have heard, that there are quite a few korean people who have trouble finding clothes in their size, in the same way that many Korean woman have to buy foundation and concealer that is lighter than their skin tone. Not disagreeing with the jist of the video, but having also come from a collectivistic culture, shaming (even if it is for a so-called positive reason) does more harm than good. Humans tend to have less motivation to change when they get negative reinforcement rather than positive reinforcement.

애국자가 따로 있는게 아니다...
잘봤습니다

Cool thank you 💛

I also think it has to do with genetics. Genetics play a huge part, if not the biggest part, in people's complexion and how they age. I live in the US, and I see a lot of Asian people here who are still slim even though they may not eat as clean as you do there.

I am a high school girl who is Korean and this video is very appropriate. In addition, the thinness of K-pop idols also seems to have a lot of influence. 좋은 영상 고마워요❤

Thank you for talking about this, and not trying to like apologise for it. I am a western woman, who has some Asian blood, and I'm naturally really small, and slender. I have very small bones for a westerner, and I got massively bullied about it all my life. People called me malnourished, scrawny, and told me 'boys don't like that', etc. 'Do you starve yourself?' They would tease. No, I eat all the time, I just don't eat junk like you do....I struggle to fit into the 'supersize' culture here, and I can never find anything that fits me, because it's all made for huge people. I have seen drs, and other health practitioners, who have talked about how people have grown so huge over recent years, and that shoe sizes have even gotten larger, as people are so large now, it's making their feet expand. Mine are very small, so I never can find shoes that fit me either. I've had to start buying some Asian apparel because it fits me better.

The fact of the matter is, most westerners, (USA, I'm looking at you) are super toxic, unhealthy, eat bad food, barely exercise, and just generally don't give a crap about their appearance, or personal growth/development at all. The culture is just really, well, slobs. And that is not a GOOD thing. Outside of the superficial element of it, not caring how you look at all, is just as bad as ONLY caring about how you look. Not caring at all is apathetic, and depressing, and leads to poor mental health as well as physical. There is all this stuff about 'fat shaming' now, and you aren't even allowed to talk about it. But the reality is, it's a problem, people are diseased, and dying in the USA, and it's not just about how they look. Children in the USA are getting diseases that only elderly people used to get. It's child abuse. Like you mentioned. What kind of parent gives their kids that sugary cereal for breakfast?? But they are so ignorant, they just want to make themselves feel better about being unhealthy, rather than making major lifestyle changes, and adopting policies in which the USA has better food for people.

And to add to the irony, westerners will put down Asians all the time, and call them the same slurs they used to call me, and talk about how they are too thin, etc. I will see comments like, 'You could snap them like a twig.' And they say Asian men, (who are beautiful btw) are too 'feminine'. Well, for me, western guys have giant beer bellies, are bald, have nasty, scruffy beards, or are way too huge, and macho muscled, and it's not attractive to me at all. But whatever. It's just the envy thing. So, they want to be all catty now, and put down other people, in order to feel better about themselves. They are going so far, as to now lie, and try to pass off being morbidly obese as 'healthy'. Just bury their heads in the sand. I dunno whatever happened to the idea that being healthy, and slim is what humans should strive for.

And try not to eat processed food and sugar 😮

In Korea, there is a standard weight range appropriate for one's height. If you fall outside this range, you're considered either too skinny or too overweight. Being skinnier isn't as stigmatized, but being overweight often attracts significant negative attention. Many Koreans hold the prejudice that "being overweight = laziness = poor self-management." Therefore, falling outside the ideal weight range can be very stressful. This is also connected to why fitness trends are popular in Korea.

when i was in korea for my vacations i lost a bit of weight during the 21 days i stayed there! i was quite surprised but the food is so good and healthy there

Can we talk about the toast how they put it in the oven like that... new hack unlocked.

as a british person, it kind of baffled me at first as to how our country is more on the obese side, but seeing how people eat food these days and the self-loathing culture, (alcohol included) i really do understand why the UK has one of the biggest obese rates, despite also being quite active. I myself don't have these habits (im absolutely hench).

But it does put the UK to shame in this regard

뚱뚱한사람은 밖에 잘 안돌아다님 ^^ 왜냐면 눈치 봐야대서

In the USA some of that data is a bit off...since a percentage of folks go to the gym (men) and gain muscle weight and which does not match the tradition BMI scale.....but to a larger degree its a true statement in the USA...many fatties running around....

한국에서 태어나서 자라고 한국에서 직장생활하는 사람이라 공감가는게 되게 많어용!
날씬하고 뚱뚱하고를 떠나 [건강하게] 사는 것이 중요한 것 같아요! 음식도 음식이지만 규칙적으로 먹고 규칙적으로 운동하는 생활습관이 현대사회에서 필수라고 생각이 들어요.

I think usually korean worry if you are fat😂 Like what happend to you..did you get stressed..what makes you sad just like that. We usually see fat equals disease, unhealthy, unhappy life and yes, we care others' attention more so we try a lot of diets not to be a fat person. But idols body shape is extremely thin in Koreans perspective too😅 So these days, korean netizens are worried about their health because they are so skinny and there are more and more people who want them to gain some weight(but not too fatty) Either way I know they will still look skinny to foreigners😂

2 reasons I plan on moving to either Japan or France is the architecture making it beneficial for fitness and how food culture is healthier compared to America.

Where I’m at it’s dangerous to walk, there’s not many area’s pedestrians can go safely so I motivate myself to workout at home when I’m not in college.

I don’t eat fast food like that, maybe once a month for a good Gyro but I often refrain from it to eat less calories.

I weigh around 120. I can go over 5 more pounds if I’m not on guard, and my relatives make it even harder because they often eat processed foods.

I made meatloaf with salad once and they though I was trying to be better than them for simply wanting to be healthy…..

한국에선 다이어트도 많이하는 것 같아요. 한식만 먹지 않고 점점 패스트푸드도 많이 먹으니 날씬해지기위해서 거의 자주 많은 주변 사람들이 다이어트를 한다고해요. 티비에 나오는 예쁜 연예인들는 하나같이 말라서 그런 영향도 피할수 없고 스스로 스트레스 받는것도 있고 해마다 건강검진을 해주는데 거기서 수치로도 건강식단관리에 대해서도 알려주고 체지방비율도 알려주고 관리하게하는 국가건강보험까지 있죠. 저도 헬쓰장까지 가서 유산소 근력 운동하고 요즘 바디프로필 찍거나 몸매 만드는게 유행이기도하고 쓰고보니 보여지는 것에 너무 집착하는 느낌이네요. 살찌면 그런데 건강하지 않은 느낌도 있어서 운동 많이하고 주변에 운동하러 갈 곳도 많이 생기고요.20대에서 40대가 되기까지 3키로 늘었는데 항상 몸무게를 신경써요.