As the world’s interest in immunity increases following the global COVID-19 pandemic, Korean food is attracting attention as a healthy food with well-being values. Moreover, the interest in Korean culture is shifting to Korean food through the OTT platform that provides online video services that can be found on the Internet. 
How healthy is Korean food? Let's take a look at Korean food, which we took for granted as part of our food culture.

Q. Bulgogi is one of the world's favorite Korean foods. When did we start eating bulgogi?

Bulgogi(seasoned and grilled beef) is a beef dish that is sliced wide, marinated in seasoning, and then grilled on a grill. Our traditional meat gui(grilled) dishes, including bulgogi, are derived from maekjeok, which was eaten during the Goguryeo period. Maekjeok refers to the meat seasoned with soy sauce, skewered, and grilled over a direct fire. Since it was grilled after being marinated, it was called mujang(無醬: having no sauce) in China, where most of the meat dishes were grilled and then marinated or dipped in seasoning because it was already seasoned, and there was no need to add any more seasoning. During the Goryeo Dynasty, Buddhism flourished and meat-eating began to disappear from the diet. The custom of eating beef, in particular, almost completely vanished. Then, in the late Goryeo Dynasty, under the influence of China, bulgogi and galbi(grilled ribs) began appearing on the table more frequently. In the Joseon Dynasty, it developed into a royal dish, neobiani(marinated grilled beef slices). Neobiani is a term used in the royal court and noble families in the capital, referring to meat that is sliced wide. Bulgogi is said to be the only dish in the world where the meat is marinated in seasoning, and then grilled.

Q. It is said that Korean food is being introduced as a “healthy food” overseas after the outbreak of COVID-19. However, if my foreign friends ask me why, it is difficult to explain. If you were to introduce Korean food as a healthy food, what would be its characteristics?  

Since the ancient times, our people believed “yaksikdongwon,” meaning the source of what we eat and medicine are the same. If you prepare a table with seasonal ingredients from our land, it will be a great meal that is effective not only for health, but also for weight management. The first characteristic in considering Korean food as a healthy food is its vegetarian food base, such as namul(seasoned vegetables) side dishes and ssam(vegetable wrap). Vegetables contain large amounts of various vitamins and minerals, and our ancestors enjoyed the vegetarian diet even in the winter when vegetables could not be harvested by showing their wisdom on drying vegetables in the spring and in the fall. It is easy to think that fresh vegetables are the most nutritious, but it is said that mugeunnamul(dried vegetables) that have been dried in the sun and wind to remove moisture have higher nutrients than raw vegetables, and are more beneficial to health. Moreover, vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which can help you lose weight in the long run if you eat them regularly, as it increases the feeling of satiety.
The next one is Korean fermented food. Kimchi is one of the foods that we eat all year round. Also, the sauces, such as soybean paste and cheonggukjang(fast-fermented soybean paste), are also fermented food. These fermented foods have been confirmed through various studies to be very beneficial for gut health. This is because fermented foods increase the quantity of good bacteria in the intestine. As gut health is directly related to immunity, the importance of immunity has been highlighted due to COVID-19, and the amount of kimchi exports has also risen.
Moreover, there are studies that show that if you eat Korean food regularly, the diversity of your gut microbiome increases. However, sodium intake can be increased through jjigae(stew), guk(soup), and kimchi so you can enjoy Korean food more healthily if you eat more ingredients than broth, and use the kimchi recipe that uses less amounts of salt when making kimchi.

Q. In the springtime like these days, you get sluggish easily because of spring fever. If there is a type of food that is effective for spring fatigue among our foods, please introduce them to us. 

Spring fever is a term useV d to describe symptoms, such as feeling fatigued or losing motivation, as the warm spring approaches. Though it is not a medical term, it refers to a kind of body maladjustment that occurs when our body cannot keep up with the changing of the seasons. This is often related to nutritional imbalances. To solve this nutritional imbalance, it may be helpful to frequently consume spring greens such as dallae(wild chive), naengi(shepherd’s purse), and dureup(fatsia shoot). The spring greens contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals so they are effective in facilitating metabolism. Chwinamul(aster leaf), minari(water parsley), dolnamul(stringy stonecrop), kongnamul(bean sprout), and spinach are also good for overcoming spring fatigue. Ssuk(mugwort) is a namul with various pharmacological effects, and is good for recovering from fatigue and reducing inflammation in the body. It is a cornucopia of spring nutrition, such as vitamins and minerals, including calcium and iron, that vitalize the body's metabolism. Thus, in the spring, if you make mugwort soup by adding flounder that is more delicious in the spring, or refreshing kongnamulguk(bean sprout soup) with bajirak(clam) and serve with fresh spring namul dishes, you will be able to get rid of the uninvited guest of spring, called spring fever, easily. 

Q. Does healthy Korean food help improve mental health, such as depression? 

Korean food does not particularly correlate with the increase or decrease of depression. However, while a diet centered on meat or processed foods increases the symptoms of depression, a vegetarian diet, such as vegetables, grains, and beans, reduces them. Since our traditional Korean food is a vegetarian-centered table setting, it can be said that it helps improve the symptoms of depression to some extent from this perspective. 
This is verified through the results of a study published in the <Journal of Korean Academy of Family Medicine> in 2015. After analyzing the relationship between eating patterns and depression symptoms among 9,717 people aged 19 years and older who participated in the 2010-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a meal centered on meat and processed foods increased the symptoms of depression by 15%(1.15 times) than the overall average. On the other hand, vegetarians were 10%(0.9 times) less likely to suffer from the symptoms than the average, which was interpreted as antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E and folic acid, found in fruits and vegetables, help reduce such symptoms.