Worried About 'Belly Fat'? Try Eating Coffee with 'This' Together

Good Food Combinations for Diet (Good Combinations vs Bad Combinations)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-kyung Lee] If you aim to lose weight through dieting, exercise is important, but the most concerning factor is food control. You become more sensitive than usual, worrying whether the calories are too high or if the food is low-sodium, fearing that what you eat might turn into fat. While you should avoid blindly starving yourself or eating only one type of food, eating without considering the compatibility between foods is also not a good method. Since the amount of food consumed during dieting is less than before, it is important to properly intake necessary nutrients. Considering the nutrient and component compatibility between foods can help with weight management and is also beneficial for health.

● Avocado + Green Leafy Vegetables

During dieting, green leafy vegetables like spinach or kale are often consumed as salads. These green vegetables are rich in vitamins and potassium but lack fat content, making it difficult to feel full. Therefore, adding avocado, which contains a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, to the salad helps you feel full faster even with a small amount. Moreover, the abundant beta-sitosterol in avocado helps eliminate cholesterol, which is good for preventing cardiovascular diseases, so there is no reason not to eat it.

● Banana + Milk

Blending banana and milk together is a great way to get nutrition and have a filling meal replacement for dieting. Bananas have 92 kcal per 100g, which is slightly higher in calories compared to other fruits, but they provide satiety even when eaten alone, making them good as a meal substitute. When eaten with low-fat milk, the milk fat compensates for the lack of fat in bananas, and the magnesium in bananas helps the calcium absorption from milk, making this combination very compatible.

● Chicken + Red Pepper Powder

Chicken breast is low in fat and high in protein, making it indispensable in diet meals, but the protein in chicken can slow digestion. Therefore, eating chicken with red chili peppers or red pepper powder can alleviate this issue. Capsaicin, which gives the spicy flavor, generates heat in the body, promoting metabolism and fat breakdown while aiding digestion, making it a good match with the cold nature of chicken.

● Oatmeal + Apple

Oatmeal is rich in dietary fiber and protein and is said to be effective in cancer prevention and boosting immunity. It is often consumed for breakfast mixed with milk or water, but if you want to get both dietary fiber and vitamins, adding oatmeal to yogurt and eating it with apple is a good method. The apple supplements the vitamins lacking in oatmeal, making you feel full and providing nutrients that are often deficient, making it a win-win.

● Broccoli + Beef

Beef is rich in iron, which helps produce red blood cells in the body. Did you know that broccoli and beef are a good combination? The vitamin C in broccoli increases the absorption rate of iron in the body, so consuming broccoli together with beef is much better for health.

● Almond + Dark Chocolate

The polyphenols in dark chocolate help prevent aging and suppress active oxygen. Eating almonds, which are rich in dietary fiber and unsaturated fatty acids, together with dark chocolate helps maintain satiety for a longer time. Additionally, almonds are rich in vitamin E, which aids in fatigue recovery, so they are recommended as a snack when you feel tired and low on energy from dieting.

● Seaweed (Marine Algae) + Soybeans

Saponins contained in soybeans have anti-cancer effects and prevent lipid peroxidation, but when this component enters the body, it expels iodine from the body. Therefore, to balance iodine levels in the body, it is necessary to consume seaweed such as miyeok (sea mustard) or dashima (kelp) together. Also, the protein in soybeans enhances the absorption of iron contained in seaweed, and seaweed lowers the absorption of unnecessary fats in the body, making this combination very compatible.

● Shrimp + Peas/Shiitake Mushrooms

Are you hesitant to eat shrimp because of cholesterol? When cooking shrimp, adding peas or shiitake mushrooms helps reduce cholesterol absorption and supports vascular health.

● Tuna + Ginger

Sometimes when eating sashimi tuna, ginger is served alongside, right? Tuna is a high-protein, low-fat food rich in protein, making it good for dieting. Tuna also contains many beneficial components such as vitamins, calcium, DHA, EPA, omega-6, and selenium. Ginger has many positive effects such as reducing inflammation, promoting blood circulation, and boosting metabolism. Eating these two together can significantly help dieting by suppressing the growth of fat cells in the body.

● Squid + Broccoli

Try eating broccoli together when you blanch squid. The abundant taurine in squid and dietary fiber in broccoli effectively lower blood cholesterol levels. If you have been concerned about eating squid due to high cholesterol, eating it with broccoli can be a good method.

● Egg + Tomato

Eggs are known as a versatile food rich in protein and various nutrients. Especially when consumed in the morning, they provide satiety and help control appetite during dieting. However, eggs lack dietary fiber, so it is better to eat them with tomatoes, which are rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber. Cooking these two together results in a low-calorie, perfect diet meal that supplements the lacking dietary fiber.

● Coffee + Cinnamon

The caffeine in coffee suppresses appetite and promotes metabolism, aiding weight loss. Cinnamon has almost no calories and is effective in reducing body swelling, especially improving fat in areas that are hard to lose such as the sides, belly, and legs. Therefore, consuming these two together can help stabilize blood sugar and suppress appetite, supporting weight loss.

● Banana + Spinach

Bananas are rich in resistant starch, a substance that slows digestion, increases satiety, promotes fat oxidation in the body, and reduces abdominal fat. Spinach contains thylakoids, a natural appetite suppressant, which also increases satiety and suppresses appetite. Eating these two together can produce greater effects.

■ Soybeans + Cheese

Did you know that even plant-based proteins have compatibility? Soybeans and cheese are good foods when consumed separately, but together they are not very good for health. The protein, fat, and calcium in cheese combine with the phosphate in soybeans to form calcium phosphate in the body, which promotes calcium excretion. Therefore, if you usually have low calcium levels, it is better to consume soybeans and cheese separately.

■ Beef + Butter

When dieting, choosing lean cuts of meat is important, but how you cook the meat also matters. Using butter made from animal fat when grilling meat enhances flavor but increases calories and cholesterol, which is not good for dieting. Therefore, it is recommended to use vegetable oil rather than animal fat-based butter when grilling.

■ Cucumber + Carrot

Cucumber and carrot are often considered best friends, even together in kimbap, but their compatibility is not as good as expected. The ascorbinase enzyme in carrots oxidizes 100% of the vitamin C in cucumbers, so cooking carrots and cucumbers together is not recommended. This enzyme is especially abundant in the skin of carrots, so when eating raw, it is better to peel them or consume them cooked. Since it is sensitive to acid, consuming with vinegar is recommended.

■ Gim (Seaweed) + Acorn Jelly

Have you ever suffered from constipation while dieting? If you often struggle with constipation, it is better to avoid the combination of gim and acorn jelly. Both foods contain tannins, which can cause constipation. Additionally, this combination inhibits iron absorption in the body, so people with anemia should avoid it.

■ Sweet Potato + Peanuts

Eating peanuts, which are rich in starch, together with sweet potatoes, whose main component is starch, is the worst for dieting. Both foods are starch-based carbohydrates, which can increase the risk of obesity. Also, eating sweet potatoes in the evening when metabolism slows causes sugar to accumulate in the body and makes digestion and absorption difficult. This leads to intestinal putrefaction and blood acidification. If you have diabetes or rheumatism, it is best to avoid eating sweet potatoes at night.

■ Miyeok (Seaweed) + Green Onion

Why is green onion not added to miyeok soup? It is advisable not to eat miyeok and green onion together. Miyeok contains alginic acid, which prevents cholesterol from sticking to blood vessels and detoxifies harmful substances. However, when cooked with green onion, this effect diminishes, so it is better not to consume them together.

■ Broccoli + Vinegar-based Sauce

What sauce do you usually dip blanched broccoli in? Many people dip it in vinegar-based sauce, but this combination is not good. The acetic acid in vinegar destroys beta-carotene, an important nutrient in broccoli. Therefore, it is recommended to dip broccoli in soy sauce or salted sauce instead.