[Curiosity Lab] Heavenly for the Mouth vs. Worst for the Body... There Is Compatibility in Food Too

There Are Good and Bad Food Combinations
Hamburgers: Actually an Excellent Diet Food?
Obesity-Inducing Tteok-Twi-Soon, Chimaek, and Korean BBQ Fried Rice
Oysters and Lemons: Eating Together Benefits Health

Editor's NoteThis is a corner that explains issues encountered in daily life or suddenly becoming a hot topic in an easy and interesting way.

There is a saying that taste is proportional to calories. It means that the higher the calorie content of food, the more enjoyable our taste buds are. Even 'honey combination' recipes, which are said to taste better when eaten together, are rapidly spreading through social networking services (SNS). However, the summer season, which is the season for dieting, is approaching. Diet control is the most important factor for weight loss, but our taste buds, already accustomed to stimulating food combinations, are only seeking high-calorie foods.

But what if there are foods with combinations that do not cause weight gain? Foods also have good and bad combinations when eaten together. Let's explore foods that create bad synergy and those that create good synergy when consumed together.

Hamburger with grilled meat and plenty of sauce: Actually an excellent diet food?

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Inspired by the documentary film "Super Size Me," which deals with the harms of fast food, a woman named Merab Morgan in the United States became a hot topic after it was revealed that she lost 37 pounds (about 16.7 kg) in 90 days by eating only McDonald's food. This is the opposite result of the film's protagonist, who gained 13.6 kg by consuming 5,000 kcal per day. How was she able to eat delicious food and lose weight? The secret lies in the absence of French fries and high-fructose corn syrup included in the hamburger set.

Merab Morgan stated that during her diet period, she did not consume French fries and soda, which are inseparable companions of hamburgers. A woman named Soso Failey, living in New Hampshire, also lost 16 kg by eating only hamburgers without ordering set menus. Could they lose weight by eating fast food, unlike the protagonist in the film?

A hamburger with meat mixed with sweet sauce might seem like food to avoid during dieting, but contrary to popular belief, it contains carbohydrates, protein, fat, and minerals. If you avoid consuming the French fries and high-fructose corn syrup that come in set menus, it becomes an excellent diet food.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has reported that heating starch-rich potatoes and grains at high temperatures tends to increase the harmful substance acrylamide. Acrylamide is produced by a chemical reaction between asparagine and sugars when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked at high temperatures. Carbonated drinks like cola (containing high-fructose corn syrup) contain 10 teaspoons of sugar per 350 ml can. Drinking 500 ml of soda far exceeds the daily recommended amount. When a large amount of sugar suddenly enters the body, the liver quickly converts unnecessary sugars into fat to maintain balance. This fat accumulates as visceral fat in the liver, colon, pancreas, and other organs, causing obesity.

Tteok-twigim-soondae, chicken and beer, fried rice, etc... Foods with the worst combinations

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The food combinations that cause obesity are not limited to hamburger sets. Tteokbokki, a soul food for Koreans, also doubles in calories when eaten with twigim (fried foods) and soondae (Korean blood sausage). Depending on the type, tteokbokki usually contains over 1,400 kcal per serving according to MFDS data. Adding ▲fried squid (70 kcal) ▲fried seaweed roll (65 kcal) ▲one serving of soondae (500 kcal) creates the 'worst combination' that induces obesity.

The popular late-night snack combination of chicken and beer (chimaek) is also a bad match. The combination of chicken and 500 cc of beer amounts to 1,400 kcal, twice the recommended calorie intake for one meal of 700 kcal. Sodium content can be up to 2.4 times the daily standard depending on the type, and cholesterol can be as much as three times higher, according to studies.

After grilling pork belly or dakgalbi, Koreans often enjoy fried rice as a 'K-dessert,' but this should be avoided. Stir-frying rice in leftover seasoning or oil from grilled meat is a uniquely Korean 'rule,' but it is the worst combination for health. Grilled meat contains a lot of saturated fat, which, when consumed excessively, raises low-density cholesterol levels and negatively affects vascular health. Eating fried rice after filling up on meat results in excessive carbohydrate intake, and excess carbohydrates not used for energy are easily converted into fat. This thickens visceral fat and causes abdominal obesity.

Ramen and gimbap also make the worst combination. Ramen is loved by many for its good taste and low price. Unlike regular noodles, it contains additives like polyphosphates to enhance flavor. Although approved as harmless to humans, chemically, these additives bind well with calcium, so excessive ramen consumption may cause calcium deficiency. Korean-style gimbap is seasoned with salt, sesame oil, and other spices to enhance flavor, and the fillings are stir-fried in oil, resulting in high fat content. The average calorie content ranges from 460 to 600 kcal, and adding ham, fish cake, or tuna mixed with mayonnaise causes calories to explode.

Sprinkling sugar on tomatoes is also a bad combination. When sugar is sprinkled on tomatoes, the vitamin B in tomatoes, which is needed to metabolize sugar in the body, is destroyed. This is why it is recommended to eat tomatoes raw or cooked without sugar.

Perfect matches with explosive synergy: Foods with good combinations when eaten together

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Conversely, there are foods that are not only nutritious but also beneficial to health when eaten together. Fish and garlic are a good combination that helps prevent cancer and boost immunity. They are especially good for adult diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Garlic suppresses the increase of bad cholesterol, LDL. Blue-backed fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which have very high efficacy for memory and learning functions, and additionally help with night blindness, vision protection, anti-aging, anemia, and cold prevention.

Pork and shiitake mushrooms also have a good combination. Consuming these two foods together has been proven to reduce the harmful effects of cholesterol and effectively prevent adult diseases. Shiitake mushrooms contain high-quality fiber that inhibits the absorption of cholesterol from other foods in the body, and they contain eritadenine, a substance that lowers blood pressure. Pork belly is high in protein, which strengthens bones and supports the immune system.

Bean noodles (kongguksu) are also one of the representative healthy foods. Beans contain saponins, which dissolve well in water and oil and have the ability to inhibit the formation of lipid peroxides in the body. Beans help brain activity, stabilize nerves, and purify the blood. Noodles made primarily from wheat flour have low levels of essential amino acids such as lysine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan, but beans contain 3 to 5 times more essential amino acids, compensating for this deficiency.

Oysters and lemons also make a perfect match. Oysters contain about 80% moisture, 10% protein, 5% fat, 5% glycogen, and a balanced mix of minerals and vitamins, making them prone to bacterial growth. The ingredient that compensates for this weakness is lemon, which has a mysterious power. Lemon not only eliminates bad odors but also contains citric acid, which has a sterilizing effect that inhibits the growth of food poisoning bacteria in oysters. Additionally, the absorption and utilization of the mineral iron are improved, so consuming these two foods together helps with skin beauty and physical strength enhancement.

2 out of 5 adults are 'obese'... Need to establish healthy eating habits

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Last month, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute announced that obesity rates have surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1 in 5 children and adolescents and 2 in 5 adults being obese. As obesity rates increased, the consumption rate of fast food also rose (21.4% in 2018 → 27.3% in 2022).

Food compatibility means that when two types of food are eaten together, they help each other's digestion and absorption or supplement lacking nutrients between foods. Instead of chasing only stimulating tastes that cause obesity, efforts should be made to eat foods with good combinations that bring truly beneficial results when consumed together.