Dietary Problems in Korea

A Korean dish of marinated beef, pork, or chicken that is barbecued.

Korea's Dietary Problems

Beginning in the 1970s, Korea has had major dietary changes along with the growth of it's economy and the adoption of a western lifestyle. The country's most significant dietary problem would be that the consumption of animal food products and fruits has increased greatly while the intake of cereal grains and vegetables such as potatoes and soybeans has decreased. Due to less consumption of foods like cereal grains, the energy intake has generally decreased. On a side note, even though the consumption of animal food products have increased, the increase in fat intake and the prevalence of obesity has remained surprisingly low in Korea, especially in comparison to other Asian countries. The only other dietary problem would be that the consumption of salty food is relatively high which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.