Diabetic Dining in Korea

My wife and in-laws are Korean and that means we eat a lot of Korean food at home. I love when our home is filled with the smells of hot soups, spicy meats, and steaming dumplings.

We try to visit Korea every other year. When we travel, food is always a major part of our trip and it’s even more important when we travel to Korea. Of course we have a lot of the same food and ingredients at home, but the flavor, quality, and variety in Korea is incomparable. This year, our trip landed right in the middle of the rainy season (June until the end of July). And so I’ve been looking forward to a lot of hot soups and noodles.

As a diabetic, I may seem like a killjoy when it comes to eating out. I’m mentally measuring and questioning each dish, trying to find the integral for the area under the curve of my pasta. In the states, I’ve become pretty adept in figuring out my food when we’re away from home, but cuisine in Korea is particularly challenging. I wanted to share a couple major challenges and offer a few solutions so that people can understand the thoughts of a diabetic eating out in Korea.



My first and most common challenge is the “Side Dish Dilemma”. Banchan (반찬) are Korean side dishes served with nearly every meal. They come in small dishes and vary from home-to-home and restaurant-to-restaurant, and even season-to-season! There are dozens of common banchan, such as spicy squid, pickled peppers, shredded cabbage, fern, acorn squash, potatoes, Korean onions, and banchan always includes at least one kind of kimchi (usually more).

Sesame leaves and spicy veggies

The side dishes are a delicious and fun part of eating in Korea. We always have something to munch on. But, as I mentioned, each side dish is very unique to each place. So the preparation and ingredients are also unique and involve quite a wide range of carbs. A major ingredient is commonly pepper paste or bean paste, which are made in large brown ceramic pots (pic included). They work as the base for a lot of soups, sauces, and side dishes. But each unique flavor has a unique blend of other sauces and spices (soy, fish, vinegar, ginger, ginseng, sugar, ect). It’s the most delicious mystery I’ve ever encountered. But it is still a serious problem when trying to count my carbs for the meal.

Different kinds of kimchi

The second major challenge is probably the most difficult. It’s the “Question of Quantity’. Korean families share the side dishes and the main course. Usually, you order a serving portion for the number of people in the group and they bring it out in a single bowl, platter, or dish. At lot of the time, the food is brought out raw and cooked in front of you on a charcoal or gas grill that is placed within the middle of the table. Once the food is out and ready, you eat right from the middle of the table.

I love eating out this way. The shared eating experience connects the group. Reaching and sharing is much warmer and fun than the secluded American plate with designated portions. But… and this is a big but… those American plates really help us diabetics count our carbs. Eating from the middle of the table, I can quickly lose track of how much I ate and how much insulin I should take.

Beef soup in bean broth

Since I love Korean food and I never plan on avoiding Korea, I need to figure out these puzzles. Here are my suggestions and solutions so far…

When eating out, I try to limit my nibbling on the banchan until the food comes out. Snacking is dangerously delicious and by holding back, I tend to limit how much of the mystery sauces I’m eating. When I do eat them, I aim more for the pickled dishes like peppers and kimchi that I know don’t have sugar.

Another trick is to separate my food whenever possible, especially with rice. My family knows I am diabetic and I make sure to remind them not to pile on extra food without asking first. They have never been offended. They know there is a good reason for my health. Setting my food aside is useful because then I can take an initial bolus before I begin to eat (I use an insulin pump).

Low carb beef and veggies on a grill.

To try and counteract the secret sauces and broths, I ask how the food was prepared. My wife is my translator, so this part is much easier for me, but its important for all diabetics. And I always try to remember it’s the details that matter. For example, some cooks use the water from washing the rice to make their soups have a sweeter and richer flavor (carb rich too!). It’s an awesome technique! But if I don’t know that they used rice water, I can wind up with a blood sugar of 400mg/dL. So I ask it there’s been sugar added or rice water used. I get my answer and a free Korean cooking lesson at the same time.

While eating, I try to break down portions into much smaller amounts and keep track of how much extra insulin I will need to take. At the end of the meal, I tally up the additional carbs and take my end of meal bolus.

My last tip is to monitor blood sugar frequently when eating new foods. I check every 1-2 hours after eating a dish I hadn’t tried before. I learn from my mistakes and try to remember for the future. I haven’t had to keep a log, but I bet it would be useful for some people.

Korea has tons of incredible, spicy, flavor exploding dishes to try. I work to make sure my diabetes doesn’t limit our trip, but I never pretend I’m not diabetic. I am always mindful of the carbs and try not to overdo it.

I said “try”… ;o)

All kinds if bad for you fried foods