When you visit our Korean restaurant in Bellevue, you’re not just indulging in a delicious meal. You’re also doing your body a favor. It may be easy to assume that anything as flavorful and satisfying as Korean food is best to be enjoyed in moderation, but Korean cuisine may in fact be the healthiest national food on the planet.

It only takes one look at South Korea’s national obesity rate to see the difference that the Korean diet can make. Weighing in at 3.4%, Korea sits alongside Japan with the smallest obesity rate in all of the developed world. This is far below the 25% rate of New Zealand and the UK, and a scant tenth of our own obesity rate of 34.4%.

One of the biggest factors at play is the fat content. Though American fast food chains continue to enjoy increasing popularity in Korea, the average Korean still consumes 13% less fat than an American or European. Korean food is also rich in grains and vegetables, filling you up with fiber and vitamins instead of calories and grease. When meat is called for, it’s frequently seafood or a leaner, healthier cut of beef, grilled to perfection in its own juices instead of the fatty cooking oils favored in the west.

So the next time you dine out, skip all of the greases and oils that tip our scales and treat yourself instead to a plate of healthy, Korean goodness!