Being healthy is simple.
Just as we study to excel academically, we must eat and live healthily to be healthy.
The principles of a healthy diet depend on whether we put them into practice.Health is closer than you think!
Those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or gout are likely very interested in diet.
You may worry about what and how to eat.
BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic provides a dietary guideline not only for those with internal medical conditions but also for those who are currently healthy.
These are the 10 principles of our diet.
The 10 Principles of a Healthy Diet
Treatment at BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic includes not only Korean Medicine (Han-uigak, 韓醫學) tools but also correct diets and lifestyle rules to regain health.
These are prescribed individually based on your health status.
While herbal medicine (Han-yak, 韓藥) is the foundation and Korean Medicine procedures are performed when necessary, following the prescribed diet and lifestyle rules is crucial for effective treatment.
Example of the Healthy Freedom Diet
We call the community of people who join us at BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic "People Dreaming of Healthy Freedom" (Geon-ja-kkum), and their diet is called the "Healthy Freedom Diet."
Here are the 10 basic frameworks of the diet for a healthy life.
1. Restrict Grains
First: Strictly limit the intake of grains, including white rice and multi-grains, as well as refined sugars.
When I tell people not to eat rice, most ask, "Then what should I eat?"
A change in perception begins by boldly removing rice, which has been taken for granted. Remember, our current health is the result of our past behaviors!
The reason you may not be healthy now could be found in a grain-centered diet that was accepted without question.
At BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic, we consider all grains, including multi-grains, flour, and rice flour, to be refined sugars, just like table sugar.
The Healthy Freedom Diet starts with avoiding these refined sugars.
2. Eat Eco-Friendly Vegetables
Second: Consume eco-friendly vegetables as your staple instead of grains.
While on a low-sugar diet, consuming plenty of vegetables is vital.
Instead of refined sugar, eat plenty of vegetables rich in "dietary fiber," a different form of carbohydrate.
We recommend vegetables grown using eco-friendly methods, such as organic or pesticide-free produce.
In particular, eat lots of green leafy vegetables.
If that is difficult, start with starchy vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and broccoli, and gradually expand your range.
You can chew them or blend them whole into a "Detox Meal."
3. Nutrient Ratio: 40% Veg, 25% Protein, 25% Fat, 10% Sugar
Third: The daily nutrient ratio should be 40% eco-friendly vegetables, 25% high-quality protein, 25% high-quality lipids, and 10% sugars.
We recommend that nearly half of your daily food intake consist of eco-friendly vegetables. Then, consume 25% each of good protein and good fat.
For protein, use natural ingredients such as eggs, fresh refrigerated meat, or seafood—avoid processed or refined powders.
Never eat processed meats like chicken breast sausages, ham, bacon, or smoked duck. We also do not recommend soy products, including tofu, mainly due to the isoflavones (phytoestrogens) in soybeans. While fermented soybean paste (Doen-jang) or Cheong-guk-jang is somewhat acceptable, avoid unfermented soy products like tofu, soy milk, and legumes.
Recommended oils include Ghee butter (for cooking), coconut oil (for cooking), olive oil (for dressing), and cold-pressed perilla oil (for dressing).
Sugars should come from fruits and nuts, making up about 10% of your daily intake.
Check Food Additives
Avoid sugar, non-nutritive sweeteners (stevia, aspartame), commercial oyster sauce, or chicken stock.
Season your food sufficiently, but use sun-dried salt or rock salt instead of refined salt. Use traditional soy sauce without additives, red pepper powder, garlic, onion, and ginger.
Always check the label for additives when purchasing ingredients!
4. Supplement Sugars Minimally
Fourth: Consume sugars through vegetables, nuts, and small amounts of fruit.
The 10% of your daily intake should come from vegetables, nuts, and small amounts of fruit, consumed only as much as necessary.
Vegetables also contain sugars like starch. Thus, eating plenty of vegetables provides sufficient sugar.
Additionally, you can supplement sugar with nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts).
Ensure they are fresh and free from rancidity or mold.
As mentioned, peanuts are legumes, not nuts. We do not recommend any type of legume.
The most important point: consume sugar-containing foods at the very end of your meal, only as much as your body truly needs.
There is no reason for our food to be excessively sweet.
Once you get used to the unrefined, healthy sweetness of natural ingredients, you can enjoy the true flavor of food!
5. Avoid Processed Foods
Fifth: Do not eat processed, instant, or delivery foods produced in factories.
It is hard to resist cheap and convenient instant food.
You eat it even knowing it's unhealthy. Clear out the ramen, snacks, juices, sodas, and frozen foods from your pantry and fridge right now.
Out of sight, out of mind. The difference between knowing and practicing is small, but the result is enormous.
The purpose of processed food is not to make us healthy but to sell well.
To achieve this, it must be made spicy, sweet, salty, and stimulating. This is why we must avoid them.
Processed foods lack real nutrients and contain chemical additives that disrupt metabolic processes, nervous system functions, and hormonal systems.
They make us forget natural flavors and lure us into a cycle of "empty fullness" and cravings.
6. Avoid Refined Sugars
Sixth: Do not eat pizza, burgers, bread, cookies, snacks, chocolate, ice cream, soda, or juice containing refined sugars.
This may seem obvious, but avoid 100% natural fruit or vegetable juices.
Juicing removes the essential dietary fiber and leaves only the sugar and water-soluble nutrients.
At BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic, we consider all juices, concentrates, and extracts as refined sugar.
Eat real vegetables, not vegetable juice!
Drinking juice because you dislike vegetables is merely psychological comfort; it is a completely different food once the fiber is removed.
Commercial vegetable juices are often high in sugar, and liquid sugar is the most dangerous form.
7. No Plastic, No Cans
Seventh: Do not eat food contaminated with environmental hormones, toxic chemicals, pesticides, or heavy metals. (Especially food in plastic or canned containers.)
Most people know to avoid plastic. Even if it is "BPA-free," it is best to avoid it.
Ignoramus (We do not know)—there is more that we don't know than what we do.
Always be cautious. We also do not recommend canned foods.
8. Eco-Friendly Agriculture and Livestock
Eighth: Choose organic, pesticide-free, antibiotic-free, and animal welfare-certified products..
Just as you would use premium gasoline for a supercar, eat high-quality food for a healthy
You are what you eat.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
Animal welfare eggs are now easy to find. While organic livestock products are expensive and less common, there are many options like grass-fed or antibiotic-free meat.
We recommend at least antibiotic-free livestock products.
Think seriously: are you feeding your child antibiotic-free meat while giving them antibiotics for a minor cold?
9. Limit Eco-Friendly Fruit to One Fistful a Day
Ninth: Choose eco-friendly fruits and eat only a portion the size of your fist per day.
The fructose in fruit provides a strong sweetness that is easy to overeat.
Fruit is a different category from vegetables; do not think you can be healthy by eating fruit instead of vegetables.
Excessive fruit intake can cause lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and fatty liver.
Limit fruit to one fistful a day
Limit fruit to one fistful a day and eat the peel if possible.
10. Fast for 12 Hours
Tenth: Ensure enough time for your digestive system to rest through fasting or eating less.
Secure more than 12 hours of fasting per day and limit food intake to no more than 4 times a day
(e.g., Dinner at 19:00 → Breakfast at 07:00).
The digestive system needs time to recover from the damage caused by breaking down and absorbing food.
Overeating exhausts the digestive system.
Avoid overeating or binge eating.
BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic
Summary
• No Grains! Plenty of Vegetables!
• Less Fruit and Refined Sugar!
• Plenty of High-Quality Protein and Fat!
• Avoid Processed Foods!
• Eat Less! Fast Longer!
It’s simple.
Today's health starts with today's practice!
BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic: Thinking about what to do before medicine.
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