The most recommended lifestyle diet: the "Eat side dishes like rice, and rice like side dishes" eating method.

Nowadays, more people are using self-injection medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro to lose weight easily. While these injections have the advantage of facilitating weight loss, they are quite expensive, and for those with needle phobia, the act of injecting can be a significant source of stress.

Most importantly, studies show that when these injections are stopped, the "yo-yo effect" of regaining weight occurs very rapidly. This is because the signal of satiety sent to the brain by the injections disappears, leading to a significant increase in appetite.

Eating plenty of bland side dishes allows you to eat heartily without gaining weight

Ultimately, all artificial interventions have their limitations. The best diet is one that naturally leads to weight loss within your lifestyle. Among lifestyle diets, we highly recommend the "Eat side dishes like rice, and rice like side dishes" eating method that our clinic promotes.

The core principles of this eating method are: △ blood sugar control △ nutritional balance △ maintaining satiety. In the past, with strenuous physical labor, people wouldn't gain weight even by eating three heaping bowls of rice with just soy sauce. However, in modern times, where we spend much of our lives sitting at computers, even eating meals on time can easily lead to excessive carbohydrate intake.

However, an indiscriminate reduction in food intake can lead to a deficiency in essential nutrient intake, causing various physical problems such as weakened immunity, muscle loss, hair loss, anemia, osteoporosis, and aging. Most importantly, our brains crave to eat until they are full once we start eating, making it difficult to regulate this at every meal.

Therefore, the method we've found is to drastically reduce refined carbohydrates like white rice and significantly increase side dishes rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, such as salads, blanched vegetables, lettuce wraps, grilled fish, tofu, mushrooms, and boiled eggs. Additionally, when making stews, adding plenty of ingredients and keeping the seasoning bland can achieve the effect of eating more side dishes.

Eating this way fills you up and automatically regulates blood sugar, preventing weight gain. This method of eating a large quantity of side dishes as the main meal and a small amount of rice as a side is called the "Eat side dishes like rice, and rice like side dishes" eating method.

"One-bowl meals" like hoe-deopbap and poke are also good alternatives

It's important to note that when we say "Eat side dishes like rice, and rice like side dishes," it does not mean eating large amounts of oily or salty side dishes like sausages, fried foods, braised dishes, or seasoned salted vegetables. You must choose side dishes that are bland, nutrient-rich, and easily digestible natural foods.

If preparing a variety of side dishes is difficult, consider "one-bowl meals" that can substitute for a full meal, such as △ hoe-deopbap (raw fish over rice) △ poke △ salads. These are good alternatives that allow you to consume ample dietary fiber and protein while reducing carbohydrates. With the increasing number of salad specialty stores, even office workers can easily enjoy a healthy meal.

Initially, the purpose of the diet is to reduce carbohydrates (rice) and increase vegetables and protein (side dishes). However, by continuing this method, you will naturally ingest a variety of nutrients, which can help prevent metabolic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer.

Of course, not all health problems can be solved by focusing solely on nutrient intake. Good air, moderate exercise, sleep, sunlight, and a stress-free life are all important. However, eating is the most fundamental aspect of maintaining health. Without improving eating habits, any exercise will yield limited results.

Starting today, try increasing the amount of healthy side dishes and significantly reducing the amount of rice. If there's a way to lose weight while eating heartily, there's no reason not to try it.

◆ Director Park Chan-young

Director of Eoseongcho Korean Medicine Clinic in Sadang-dong, Seoul. Doctor of Korean Medicine from Dongguk University. He caused a detoxification sensation in Korea by appearing on TV health programs such as MBN's "The Great Gatekeepers of Health." His books include "Atopic Dermatitis and Eczema Cured with Eoseongcho," "Seasonings are Medicine," and "The Miracle of Detoxification."