Uniqueness of Korean Cuisine (V): Beverages

Traditional and contemporary Korean beverages provide a number of dietary benefits. Their role has more in common with medicine and healing agents than with simply stimulating our taste buds and quenching our thirst. Although a variety of carbonated sodas are accessible, Koreans choose to minimize the sugar pleasures from Coca Cola, Sprite, and Fanta.

By Chad Meyer

This is the fifth part of a series focusing on the benefits of Korean well-being. We will continue to explore the Korean diet and its relationship with longevity and health. ― ED.

Traditional and contemporary Korean beverages provide a number of dietary benefits. Their role has more in common with medicine and healing agents than with simply stimulating our taste buds and quenching our thirst. Although a variety of carbonated sodas are accessible, Koreans choose to minimize the sugar pleasures from Coca Cola, Sprite, and Fanta.

These caffeinated drinks are consumed on occasion and in much smaller sizes. Korean children are not served sweetened drinks with meals either, avoiding the addictive properties of caffeine and sugar at a young age. Teenagers occasionally consume soda with friends as it infrequently infiltrates the home.

In the United States, ninety percent of adults and seventy-six percent of children consume caffeine daily. Caffeine occurs naturally in products such as tea, coffee and chocolates, and is also added to cola soft drinks. An eight-ounce cup (245ml) of coffee contains 135mg of caffeine. A twelve-ounce can of soda has 34mg of caffeine.

American adults ingest large amounts of caffeine from coffee while American children get caffeine from carbonated soda. Studies demonstrated that three to four cups of coffee per day could reduce the risk of type-two diabetes by up to thirty percent. Later studies showed that the reduced risk likely comes from the combination of caffeine, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants found in the coffee. While coffee may not be too harmful and may have some benefits, a diet heavy in caffeine can lead to insomnia, nausea, diarrhea, and obesity through a stimulated appetite.

Water and tea are the two healthiest beverages known to mankind. Both are in abundance and have few undesired side effects. What other drinks could be considered healthy for our bodies? In order to better understand beverages and their benefits, let's take a closer look at calorie and sugar intake.

A person's metabolic rate is a measure of the energy required for involuntary body processes. A human requires roughly ten calories per pound (.45kg) of body weight to maintain life. A 200lb person would then require a 2,000-calorie diet. More than half of the required calories for living are used for breathing, maintaining body temperature, developing hormones, and maintaining a constant heart rate.

Sugar ingestion, along with calorie intake, is something we must also monitor. Human taste buds love things that are sweet. Excessive amounts of sugar, however, can increase the risk of type 2-diabetes, tooth decay, and obesity. The typical size of a Korean beverage bottle is one hundred to three hundred ounces. A Western size can of Coca Cola is twelve ounces while bottles are twenty ounces. A can of Western soda contains about 150 calories and nearly 40 grams of sugar.

For comparison, a typical packet of sugar contains four grams of sugar. A single can of soda therefore contains the equivalent of ten packets of sugar. A twenty-ounce bottle of carbonated soda holds 69 grams of sugar, the equivalent of over 17 packets of sugar. It's sickening to think how much sugar this is. Unfortunately, even some Western health drinks such as vitamin water are misleading. A twenty-ounce bottle of Glaceau Vitamin Water, for example, contains 130 calories and 33 grams of sugar!

Koreans have a tendency to listen when their bodies speak. As a Westerner, I often tolerate stomachaches, headaches, and other undesirable physical pains knowing that the sensation will eventually pass.

Instead of looking after our health, Westerners are emotionally consoled via 'comfort drinks' like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. The irony of diet drinks is that they really do not help your diet. Western diet drinks offer little to no nutrition and are marketed to people looking to reduce their sugar and calorie intake to fend off obesity.

The remaining non-diet Western drinks are high in calories and sugar. Although these provide no nutritional value, psychologically they provide the stimulus and pleasure that Westerners crave. Westerners want an immediate uplifting feeling regardless of the actual long-term health risk. Koreans are more proactive searching for relief from these unwelcome feelings via more natural means.

Many types of Korean drinks have specific functions. Whether it's treating indigestion, a cold, fatigue, or even a hangover, you will find a drink created for every ailment. Over-the-counter herbal drinks, vitamin drinks, juices, energy drinks, and general well-being beverages are found ubiquitously in Korea and are a representation of a culture cradled by well-being.

The Korean bottle, can, and drinking carton size are distinguishable from Western drinks. Portions are realistic and a typical three to eight ounce bottle is designed to be fully consumed during a break or resting period of the day. These drinks can be found seemingly everywhere: Korean supermarkets, convenient stores, and pharmacies all offer a large assortment of nutritional stimuli. The refrigerator case in a Korean supermarket has very little in common with the Western counterpart. And in addition to the cold case refrigerator, you'll often find a smaller warm case where coffees and teas can be found ready to drink in a hot can.

Western medical treatment for common colds and ailments are usually a combination of rest and prescribed medication. Koreans can consult a doctor or utilize a trained pharmacist who can offer several over the counter (OTC) treatments. Red ginseng is an energy drink that can be found in all pharmacies and supermarkets.

It is sold in six-ounce cans. It contains Korean red ginseng extract and vitamin C, known to combat stress and fatigue. Red ginseng is a root that becomes red while it grows over six years time. It is then processed by continuous drying and steaming. Red ginseng has many health benefits such as quenching thirst, eliminating fatigue, removing stress, preventing diabetes, preventing overeating, regulating urine flow, aiding in hangover recovery, and minimizing the effects of aging. A similar Western energy drink is Red Bull. Although Red Bull does not contain ginseng, it is functionally the same.

Served in eight-ounce cans, it contains 160 calories and 39 grams of sugar. The problem is that Red Bull simply mimics what caffeine does to our body, acting as a quick pick-me-up. Red ginseng not only provides short-term benefits but it also provides the body with long-term nutrition, healthy skin, and an improved immune system.

Aloe Vera drinks are another unique Korean beverage. They are sold in short and tall green tinted plastic bottles. Normally containing thirty percent aloe vera gel in a drinkable form, they are rich in minerals, calcium, potassium, Vitamins B3, B1, B6, B2, and Vitamin C. Aloe vera drinks are characterized as aiding the digestive system and helping relieve gastrointestinal problems. They are also considered as a treatment for athlete's foot and acne.

Bacchus-D is a favorite energy drink in Korea. Served in small three ounce brown glass bottles, this product dominates five percent of the total Korean pharmaceutical market. Bacchus-D was created in 1963 by the pharmaceutical company Dong-A.

It was produced to combat fatigue, lower stress, improve concentration and maximize energy levels. It is yellow in color and contains royal jelly, a secretion from honeybees that is fed to queen larva. In recent years, the company acknowledged that people with Asthma and allergies to bee products should limit their exposure to royal jelly.

Bacchus-D also contains apple juice and the extracts of strawberries, oranges, and pineapples. It has a minimal aftertaste, which makes it a good alternative to Red Bull. Also considered a hangover remedy, Bacchus-D is a popular beverage to have after an evening of drinking. The total amount of caffeine is low compared with Western beverages. The eight-ounce can contains 120 calories, 29 grams of sugar, and 60mg of caffeine. This is half the dosage of caffeine of a similarly sized cup of coffee. A sugar-free version is also available.

Vita 500 is a Korean beverage that is famous for being one of the few caffeine-free energy drinks. It is produced by the Kwang Dong Corporation and contains a vitamin enriched apple juice. Each bottle contains 155 calories and 35 grams of sugar. It is very popular globally, selling over 100 million dollars worth of product in 2006. Similar to Bacchus-D, it is bottled in small six ounce brown glass bottles. It is a Vitamin C based drink designed to improve physical strength and energy. The US RDA recommends at least 60mg of Vitamin C per day for adults. Vita 500 has 500mg of Vitamin C, which is 830% of the US RDA. It also contains vitamins B2, B3, and B5. The artificial sweeteners inside unfortunately give this a slightly strong aftertaste.

Vita 500 is commonly purchased in larger ten pack cartons. During important business meetings, it is common for the attendees to bring two cases of Vita 500 for the host as a gesture of respect. When arriving, the guests will hand out one bottle to each attendee. If the meeting is with only one person, two cases totaling twenty bottles can be given to a single individual as a gift.

Besides drinking water or tea with meals, Koreans sometimes enjoy a traditional after-dinner drink in lieu of dessert. Sweet cinnamon punch, ``soo jeonggwa,'' can be made at home or purchased in an eight ounce can. It is a traditional Korean natural drink made of cinnamon, sugar, dried persimmon, and ginger. It is believed to assist in digestion. Another traditional Korean drink is ``Sikhye. Sikye is an inexpensive sweet rice punch. It contains barley germ powder, sweet rice, sugar, and pine nuts and is served cold over ice.

Koreans have a favorite high calorie drink that deserves recognition: banana milk. Although milk and dairy products are not indigenous to Korea, banana milk became a favorite drink care of the Binggrae Company in 1974. During this time, the Korean economy began to flourish and banana milk became a hit.

Since then, it has been considered a contemporary reminder of the success that Korea experienced in the 1970s. Packaged in a unique small plastic capsule, Binggrae banana milk is a unique type of Korean beverage.

Chad Meyer is a robotics engineer working in Korea with a passion for Korean food. He can be reached at: food.korea@hotmail.com