By Bae Ji-sook
Staff reporter
Dining out with colleagues can be one of the best ways to deal with work-related stress and loosen up a bit after a long day at the office.
But it can also pose a huge threat to one’s determination to keep in shape. The barbequed meat and multiple glasses of alcohol consumed with colleagues late at night could be the main obstacle to staying in shape and especially if you are on a diet, a survey showed Wednesday.
According to a survey of 351 people by 365mc Clinic, about 36 percent of respondents reported dining out with colleagues once or twice a week. About 30 percent said they did so once a month and some 18 percent said more than three times a week.
About 86 percent said they eat meat, mostly “samgyeopsal,” or pork belly meat. About 48 percent said such a meal threatens their diet regime greatly while another 41 percent admitted that they have a hard time with weight control because of such outings.
“It’s true that dining with colleagues can be quite a challenging situation because you often don’t get to choose what you eat and you keep drinking with your coworkers because of the atmosphere,” Kim Ha-jin, director of the clinic, said.
However, it is high time we thought about a healthier way to enjoy a night out with coworkers, he said. “Try to avoid eating too much of fatty cuts such as samgyeopsal. I recommend chuck rolls or sirloin instead. Try to eat as many vegetables as possible and drink a lot of water while drinking alcohol. Also, avoid eating overly spicy and salty foods. Those are all bad for your health,” he said.