This beloved Korean snack is a 'blood sugar bomb': nutrition expert
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Nutrition expert cautions against tteokbokki's triple threat of refined carbs, sugar, sodium
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Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) is one of the go-to snacks for when one feels peckish. With its chewy rice cakes simmered in a sweet and spicy sauce, the dish is loved by both kids and adults. However, tteokbokki is loaded with refined carbohydrates and sugar, causing blood sugar to spike while also being high in calories.
Triple threat of refined carbs, sugar, sodium
Pharmacist Kim Hyun-jin, known online as “Jinsim Pharmacist,” recently shared on social media a list of top 10 food items that can “make you gain weight as soon as you eat them.” The rankings were:
1. Tteokbokki
2. Donuts
3. Gimbap (Korean seaweed-wrapped rice roll)
4. Liquid fructose
5. Cake
6. Churros
7. Jjajang noodles
8. Seasoned fried chicken
9. Ice cream
10. Grilled beef intestines
Kim emphasized that the list is not ranked by calorie content. “Tteokbokki is a combination of carbohydrates, sugar and sodium — the perfect trio that essentially switches your body into fat-storage mode,” he explained.
He added, “Rice cakes are almost pure starch, so they spike blood sugar explosively. When combined with gochujang (red chili paste) and sugar-based sauce, it leads to excessive insulin secretion.” He also pointed out that tteokbokki is often eaten with fried foods or sundae (Korean blood sausage), which worsens the impact.
As the nutrition expert noted, tteokbokki is primarily made from refined carbs like rice or wheat cakes. The sauce contains large amounts of sugar to create its sweet flavor, leading to sharp rises in blood glucose. When blood sugar spikes rapidly, insulin secretion increases, and excess energy is more likely to be stored as fat. People who need to manage blood sugar should avoid it if possible.
Seasonings, such as gochujang and soy sauce, used to create its spicy, salty and sweet flavor contain high sodium levels, which can cause water retention and bloating.
Another issue is what comes after eating tteokbokki. Its spicy flavor often makes people crave something sweet and cold, like ice cream or juice. This habit of following it with dessert contributes significantly to weight gain. For those urgently needing to manage their weight or blood sugar, it’s best to avoid tteokbokki or eat only a very small portion.
Make sure to add veggies
If you still want tteokbokki while dieting, adding plenty of vegetables like cabbage and eating them first can help. This increases fullness and slows the rise in blood sugar. Eating a boiled egg first is also beneficial, as protein helps prevent rapid blood sugar spikes.
You can also substitute rice or wheat cakes with konjac or tofu-based alternatives. Konjac is extremely low in calories, while tofu contains less carbohydrates.
Some people dip fried foods or sundae into the tteokbokki sauce, but this eating style can raise blood sugar even faster. It’s best to minimize consumption of the sauce.
If giving up tteokbokki isn’t an option, increase your physical activity on the day you eat it and avoid desserts like ice cream afterward.
This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.