Is Bingsu (Korean Shaved Ice) Healthy? (3 Tips For Weight Loss) 

Bingsu, a popular Korean dessert that is perfect for a blistering summer day.

Traditionally, Bingsu was simply shaved ice topped with milk, sweet azuki red beans, and pieces of rice cake.

Nowadays, Bingsu has evolved into many different forms of flavors and topping, some such as cookies and cream, matcha, chocolate, pudding, vanilla, etc. anything you can dream of!

And of course the toppings have evolved beyond sweet red beans and rice cakes.

Bingsu can be loaded with a plethora of different sweet toppings such as cut fruit, different types of syrups, ice cream, jellies, frozen yogurt, etc. you name it! 

Korean Bingsu or shaved ice is a dessert option that contains lots of calories coming from fats and sugar due to the large amount of condensed milk and a variety of heavy toppings such as cookies, rice cakes, and cheesecake.

It is essentially a dessert that carries a lot of simple carbs which can lead to weight gain if calories are not taken into consideration. 

But if you are seriously craving it and still want to stay on path for weight loss, here are three tips for you to follow that will help cushion the impact of Bingsu on your diet. 

1. Create Your Own At Home 

2. Have a Diet Game Plan

3. Limit To Once a Week 

These tips might be a little bit of work, but if you are committed to losing weight, these are for you to still be able to enjoy Bingsu while still being on track!

The best of both worlds! 

How to Lose Weight When Eating Bingsu 

When it comes to weight loss and health it is important to understand energy expenditure and the impact of certain types of macronutrients. 

If you are looking to lose weight, it always comes down to how many calories you consume and if you are in a deficit.

Being in a caloric deficit makes the biggest impact in weight loss. 

But how do you know your deficit? Being in a caloric deficit is different for everyone.

The amount you eat depends on factors such as your gender, height, weight, age, and activity levels.

To figure out your deficit, you need to figure out your TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure which refers to how many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. 

TDEE is calculated by taking your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate and then multiplying the value by your activity measurement.

BMR refers to the amount of calories your body needs just to survive and maintain your current weight. 

Now this might sound complicated but thankfully there are a plethora of TDEE online calculators available.

All you have to do is plug in a couple information such as your age, height, and gender and the calculator will give you an estimated TDEE or some even have the option to give you calorie goals for weight loss. 

If the calculator only gives you your TDEE, all you have to do to start losing weight is eat below your TDEE.

So if your TDEE is 1,800 calories, just eat a couple hundred calories below 1,800 and you will lose weight.

How low you go will dictate how fast you lose weight.

But a tip, try not to drop your calories too low. Going too low too fast is way too extreme and your weight loss will be unmaintainable.

Patience is key! A slower weight loss will be more maintainable and you won’t lose as much muscle as you would with an extreme approach.

I recommend not going below 1,200 calories for females and 1,500 calories for males. 

Along with calories, it is also important to understand the significance of macronutrients: protein, carbs, and fat.

When trying to lose weight, the best ratio is to keep your proteins high, have moderate carbs, and low fats.

It’s ideal to have a high protein diet because protein is an essential building block for your body and it keeps you fuller for longer compared to carbs and fats. 

You want to keep your fats low because one gram of fat contains 9 calories which is the highest out of the macronutrients.

It’s all about calories in the weight loss game!

Tip 1: Create Your Own At Home

One way to make Bingsu less caloric is by making your own at home!

By making it at home you have complete control of serving size and toppings. 

When making Bingsu at home for weight loss, you want to stick to wholesome ingredients that are not too heavy in processed sugar.

For toppings I would suggest fresh cut fruits, konjac jellies, and red beans. 

Toppings such as these are very light and yield the least amount of calories when compared to the usual fully loaded Bingsu with ice cream and rice cakes. 

Another way to cut calories is to control the amount of syrup you use to flavor the ice.

By doing this you can easily cut the amount of calories by half or even more compared to the ones you order from shops. 

Along with cutting syrups, you can also substitute for healthier alternatives such as honey or agave syrup.

These would still make the Bingsu sweet and also healthier than being drizzled with condensed milk. 

Tip 2: Have a Diet Game Plan 

If you do not want to make your own at home or are just craving Bingsus that are sold outside, then plan the Bingsu into your overall calories for the day. 

Depending on what type of Bingsu you order, the calories can range anywhere from 300-900 calories for one bowl.

To play it safe, it is better to overestimate how many calories your order is and factor it into your calorie goal for the day. 

Once you have fitted it in, figure out what you can eat throughout the day with the rest of your calories.

My suggestion is to fill it with as much protein as possible because Bingsu is nothing but carbs and fats.

By eating more protein, you will feel fuller for the rest of the day.

Stick to lean proteins such as chicken and fish and eat green vegetables along with it, therefore you can keep your fat and carb intake low for the Bingsu while still having filling meals. 

It is better to avoid Bingsu that is loaded with syrups and toppings if you are not craving any specific one in particular.

Go with a Bingsu that is minimal in toppings such as “Patbingsu” which only consists of condensed milk, red bean, and rice cakes.

The simpler the Bingsu, the less calories. 

Tip 3: Moderation Is key 

As standard with any weight loss journey, moderation is key!

When trying to lose weight you want to minimize the amount of calorie dense foods such as Bingsu.

But we all have cravings once in a while, so it is totally fine to treat yourself as long as you get back on track with your diet. 

Never completely neglect your cravings because this could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and one day of treating yourself isn’t going to diminish your progress all in one go. 

Another very important thing to do while trying to lose weight is making sure you workout at least 2-3 times a week.

One of the best types of workout you can do is strength training! 

Strength training, as opposed to cardio, offers you long term beneficial metabolic results! This is achieved through building lean mass.

Because muscles are denser than fat, your body needs more energy to maintain itself, hence a faster metabolism. 

Getting into strength training might seem a little intimidating at first but once you get the hang of it it is actually very easy and a great way to get your body moving without you having to get too exhausted. 

You do not even need a gym membership to start strength training.

You can achieve positive results just by having a couple base pieces of equipment yourself!

Strength training is not complicated and you can reap all the benefits even just by workout out at home.

If you are looking for the best equipments and everything you need to get started, check out this link right here https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment 

There You Go! 

Everything you need to know if you are trying to stay on your weight loss journey while still enjoying Bingsu.

Bingsu is by no means healthy because it is pretty much all carbs and fat. But that does not mean you still can’t enjoy it. 

It is good to stay healthy and lose weight if you need to but living a good life also means allowing yourself to enjoy the little pleasures along the way.

As long as you eat everything in moderation and have a healthy diet a majority of the time, a treat such as Bingsu is not an issue at all. 

Keep these tips in mind, but don’t stress too much! As long as you are working out with an overbalanced diet, treat yourself once in a while and satisfy your cravings.

Doing so is definitely better for you in the long run and helps you keep up your progress. 

Now go and enjoy a delicious, refreshing bowl of Bingsu! 

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