Is Korean BBQ Gluten-Free? (3 Tips for Weight Loss)

There is a general public consensus that regardless of your background or preferences, Korean Barbeque is one of the most delicious places existing.

As a meal for friends and family to gather for, Korean Barbeque has been around for over two thousand years and first originated as a fun and delicious way to eat at home. 

If you are someone who has dietary issues and is unable to consume gluten or prefers not to consume gluten for health reasons, you may be wondering, is Korean BBQ gluten-free? 

Korean BBQ is one of the best places to go to for individuals who can not, or prefer not, to eat foods that contain any gluten. However, there are still dishes served in Korean BBQ that contain gluten or use gluten-related products so not everything can be consumed. 

This article will help you figure out which foods are gluten-free and which ones to avoid the next time you are invited to a Korean BBQ dinner!

In addition to that, we will discuss how you can lose weight while still enjoying Gluten-Free Korean Barbeque. 

Here are some tips that will help individuals sensitive to gluten products and are also trying to lose weight: 

1. Sauces and Side Dishes To Be Aware Of 

2. Gluten-Free Korean BBQ Foods to Limit

3. 3 Healthy Gluten-Free Meats to Eat at Korean BBQ

Let’s take a look at these steps and see what we can find. 

Tip 1: Sauces and Side Dishes to Be Aware Of

When eating at Korean BBQ, the reason why it is such a great option for people who do not eat gluten is that you are essentially cooking raw cuts of meat yourself.

However, it is important to consider the marination sauce that the Korean Barbeque restaurants use.

Not only that there are some other foods on the table that you should be cautious because they tend to contain gluten.

Here are some common Korean BBQ Sauces and Dishes as well as whether or not they are gluten-free.

SOY SAUCE (Gluten)

The first thing to watch out for when eating Korean Barbeque is the soy sauce.

Since soy sauce is usually made out of wheat and occasionally as an alternative, rice, it is definitely a sauce to be aware of when eating out, especially at a Korean Barbeque. 

You can always ask the server if any of the meats are marinated in soy sauce and they will be more than happy to let you know if they used any gluten-filled sauces in any of their meats.

KIMCHI (Gluten)

Although not all Kimchi contains gluten, some brands either add flour to thicken the overall texture or add soy sauce for flavoring.

If any bit of gluten is not preferred in your diet, I do recommend in order to be safe, to stay away from Kimchi. However, a majority of the Kimchi brands do not contain these ingredients. 

Once again, you can always ask the waiter or waitresses whether or not their Kimchi has any gluten in them and they will be happy to let you know whether or not their kimchi was made with any gluten products.

SESAME OIL (Gluten-Free)

Instead of using soy sauce for your dipping sauce, I encourage that you stick with the sesame oil, salt, and pepper which is generally enough flavoring to still get the most out of your meat.

This is actually one of my favorite sauces to eat with the meat anyways because the meat itself has a lot of flavor in itself and the sesame oil is a perfect light compliment. 

CHILI PASTE- GOCHUJANG (Gluten-Free)

Another great gluten-free sauce you can eat is the popular Gochujang.

If you like your meats with a bit of spice, this gluten-free chili sauce is a great option for you to add some flavoring to your food.  

SIDE DISHES (Gluten-Free)

A lot of the side dishes at Korean BBQ restaurants are safe to eat since most of them are just pure vegetables with a bit of flavoring.

Ones that are usually gluten-free include:

Soybean Sprouts

Spinach

Seaweed 

Rice

Steamed Egg

Pickled Radish

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Tip 2: Gluten-Free Korean BBQ Foods to Limit or Enjoy

In this section we will cover some gluten free foods that are common in Korean BBQs but should be eaten in moderation when trying to lose weight.

Keep in mind that these are not foods that you should necessarily avoid, but you should watch for your portion size so you do not overeat. 

RICE (Limit)

Although it is gluten-free, rice is super easy to overeat so it is important to make sure you understand how much rice you are consuming.

A bowl of rice can easily add 200-300 extra calories to your meal which may very likely set you in a calorie surplus.

Whenever you eat over your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) or the amount of calories your body burns in a day, you will gain weight.

The key to a successful weight loss diet is to make sure you are not eating over this amount.

A great way to reduce the amount of calories you consume at a Korean BBQ is to cut your rice amount in half.

RICE PAPER (Limit)

These rice papers are great ways to pair with your meats, but they are also extremely easy to overeat.

One small square of rice paper is 20 calories, which may not seem like a lot, but with every cut of meat you have, you are adding an additional 20 calories which will quickly add up.

PICKLED RADISH (Enjoy)

Instead of using rice paper, I love wrapping my meats in pickled radish.

Whether they are white or pink, I think that it is a just as delicious alternative to the rice paper and such a low calorie exchange.

If you do not like the flavor of pickled radish, use lettuce instead which is also a great low calorie option.

STEAMED EGG (Limit)

Steamed egg is actually one of the healthiest ways to cook egg because it does not use excess oil or butter.

This voluminous version of the egg is not bad for you since there is a good amount of protein, but eggs are also high in fat so it is important to keep in mind your portion size.

I highly recommend incorporating this gluten-free dish into your meal but just make sure you are not eating the whole large bowl! 

SIDE DISHES (Enjoy) 

Korean BBQ side dishes are usually gluten-free and low calorie vegetables that taste delicious and pair wonderfully with the meat.

Stick to the kimchi (If it is gluten free), the seaweed, and the soybean sprouts.

SIDE DISHES (Limit)

You should limit your intake on Japchae (Stir Fried Glass Noodles) or anything that contains potatoes.

These gluten-free side dishes are much higher in calories and easy to overeat so make sure you don’t eat too many of these when eating Korean BBQ.

Tip 3: Healthy Gluten-Free Meats to Eat at Korean BBQ

Since meats are naturally gluten-free, the main course of Korean BBQ is all accessible to those with certain dietary restrictions.

If your goal is to lose weight, here are the top three types of meat that I recommend that you should order. 

Sometimes restaurants marinate their meat with soy sauce, so to be safe, let your waiter know that you prefer it if your meat was not marinated.

Don’t worry, it will still taste delicious!

Sirloin

3 ounces of Sirloin is 210 calories with 12 grams of fat and 23 grams of protein with no carbohydrates.

This is a good option to stick with and tastes absolutely delicious. 

Skirt

One serving of Skirt, which is 3 ounces, has 190 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 22 grams of protein with no carbohydrates.

This is the best option since it is lower in fat and higher in protein compared to the fattier cuts of meat. 

Beef Tongue 

1 ounce of Beef Tongue sits at around 60 calories with 4.5 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein.

This fat to protein ratio is a bit higher, meaning that there are more fats than the ideal meats that you should stick to when on a diet, but it still ranks better than other cuts.

Beef tongues are usually served in smaller portions anyway so it is good to eat in moderation.

CONCLUSION 

Remember, although nutrition is a huge factor that influences weight loss, it is important to pair this journey with exercise as well.

Especially strength training.

Several years of research on the benefits of weight training have shown that individuals that do some sort of consistent resistance training at least 3-5 times a week have shown not only a great amount of weight loss but are also able to keep the weight off! 

The secret to this phenomena is that strength training leads to a build-up of muscle.

Not only does your body recomposition into a more fitting and athletic-looking aesthetic, but having more muscle also increases your resting metabolic rate which essentially means you burn more calories at rest! 

Now that we know the importance of muscle we need to make sure we stay on track with our workouts.

Consistency and longevity are the two key factors when building muscle so there will be some commitment involved.

We understand that not everyone has access to a gym membership or feels comfortable starting off in such an intimidating environment.

Although I would strongly recommend that everyone should get a gym membership, don’t worry we got your back!

You can either go to the gym or build one for yourself.

It really just comes down to 3 pieces of equipment that you need to do most workouts.

These three are the workout bench, dumbbells, and gym flooring.

Check out our recommended gear page to see our best picks for these pieces of equipment here. 

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment

If a home gym is not for you then getting a membership somewhere works too.

As long as you are starting your muscle-building journey, we’re happy! 

Stick with it for the long run and you’ll see how amazing the results can be. 

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