Is Tteokbokki Healthy? (3 Tips For Weight Loss)
Is Tteokbokki healthy? It really depends on how many times you decide to eat it.
Tteokbokki is a Korean street food that consists of a sweet and spicy pepper paste sauce mixed with chewy rice cakes, boiled eggs, and fish cakes.
Tteokbokki isn’t really considered to be unhealthy, however, it does contain a lot of carbs and fats. Within moderation a delicious snack such as Tteokbokki is totally fine to eat.
However, if eaten everyday, this snack can really take a toll on you and add up in the amount of carbs you are eating in a week.
Here are three key points that you want to follow if you want to eat your favorite Korean meal and still be healthy.
Make sure that your daily carb intake is controlled
Focus on eating the proteins such as the egg and fish cake
Make sure not to eat Tteokbokki everyday
These tips are easier said than done but if, you’re someone who’s dedicated to looking and feeling their best, then these are the tips for you!
How To Lose Weight When Eating Tteokbokki
Staying healthy and preventing weight gain is really the understanding of energy balance or calorie intake.
Being lean is really making sure that you are not eating too many calories, especially calories that come from carbs and fats.
Tteokbokki is a Korean dish that consists mainly of those macro nutrients, unfortunately, and is something that must be eaten in moderation if health and fitness are your goals.
Carbs are not the enemy and neither are fats.
The real enemy is overeating on these two and this is what causes many health issues such as insulin resistance or high blood pressure.
Carbs are a direct source of energy for us humans and fats are a regulator for our hormones and vitamin absorption.
However, when you overeat on these two, they cause you to gain weight which is never a good situation to be in.
Protein is really the key when dieting and it can definitely be hard to get some in a regular diet.
This is why we want to supplement protein with a high quality powder that can get us to our protein goals for the day.
Here are our top picks for Protein powders that will get you leaner by building muscle.
Also, to make sure your body burns enough calories you need to build muscle and seek out more movement throughout your days.
All it takes are a couple of dumbbells (boxflex adjustable dumbbells on amazon) and a reliable treadmill (bluefin fitness treadmill) that will track how many calories you burn per session.
The best thing to do when eating a dish like Tteokbokki is to make sure that your daily carb and fat intake is low either before you eat the delicious rice cake meal or after you eat it.
Just think about the total amount of carbs and fats you can eat in a day and fit it into your diet.
Let’s dive a little deeper into how to figure out how many calories, carbs, and fats you need to eat on a daily basis.
Tip 1: Make Sure That Your Daily Carb Intake Is Controlled
The amount of carbs that are in a 400 gram serving of Tteokboki is around 71 grams.
This is not bad but Tteokbokki is a food where you can definitely eat more than 400 grams of per meal.
So the question is “How many grams of carbs can I eat in a day?”
About 1 gram per pound of body weight is a great start to knowing how many carbs you should eat if you are someone who is looking to lose weight and enjoy a nice snack.
Here are the nutrition facts for 400 grams of Tteokbokki
As you can see a serving of Tteokbokki runs for around 71 grams of carbs.
Let’s take a female that weighs 130 pounds.
This example person can eat 130 grams of carbs in a day which means, after having her Tteokbokki, she can now only have around 59 grams of carbs for her day.
Depending on if she ate the Tteokbokki before the meal or after the meal, then she can only eat 59 grams of carbs for either lunch or dinner.
Which is not a lot. (This sounds like one of those math problems you had to do as a kid).
The key here is to allow yourself to indulge in delicious meals such as this but just be responsible and aware of how much food you are consuming.
Figure out how many carbs you need to eat in a day to stay lean and eat that amount.
It’s okay to go over here and there but it isn’t okay to overeat all the time.
Tip 2: Focus On The Proteins Such As The Egg & Fish Cake
Protein is always your friend when you are dieting or live a healthy lifestyle.
Protein promotes weight loss as its main function is to build and repair muscle which is a huge factor that determines whether or not you stay lean and mean.
Muscle and activity level are the driving factors that help us burn calories more effectively.
For more information on how to get to your abs check out this article where we go over how to get lean after your 30s.
The other benefit that protein carries in your food is the satiation factor.
Protein really fills you up which is why it’s such a vital macro nutrient when it comes to dieting.
Let’s talk about eggs. Eggs are an amazing source of protein and they are delicious.
Although it carries some cholesterol in the egg yolks, they are still a great source of protein and can keep you nice and full after you indulge in your favorite korean snack.
Eggs carry 5 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein assuming that the egg was boiled and not fried.
This will definitely fill you up and provide the protein that you need in a meal where protein is almost non existent. A meal like Tteokboki can really benefit from an egg or two and, getting away from the health and fitness aspect of it, can add so much flavor and bite to your meal.
What about the fish cakes?
The fish cakes are alright but they still carry some carbs within each bite.
The macro nutrients of Korean Fish Cakes are usually around 4.5 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fats, and 3.5 grams of protein per 1 oz eaten.
Not bad! The real caloric factor in Tteokbokki is definitely the rice cakes.
Rice cakes are purely carbs and fats so, when you focus on eating the fish cakes more than the rice cakes, you’ll be getting a ton more protein which means a healthier, more satiating, meal.
So, to sum up tip number two. T
ry focusing on the eggs and fish cakes so you can get that precious protein in and eat less of the rice cakes.
I know this requires some sacrifice and is easier said than done, but I know you’re here because you care about your health and fitness.
Tip 3: Make Sure Not To Eat Tteokbokki Everyday
If you’re like my mom and tteokbokki is your favorite food, I have to tell you that eating tteokbokki everyday is probably not the best thing you can do for your health.
Moderation is key when indulging in the delicious, sweet and spicy dish that is tteokbokki. This is definitely a meal that you save for the weekend and not something that you add to your everyday life.
Why can’t I eat Tteokbokki everyday?
Well, technically you can, it’ll just be very hard to get your other macronutrients that come from healthy sources of whole foods.
Tteokbokki takes 71 grams of carbs, 4.5 grams of fat, and 29 grams of protein, assuming that you added eggs and fish cakes.
For 71 grams of carbs, especially for someone smaller in stature, you should be getting way more than 29 grams of protein.
Proteins and carbs are usually taken to a 1 to 1 ratio so you should be getting 71 grams of protein for every 71 grams of carbs consumed.
It’s a lot of math but it’s definitely worth it to understand what you’re putting into your body.
For most of your days you should be eating lower carb or regularly placed carb options.
Take a basic healthy meal of brown rice, chicken breast, and broccoli for example.
Brown rice usually has around 35-40 grams of carbs per serving and chicken breast has around 35-45 grams of protein per 3 or 4 ounces.
Broccoli carries around 3.5 grams of carbs and a ton of fiber which makes this meal an extremely balanced meal that follows the 1 to 1 ratio rule.
You need to add whole foods like this into your diet and should be eating meals like this for most of your life.
What I recommend is eating healthy for the weekdays and splurging a bit (not too much of course) on the weekends with foods like Tteokbokki.
There is a time and place for Tteokbokki and it definitely isn’t for everyday consumption or even weekday consumption.
Just enjoy it with a gathering of friends or family and focus on tips 1 and 2 if you really want to be health conscious.
Tteokbokki is better eaten with friends anyway and is usually enjoyed with company and good times.
Go Enjoy Some TTeokbokki Responsibly!
So, there it is.
Three tips on how you can eat your favorite Korean meal and still stay lean and healthy.
It requires some sacrifice, I know, but if you’re really serious about your fitness goals, then this is what you need to do for all foods you know are heavy in carbs and fats.
Remember protein is your friend and is there to keep you looking great!
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PHILLIP PAK
Phillip Pak is a fitness expert who has been training clients for 6 years. Throughout his fitness journey, Phill has done it all when it comes to diet and nutrition. He is now the owner of Aspire Fitness Walnut where his main goal is to help those who are seeking to find the best version of themselves. Phillip is also a NASM Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) and a NASM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT).
