High-protein, high-calorie, high-fat tonics are a thing of the past... What is the perfect health food for modern people?

Mulhoe, Kongguksu, Buckwheat Soba, Milmyeon, Mul Naengmyeon, Makguksu. These are six representative summer dining menus whose consumption increases as the temperature rises. This is the result of an analysis of the correlation coefficients between temperature and these popular summer restaurant dishes conducted by Samsung Card and NICE Genie Data. If you want to eat healthily, which menu should you choose? Let's compare the nutritional components.

Summer health foods such as ginseng chicken soup and loach soup, which have been eaten since the past, are usually high in protein, calories, and fat. Our ancestors in the past aimed to overcome summer with sufficient nutritional intake. However, for modern people who already eat three balanced meals a day, such foods can actually be harmful to health. Excessive nutrition increases the risk of metabolic diseases such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension.

What are the criteria for selecting nutritious summer health foods suitable for modern people? Professor Ko Gi-dong of the Department of Family Medicine at Gachon University Gil Medical Center said, "During the summer, eating foods rich in water, protein, and minerals can be helpful," and "since you sweat a lot, hydration is necessary." He added, "However, sodium, another component excreted through sweat, is already sufficiently included in regular meals, so there is no need to specifically consume abundant foods for it."

During the hot summer months, our body's organs become overworked trying to regulate body temperature. Outdoors, it is necessary to suppress the continuously rising body temperature, while indoors, it is important to raise the body temperature to adapt to the rapidly lowered temperature. At this time, gastrointestinal function weakens, physical strength decreases, and immunity also tends to decline. Professor Ko said, "Proteins and minerals are components that strengthen the immune system and help regulate bodily functions such as metabolic activities." Vitamins B group and C are also good for boosting immunity and relieving fatigue.

Among the six representative summer dining foods, the healthful dishes for modern people are mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and kongguksu (cold soybean noodle soup). According to the nutrition component database of the Korea Food & Drug Administration, the moisture content of all six foods was similar, ranging from approximately 79 to 85 grams per 100 grams. Protein and mineral content were highest in mulhoe, followed by kongguksu. Per 100 grams, mulhoe contains 4.91 grams of protein, and kongguksu contains 4.61 grams. The remaining foods had lower protein contents: buckwheat soba at 2.49 grams, mul-mil-myeon (cold wheat noodles) at 2.46 grams, makguksu at 2 grams, and mul-naengmyeon (cold wheat noodles in broth) at 1.99 grams.

Among minerals, the potassium content per 100g of food was in the order of Mulhoe (160mg), Kongguksu (100mg), Buckwheat Soba (56mg), Mulmil-myeon (44mg), Makguksu (44mg), and Mul-naengmyeon (37mg). The calcium content per 100g of food was in the order of Mulhoe (30mg), Kongguksu (25mg), Mul-naengmyeon (17mg), Mulmil-myeon (12mg), Makguksu (11mg), and Buckwheat Soba (7mg).

All vitamins were present in trace amounts, but to break it down, Vitamin B1 was highest in cold noodles with broth and cold noodles in water, at 0.177 mg per 100g. Vitamin B2 was most abundant in buckwheat soba, at 0.078 mg per 100g. Makguksu contained neither Vitamin B1 nor B2. Vitamin C was highest in buckwheat soba, at 0.53 mg per 100g, and was absent in cold noodles in broth and makguksu.

Patients with hypertension and diabetes should avoid foods that contain excessive amounts of sodium, calories, fats, and sugars. The sodium content among the six major food groups varied significantly, with kongguksu (soybean noodle soup) having the lowest at 97mg per 100g. Water naengmyeon (cold noodles in cold broth) had the highest at 347mg per 100g, and considering a typical serving size of about 400g, the total sodium intake would be 1388mg, which is excessive and should be approached with caution. The World Health Organization recommends a daily sodium intake of 2000mg. Consuming more than half of this amount in a single meal is significant. Following water naengmyeon, the foods with higher sodium content are ▲makguksu (buckwheat noodles) at 326mg ▲mul milmyeon (cold wheat noodles in broth) at 303mg ▲mulhoe (raw fish in cold broth) at 299mg ▲memil soba (buckwheat soba noodles) at 254mg.

The highest calorie content was in Kongguksu, and the lowest was in Makguksu. Per 100g of food, the calories were as follows: Kongguksu (100kcal), Buckwheat Soba (86kcal), Mulhoe (76kcal), Mul Milmyeon (71kcal), Mul Naengmyeon (66kcal), and Makguksu (57kcal). Overall, there were no high-calorie foods. The fat and sugar contents were also relatively low across all six food types.

Meanwhile, in Seoul, as the temperature rose, consumption increased in the order of Mulhoe (0.80), Soba (0.76), and Kongguksu (0.73). In Busan, the order was Kongguksu (0.71), Mulhoe (0.65), and Milmyeon (0.62), while in Daegu, it was Mulhoe (0.77), Kongguksu (0.72), and Milmyeon (0.65).