A Korean restaurant in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun district serves a meal on an individual tray. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The growing popularity of eating out or ordering in among single-person households has undermined the ability of many to maintain a balanced diet, hurting overall national health, the health ministry said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that the percentage of those who consume more than 500 grams of fruit and vegetables each day dropped from 37.8 percent in 2010 to 26.2 percent in 2020.
The national consumption of daily nutrition showed that the percentage of fat consumption jumped from 19.7 percent in 2010 to 24.4 percent in 2020, while the percentage of vitamin A and vitamin C consumption dropped by 26.1 and 37.3 percent, respectively.
In a survey conducted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, 57.5 percent of respondents said they were eating more instant meals, and 71.2 percent said they were ordering in more since the onset of the pandemic.
These changes in the patterns of food consumption, coupled with the rise of an aging population, are resulting in higher rates of high blood pressure, obesity and other chronic diseases.
Statistics from 2020 showed that the obesity rate among men jumped from 36.4 percent in 2010 to 48 percent in 2020.
The percentage of those suffering from high blood cholesterol levels jumped from 10.4 percent to 20.2 percent, while those suffering from high blood pressure jumped from 23.7 percent to 28.6 percent.
The obesity rate among women jumped from 24.8 percent in 2010 to 27.7 percent in 2020. The percentage of those suffering from high blood cholesterol levels jumped from 10.9 percent to 18.8 percent.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
