Eat Your Way To Beauty The K-Drama Way
A list of the beauty foods and ingredients that give Korean women that gorgeous glow
When it comes to beauty, you are what you eat!
The adage couldn't be more true for Koreans and Korean women especially whose approach to beauty is one of the most holistic in the world. They're not only on top of the skincare game what with the dizzying amount of Korean beauty products available in the market, they're also privy to the kinds of dishes and food preparation that care for skin from the inside out. The knowledge that the quality of one's complexion is the outward expression of one's physical state has been passed down over centuries, which makes it unsurprising that Koreans are three steps ahead of all of us when it comes to treating overall health as the best skincare regimen you can have.
While it's no secret that eating clean and healthy provides us with numerous beauty benefits, what makes makes the Korean diet so unique is that beauty-boosting ingredients are the norm, not the exception. For instance, almost every meal will have a side of probiotic-rich food—kimchi! Instead of the usual offerings of soda and canned juices all our own restaurants will have on their menus, you'll see barley water and myriad of botanical teas. When they go out to drink, one of their go-tos isn't a good old bucket of six, but a fermented rice wine that Korean women love for its skin-brightening properties. Ginseng, a strange-looking root, is such a beauty superfood that it's even made into countless serums, face oils, and sheet masks.
The list of Korean beauty food favorites is long, and impressively so.
Much of why the rest of the world is now learning about these not-so-secret food secrets is how the biggest Korean films and K-Dramas show characters joyfully eating, drinking, cooking, and preparing many of these beautifying dishes. We've taken note of those we've spotted over time and meticulously read about how they play a role in the beauty world, and what we discovered is worth sharing with everyone hoping to achieve their K-beauty goals.
Without further ado, we present to you a list of Korean beauty food favorites plus the films and dramas we spotted them in!
Eat your way to beauty
Eat your way to beauty
Kimchi
Of course we start with the king of Korean food — kimchi! It doesn't only pack a flavorful punch, but it does miraculous things for the body. On top of the fact that it's made from already healthy cabbage, it's the fermentation process kimchi undergoes that makes it a superfood. Fermentation promotes the growth of healthy microorganisms that, when consumed, aid our digestive system and help combat common skin maladies. And when our tummy is performing at its peak, that means it's able to absorb all the good stuff from the rest of the food we eat and flush out what we don't need; only the necessary stays in, and all the rest gets filtered away in an efficient process. The question you might have is why Koreans are totally and utterly in love with their fermented food. It's because for centuries, they've used the state of one's skin to deduce what's going on internally. Glowing, blemish-free skin is a pretty reliable indicator of overall health. Truly, including fermented food in one's diet is much more than a beauty thing for Koreans, but of course, having baby-smooth skin is a bonus no one will say no to!
Photo Credit: Image from Unsplash
Kimchi
Not only is kimchi part of almost every Korean meal, but kimchi-making is (or was) an important part of community life. Remember this scene in "Crash Landing On You?"
Photo Credit: Still from "Crash Landing on You" / Studio Dragon; Culture Depot
Meyeok guk
There are many kinds of seaweed dishes the West is only now discovering, but the consumption of the "vegetable of the sea" has been an open secret in Korean tradition for longer than anyone can remember. These days, seaweed is such an ubiquitous ingredient or solo dish in Korean fare that there are farms devoted to growing seaweed to meet the demands of a growing market! Seaweed has earned its spot as a fave food mostly because it's affordable, low fat, versatile (you'll see it in soups, wraps, and even in chip form), and is a rich source of good-for-you minerals that nourish the skin, as well as protect you from serious illnesses that most definitely affect your complexion. Experts have long touted the humble seaweed as a top food choice for those with inflammation problems (pay attention if you have reactive, sensitive, or acne-prone skin), high cholesterol (that leads to the formation of itchy and/or painful bumps that appear anywhere on the face), and an iodine deficiency (which when left untreated makes skin dry and flaky, and could even result in an unsightly goiter). With all the benefits it affords that conveniently come in all sorts of delicious packages, it's really not a wonder why seaweed has made its way to every household and food establishment in Korea.
Photo Credit: Still from "How to make Seaweed Soup" from YouTube channel Future Neighbor
Miyeok guk
Miyeok guk is also sometimes called "birthday soup" as people eat it on their birthdays. In "Goblin," we watched Eun Tak prepare her mieyok guk for her own birthday.
Photo Credit: Still from "Goblin" / Hwa&Dam Pictures
Duenjang jjigae
Just like kimchi, this fermented soybean hotpot dish is a whole lot of yummy and healthy. It's the tofu that you want to get a generous serving of whenever this is on the table. Aside from being a meat-free source of protein and probiotics, tofu is all about blessing your skin with all the antioxidants it could ever ask for. "Antioxidants" isn't just a buzzword when it comes to cancer and heart disease prevention, but it's also a big thing in the beauty community because of its relation to cellular repair. Remember that more than buying all the best beauty products sold that are topically applied, what you really want is to take care of your skin from the inside out. Skin is at its best when you give it the ammo it needs to regenerate after taking a beating from things like sun damage (and even exposure from a ton of laptop/phone time), lack of sleep, air conditioning-caused dryness, and a host of other things we encounter on a daily basis. Tofu is your beauty BFF for all the beauty-boosting properties it has, and it's safe to eat on a daily basis to meet your skin maintenance goals.
Photo Credit: Still from ":Doenjang Jjigae : Korean Fermented Soybean Paste Soup Recipe" from YouTube channel Seonkyoung Longest
Duenjang jjigae
In the film "The Recipe," the duenjang jjigae is so magical it changed the life of a murderer.
Photo Credit: Still from "The Recipe" / Film It Suda
Bori cha
Who would have ever thought that the humble barley crop would be so important in keeping us looking - and feeling - great? Bori cha, a.k.a. barley tea, is chosen over regular water if you want to improve your kidney functioning and blood circulation. Though those processes might seem totally unrelated to skin, don't forget that the kidneys help flush out toxins whose residue might make us look less glowy, plus, good blood circulation means we get that soft, all-day cheek flush that no beauty products can ever achieve. On top of both of those things, barley is known to help in maintaining skin firmness - say no to sagging jowls and eyelids!
Photo Credit: Image from Unsplash
Bori cha
The rich boys in "Boys Over Flowers" get their fill of bori cha.
Photo Credit: Still from "Boys Over Flowers" / Group 8
Makgeolli
We've all heard of the skin problems caused by excessive alcohol intake, the worst of which is bloat (that shows on our face) and dehydration (that emphasizes all the stuff we don't want to show on our face, including dark circles and acne marks). But what if we told you that there's a Korean alcoholic beverage that does the opposite? Makgeolli, a kind of rice wine, isn't just a kind of face mask. It's a drink, and why it's made its way to the beauty industry is straightforward. It's incredibly rich in amino acids, and what do amino acids do? They protect, strengthen, and repair skin - the trinity of skincare! Makgeolli is similarly made of fermented rice, and it's relatively simple to make so lots of Koreans have ventured out into making their own versions of it at home.
Photo Credit: Still from "How to make Makgeolli (Unrefined Rice Wine)" from YouTube channel EJ Recipe
Makgeolli
There were lots of fun makgeolli drinking sessions in "Vincenzo."
Photo Credit: Still from "Vincenzo" / Logos Film
Good old fashioned fruit
If you ask for dessert in a Korean restaurant, don't be surprised if they serve you a fruit platter filled fruit in season. It's incredibly rare to for a menu in a traditional restaurant (or a typical Korean home) to have a big offering of sweets from ice cream to pastries and cakes to candies - instead, fruit is what they consider dessert! Choosing fruit over sugary treats gives a beauty boost. If you don't know the many wonderful things fruit can do for our bodies and our complexion, here's a quick list: increased hydration for a softer, plumper look, getting your dose of nutrients that help skin repair itself, aids detoxification, and the slowing down of the aging process.
Photo Credit: Image from Pexels
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Fruit
The heroine indulging in a fruit platter in "When I Was The Most Beautiful."
Photo Credit: Still from "When I Was The Most Beautiful" / May Queen Pictures Raemong; Raein
Ginseng
It might look a little scary to those unfamiliar with it, but we can bet that you'll be hoarding ginseng-based products once you've familiarized yourself with this prized root's beauty-enhancing qualities. It can be drank as a tea, sucked on as a hard candy, consumed as a jelly snack/sweet paste, or as a soup base with a subtle flavor, but all of its iterations offer the same set of benefits. It's a stress-buster, a natural remedy for bothersome skin diseases like psoriasis and redness, and some even believe that it's the secret to how Korean women have bright skin that looks 100% natural and doesn't have that forcefully "bleached" quality to it. There are many ways to enjoy this root, so pick your favorite!
Photo Credit: Still from "How to Make Tea From Ginseng Root : Growing & Using Herbs" from YouTube channel ehowgarden
Ginseng
Check out the ginseng candy in "The Time We Were Not In Love."
Photo Credit: Still from "The Time We Were Not In Love" / iWill Media
Bone broths and other collagen-rich food
Now is a good time to trade in sinigang featuring fatty pork cuts and bulalo with the densest bone marrow you've ever seen with a Korean staple - collagen-rich soup! There are many ways to make collagen-rich soup, and like Filipinos, Koreans pair it with white rice. Where they differ is in what they use to make them. Rather than go for typical meat cuts, they'll make these broths with collagen-rich ingredients. Think tendon, fish skin and bones and cartilage. The soups are either just broths or have a bit of meat in them for extra flavor, but no matter how Koreans enjoy them, the end goal is one and the same: to consume collagen, the prime protein in our bodies responsible for a glowing complexion. Collagen is your most dependable shield against aging-caused dryness, sagging, wrinkling, and sallowness. It's what gives skin its noticeable youthful elasticity that we naturally lose as we age. So before you have a spoonful of bulalo marrow, think of what you would be getting instead if you were feasting on Korean collagen soup!
Photo Credit: Image from @kimkingskitchen
Bone broth
See how they splurge on selleongtang, aka bone broth, in "My Cute Guys."
Photo Credit: Still from "My Cute Guys" / Oh!Boy Project; CJ E&M
An assortment of botanical teas
A big thing in East Asian culinary tradition is treating food as medicine. Food isn't just bodily sustenance, but a valued source of nature's most magical properties that enhance beauty and health (which are one in the same in Korean culture). Koreans have a deep love for all things botanical and herbal which explain why many, if not all Korean women will likely choose natural teas over processed beverages. Where sodas, alcoholic drinks, shakes, and similar choices are full of sugar, preservatives and calories, their straight-from-nature cousins have benefits like anti-aging properties (found in rose tea), acne busting superpowers (found in spearmint tea), providing natural AHAs (found in hibiscus tea), and collagen-stimulating effects (found in marigold tea). The list goes on and on!
Photo Credit: Image from Unsplash
Tea
Health and beauty-enhancing tea is served in this scene of "The King: Eternal Monarch."
Photo Credit: Still from "The King: Eternal Monarch" / Hwa&Dam Pictures; Studio Dragon
Opening images from Pexels and Unsplash / Still from "The Time We Were Not In Love"; iWill Media / Still from "Vincenzo" ; Logos Film / Still from "Boys Over Flowers"; Group 8
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