This morning I forcefully removed myself from in front of the computer… headed down to the track I stare at every single day… and actually ran. This is a big deal. Here is everything that followed.

(Jinja means really in Korean)

This morning I will have you know, I forcefully made myself head down to the high school track below my window. (I stare at it every day but never move from my rear in front of the computer)

I ran and walked the track. I did an ab workout, a few yoga poses and did my headstand in the middle of the field. It was fun. It felt good.

Then, I came inside and made my daily Green slush (I don’t have a juicer, so I blend everything… a green apple, a cucumber, a slice of peach, some ginger and bok choy)

Then as usual I scan Pinterest for what I am going to make for dinner. (tonight, Zucchini Lasagna (no meat, not mozzarella, and some of the spices will be missing) and Roasted Garlic Flatbread with my own twist since we don’t have flat bread (ill use a tortilla) and I don’t have any mozzarella (the other day I made homemade Ricotta)

I ran across an article for the 25 diet-busting foods. Mwahhhh (insert evil laugh here)

If this is your first read, I live in South Korea. We don’t have some of the restaurants and access to the junk that you have in America (we have plenty of other junk though). It is pretty easy to eat clean here due to the amazing cheap veggie markets and vendors on the side of the road.

The only foods on the list below that I can find here is Vitamin Water, Pizza Hut, Quizno’s, Dunkin Donuts and Starbuck. There are Coldstone’s and Smootie Kings in some of the other cities though.

Here is Health Magazine’s 25 foods that will bust your diet and what’s super crazy is that for each food, it tells you what it is equivalent to and what you can eat instead.

PS. My advice, just stay in, cook with natural ingredients and enjoy your own kitchen and what it can do for you.

What foods do you avoid to stay healthy and cut calories? (I try to avoid all the rice found here in Korea)

• ColdStone’s PB&C Shake, 2,010 calories; 131g fat, 68g saturated; 153g sugar
• Auntie Anne’s Jumbo Pretzel Hot Dog, 610 calories; 29g fat, 13g saturated; 1,150mg sodium
• Cinnabon’s Caramel Pecanbon, 1,092 calories, 56g fat, 47g sugar
• Wendy’s Sweet and Spicy Boneless Wings, 550 calories, 18g fat, 27g sugar, 2,530mg sodium
• Dunkin Donut’s Coffee Cake Muffin, 620 calories; 25g fat, 7g saturated; 54g sugar; 93g carbs
• Olive Garden’s Grilled Shrimp Caprese, 900 calories, 41g fat, 3,490mg sodium.
• Chili’s Onion String Crispy Jalapeno Stack, 2,130 calories; 213g fat, 31g saturated; 1,320mg sodium
• Macaroni Grill’s Kids Fettuchini Alfredo, 890 calories, 67g fat, 1,480mg sodium
• Quizno’s Chicken with Honey Mustard Flatbread Salad, 1,070 calories, 71g fat, 1,770mg sodium
• Pizza Hut’s Meaty P’Zone, 1,480 calories, 66g fat, 3,680mg sodium
• Lunchable’s New Wholesome Deep Dish Pepperoni Funpack, 470 calories, 20g fat, 880mg sodium
• Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips, 160 calories, 11g fat, 230mg sodium. The larger size: 240 calories, 16.5g fat, 345mg sodium
• Haagan Dazs’ Dulce De Leche Low Fat Frozen Yogurt, 190 calories, 2.5g fat, 25g sugar, 35g carbs
• Kar’s Yogurt Apple Nut Mix, 150 calories; 10g of fat, 2.5g saturated; 90mg sodium; 3g protein; 2g fiber
• Arnold’s Whole Grain Country White Bread, 220 calories, 4g fat, 420mg sodium, 42g carbs, 4g fiber
• Reese’s Puff Cereal, 160 calories, 3g fat, 12g sugar
• Kellogs Pop Tarts Brown Sugar Cinnamon, 420 calories, 16g fat, 26g sugar, 66g carbs
• Powerbar Performance  Energy Cookies and Cream, 240 calories, 26g sugar, 45g carbs, 8g protein, less than 1g fiber
• Healthy Choice Sweet and Sour Chicken, 400 calories, 13g protein, 5g fiber—but 10g fat, 20g sugar, 500mg sodium
• Vitamin Water, 125 calories, 32.5g sugar
• Quaker Natural Low Fat Granola, 210 calories, 3g fat, 4g protein, 3g fiber—but 18g sugar
• Bear Naked Chocolaty Cherry Grainola Bar , 230 calories, 10g fat, 14g sugar
• Amy’s Organic Thai Coconut Soup,  140 calories; 10g fat, 8g saturated; 580mg sodium
• Smoothie King’s Hulk Strawberry Smoothie,  1,044 calories, 35g fat, 120g sugar
• Starbucks’ Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme with whipped cream, 510 calories; 19g fat, 11g saturated; 59g sugar; 300mg sodium  

(Jinja means really in Korean)

This morning I will have you know, I forcefully made myself head down to the high school track below my window. (I stare at it every day but never move from my rear in front of the computer)

I ran and walked the track. I did an ab workout, a few yoga poses and did my headstand in the middle of the field. It was fun. It felt good.

Then, I came inside and made my daily Green slush (I don’t have a juicer, so I blend everything… a green apple, a cucumber, a slice of peach, some ginger and bok choy)

Then as usual I scan Pinterest for what I am going to make for dinner. (tonight, Zucchini Lasagna (no meat, not mozzarella, and some of the spices will be missing) and Roasted Garlic Flatbread with my own twist since we don’t have flat bread (ill use a tortilla) and I don’t have any mozzarella (the other day I made homemade Ricotta)

I ran across an article for the 25 diet-busting foods. Mwahhhh (insert evil laugh here)

If this is your first read, I live in South Korea. We don’t have some of the restaurants and access to the junk that you have in America (we have plenty of other junk though). It is pretty easy to eat clean here due to the amazing cheap veggie markets and vendors on the side of the road.

The only foods on the list below that I can find here is Vitamin Water, Pizza Hut, Quizno’s, Dunkin Donuts and Starbuck. There are Coldstone’s and Smootie Kings in some of the other cities though.

Here is Health Magazine’s 25 foods that will bust your diet and what’s super crazy is that for each food, it tells you what it is equivalent to and what you can eat instead.

PS. My advice, just stay in, cook with natural ingredients and enjoy your own kitchen and what it can do for you.

What foods do you avoid to stay healthy and cut calories? (I try to avoid all the rice found here in Korea)

• ColdStone’s PB&C Shake, 2,010 calories; 131g fat, 68g saturated; 153g sugar
• Auntie Anne’s Jumbo Pretzel Hot Dog, 610 calories; 29g fat, 13g saturated; 1,150mg sodium
• Cinnabon’s Caramel Pecanbon, 1,092 calories, 56g fat, 47g sugar
• Wendy’s Sweet and Spicy Boneless Wings, 550 calories, 18g fat, 27g sugar, 2,530mg sodium
• Dunkin Donut’s Coffee Cake Muffin, 620 calories; 25g fat, 7g saturated; 54g sugar; 93g carbs
• Olive Garden’s Grilled Shrimp Caprese, 900 calories, 41g fat, 3,490mg sodium.
• Chili’s Onion String Crispy Jalapeno Stack, 2,130 calories; 213g fat, 31g saturated; 1,320mg sodium
• Macaroni Grill’s Kids Fettuchini Alfredo, 890 calories, 67g fat, 1,480mg sodium
• Quizno’s Chicken with Honey Mustard Flatbread Salad, 1,070 calories, 71g fat, 1,770mg sodium
• Pizza Hut’s Meaty P’Zone, 1,480 calories, 66g fat, 3,680mg sodium
• Lunchable’s New Wholesome Deep Dish Pepperoni Funpack, 470 calories, 20g fat, 880mg sodium
• Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips, 160 calories, 11g fat, 230mg sodium. The larger size: 240 calories, 16.5g fat, 345mg sodium
• Haagan Dazs’ Dulce De Leche Low Fat Frozen Yogurt, 190 calories, 2.5g fat, 25g sugar, 35g carbs
• Kar’s Yogurt Apple Nut Mix, 150 calories; 10g of fat, 2.5g saturated; 90mg sodium; 3g protein; 2g fiber
• Arnold’s Whole Grain Country White Bread, 220 calories, 4g fat, 420mg sodium, 42g carbs, 4g fiber
• Reese’s Puff Cereal, 160 calories, 3g fat, 12g sugar
• Kellogs Pop Tarts Brown Sugar Cinnamon, 420 calories, 16g fat, 26g sugar, 66g carbs
• Powerbar Performance  Energy Cookies and Cream, 240 calories, 26g sugar, 45g carbs, 8g protein, less than 1g fiber
• Healthy Choice Sweet and Sour Chicken, 400 calories, 13g protein, 5g fiber—but 10g fat, 20g sugar, 500mg sodium
• Vitamin Water, 125 calories, 32.5g sugar
• Quaker Natural Low Fat Granola, 210 calories, 3g fat, 4g protein, 3g fiber—but 18g sugar
• Bear Naked Chocolaty Cherry Grainola Bar , 230 calories, 10g fat, 14g sugar
• Amy’s Organic Thai Coconut Soup,  140 calories; 10g fat, 8g saturated; 580mg sodium
• Smoothie King’s Hulk Strawberry Smoothie,  1,044 calories, 35g fat, 120g sugar
• Starbucks’ Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme with whipped cream, 510 calories; 19g fat, 11g saturated; 59g sugar; 300mg sodium  

Q: Is it easy to eat healthy while living in South Korea? A: Genuinely one of the easiest places in the world to eat clean. The vegetable markets and street vendors make fresh produce incredibly affordable and accessible. Many of the processed junk foods that derail healthy eating back home simply do not exist here — no Chili’s onion string stack no Cinnabon no Cold Stone PB&C shake. When the temptations are not there the clean eating happens almost by default.

Q: What is a good healthy green juice recipe without a juicer? A: Blend a green apple… a cucumber… a slice of peach… some fresh ginger… and bok choy. The result is so neon green it looks radioactive and tastes surprisingly fantastic. No juicer required — a regular blender handles everything and the cleanup is significantly easier. This replaced one daily snack completely and provides a genuine energy boost that coffee cannot replicate.

Q: What are the worst foods for your diet at popular restaurants? A: The numbers are genuinely shocking. Cold Stone’s PB&C Shake comes in at 2010 calories and 131 grams of fat. Chili’s Onion String Crispy Jalapeno Stack hits 2130 calories and 213 grams of fat. Pizza Hut’s Meaty P’Zone delivers 1480 calories and 3680 milligrams of sodium. Even items marketed as healthy — the Quizno’s Chicken Honey Mustard Flatbread Salad — clock in at 1070 calories and 71 grams of fat. The most powerful diet advice is simply to cook at home with real ingredients.

Q: How do you stay fit while living abroad as an expat? A: Use what is directly available. A track outside the window. A yoga mat on an apartment floor. Fresh produce from the market steps away. The absence of the fast food and processed food infrastructure that makes unhealthy eating easy back home is genuinely one of the underrated health benefits of expat life in Korea. The environment does a lot of the work for you.

Q: What are healthy alternatives to diet busting restaurant foods? A: Cook at home with natural ingredients whenever possible. The zucchini lasagna and roasted garlic flatbread on a tortilla we made this week cost a fraction of any restaurant meal and contained a fraction of the sodium fat and sugar. Homemade ricotta takes twenty minutes. Green juice takes five. The kitchen is the most powerful diet tool you own.