Kelly Kwak FSHN 185

Mandoo

About Me

Hi My name is Kelly Kwak! I am a senior at University of Hawaii at Manoa! I am a Human Development and Family Studies major. I am born and raised here in Honolulu, Hawaii. My parents and grandparents are immigrants from South Korea. While growing up, my parents and grandparents cooked homemade traditional Korean food. I picked Mandoo because this is a very common dish in the Korean community and I love to eat Mandoo as well. To add, this can relate to dumplings as well. In the Korean community, Mandoo is very popular to order, make and eat as well. Mandoo is usually a side dish but can be incorporated in main dishes as well. Mandoo is very popular that in every Korean restaurant in Hawaii, Mandoo is on the menu. Mandoo can be consumed usually for lunch or dinner. Mandoo can be quite filling depending how many pieces is consumed. Mandoo can be served with a side of soy sauce to dip the Mandoo in. Sometimes, I like to eat Mandoo without the sauce since it is very juicy inside and to be able to taste all of the nutrients as well. Mandoo can be filled with various vegetables, meat and sometimes Kimchi. All my life, I have eaten Mandoo either with my family, friends and by myself as well. A really fun and memorable experience with Mandoo was when my mom, sister and I had a homemade Mandoo night where we made the Mandoo and then fried it together.

The Four Pillars of a Healthy Diet

Adequacy

A diet that is adequate involves in the favor of nutrient-dense foods. What are nutrient-dense foods? Nutrient dense foods involve many important nutrients per calorie, are different from empty calorie foods or sugary foods and beverages and nutrient-dense foods can facilitate weight loss. Examples of nutrient-dense foods are fruits & vegetables, lean meats, poultry, fish, etc.

Balance

In any type of diet and consumption of foods, balancing foods are very important. The calcium and sodium intake should both be balanced. Both may be good for your health and body but too much of consumptions of both will lead to health problems, poor iron absorption and diseases.

Moderation

Optimal health and survival depend on the crucial importance of moderation. Health complications are from the influences of eating nutrient-poor foods so taking in moderation of what kind of foods are eaten is a big help towards health and body. Eating can and should be enjoyable but involving moderation will help out as well.

Variety

The name, variety is different selections of anything so eating different foods from each food group falls under variety and helps with diet and health. Having a varied diet and consuming all types of food will give an individual health benefits. Also, trying news foods will be helpful by giving pleasure and increasing taste as well.

Factors that Influence

my Food Choices

Cultural Influences

I believe that my culture in my family and home has impacted my food choices greatly. I love to eat Korean food but I am open to trying new foods from different cultures as well. When I am sick or not feeling well, I and many of my family members eat and drink the chicken soup/porridge which is called Dak Juk. On every new year’s, it is common and known for Korean families to eat the rice cake duck soup which is called, Tteokguk and this is a tradition because we believe that this will provide greater and longer health, happiness and love into the new year. Since, I was little, my family, grandparents and relatives have cooked Korean food and we have given each other the Korean dishes to each other as well. This will include Banchan (side dishes) which will have kimchi, cucumber kimchi, bean sprouts, etc.

Physical State

I believe that my body really affects my food choices just like my emotions. If my body is feeling drained or tired, I would probably find something easy and quick to eat or drink. Sometimes, I would just not eat or drink something and just take a nap instead to recharge myself. If am overly hungry, I will literally eat 2 meals, drink my favorite drink like bubble tea or a matcha latte and snack a lot which changes my diet/fasting. If I’m not feeling well, I will either drink a warm beverage or eat the hot chicken porridge/soup.

Emotional State

My food choices vary depending on my emotions or moods. To add, I usually stress eat a lot and when I do, I snack and eat mostly junk food. When I am happy, I usually eat and drink the snacks I enjoy or meals I love to eat like sushi, Korean food, iced matcha lattes, bubble tea, etc. When I am angry and sad, I actually don’t snack a lot because I am too frustrated and upset to get up and eat something.

Kupuna Interview Video

Kelly Kwak_Kupuna Stories Video.mov

My Kupuna is my mom who is a Korean immigrant explaining and telling stories about the Korean dish, Mandoo.

Korean fried Mandoo

Source: https://www.thespruceeats.com/korean-dumpling-mandoo-2118676

My Kupuna Definition of Healthy

My Kupuna says that health has two different types which is mental health and physical health. In order to have a good mental and physical health, you need to take care of your body by eating healthy food, exercising regularly and being surrounded by positive energy. In regard to mental health, getting enough rest, surrounded by positivity is important.

Mandoo has most of the food groups in its ingredients. It includes carbs, proteins, vegetables, and vitamins. Instead of frying the Mandoo, steaming or putting it into a soup it can be healthier.
The dish my Kupuna and I chose was Mandoo. Mandoo is from the Korean cultural food background. Mandoo is a nutritional dish that includes many ingredients of various food groups.

Adequate: Just like what my Kupuna said previously, Mandoo has majority of the food groups in the ingredients. Mandoo consists of vitamins, vegetables, carbs and proteins!

Balance: Mandoo can have a good balance of the ingredients. You can always put either less or more of any type of ingredient to make it healthier and balanced!

Variety: Since Mandoo can always be modified by putting different types of ingredients in it, Mandoo can be prepared in different ways. Mandoo can be steamed, fried and also in a soup which we just called Mandoo soup.

Moderation: Mandoo is a dish that isn’t very complicated to make but takes patience and time. Mandoo can be consumed once in a while but not every day because of the sodium if being fried mostly!

Weight Inclusivity: The way my Kupuna talked about two different types of health fits into the weight inclusivity. My Kupuna said that in order to having a healthy and positive mental and physical health, you need to eat healthy, exercise regularly and have a positive and healthy environment!
Health Enhancement: What my Kupuna previously said, mental health is very important. Having a healthy mental health can impact your physical health by either having a poor diet or a healthy diet as well.
Respectful Care: Others will have different opinions and personal experiences about definitions about health, I believe that my Kupuna strongly believes in her definitions of health! To add, I believe in her definitions as well because mental health is very important when it comes to being an impactful factor towards nutrition, health and diet!
Eating for Well-Being: I believe that my Kupuna meets the requirements for the HAES framework! She knows the different food groups and how to balance different types of foods. To add, she understands that modifying her diet can help with her mental and physical health as well.
Life-Enhancing Movement: My Kupuna believes in exercising regularly can be very helpful for improving health and being beneficial towards a diet as well. She also believes that walking and hiking can help with getting Vitamin D and being healthy as well.

Nutritional Information

Korean Fried Mandoo Nutrition Label

MYPLATE & SPC Classification Systems

MYPLATE:

The dish I chose is Korean Mandoo. I believe that my dish can fit with many categories for my plate planner. Mandoo is a Korean dumpling that is filled with many ingredients inside. Mandoo fits in my plate planner because Mando is filled with ingredients like meat, vegetables, protein, fiber and sometimes grains as well.

SPC:

Mandoo fits with the SPC guidelines because Mandoo is a nutrient dense food that provides calories. Mandoo also has the vegetables like cabbage, onions, zucchinis, bean sprouts, etc. I believe that Mandoo can be good to intake if not daily as well.

Health Benefits:

Korean Mandoo includes:

Dietary fiber reduces the intake of high amount of sugars.

Proteins break down acids and repairs muscles.

Vitamin D and Calcium helps reduce infections, diseases and health risks.

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