Yes, we all know that we should be eating our 32 daily servings of spinach, and, yet, it’s not always easy to ingest enough green to meet the quota. How about having some spicy cabbage for breakfast? For most Westerners the idea is not appetizing at all, but in Korea, where women have a much lower rate of breast cancer and obesity than Americans, it’s the norm to eat vegetables at every meal of the day.

The typical Korean meal consists of rice, soup, and an assortment of vegetable side dishes. There is often some meat present at dinner, but mostly meals contain tofu, fish, squid, octopus, and other types of seafood. Seaweed is often present as a wrap for rice and veggies or in a hot soup. Known as kim or gim, seaweed appears in many side dishes in many different forms and contains a wealth of minerals from the sea, including calcium, iron, and potassium.

In some ways, there is very little variety in Korean food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all presented the same and consist of rice, soup, and vegetables. The side dishes that you didn’t finish at breakfast are put in the fridge, brought back out for lunch, and then again for dinner. This can go on for days. Although it sounds a bit flavorless, there are so many side dishes at each meal, and each dish has such a strong flavor, that it’s not easy to get bored with Korean food once you have adjusted to the off-the-chart spiciness!

This describes breakfast, lunch and dinner! Okay, so I don’t recommend spicy crab stew at seven a.m. to most Westerners, a Korean breakfast I did learn to enjoy, but it lets you know what they are putting into their bodies. Essentially, Koreans average several servings of grains a day, mostly different forms of rice, and more servings of vegetables than you could fit onto a food pyramid, namely spicy pickled vegetables called kimchi.

A lot of Korean vegetable dishes are loaded with salt and MSG, which I do not recommend. However, the low rate of breast cancer in Asian countries has been frequently associated with the high intake of vegetables such as cabbage, which is the main vegetable used in most kimchi dishes. Although rates of breast cancer are still low in Asian women, studies show a recent increase, which is suspected of being related to Westernization, such as the introduction of fast-food chains, to these countries.

However, there is still a fairly low rate of breast cancer and obesity in countries like Korea. Red pepper, added in obscene amounts to nearly every Korean dish, helps boost metabolism. Ginseng, an essential ingredient to most Korean cooking, is believed to have many health benefits associated with it and may also help increase metabolism. In addition to pepper and ginseng, Koreans are great consumers of green tea and barely tea. It is mostly the younger generations that are frequenting Starbucks and McDonalds and who face the impending obesity and other health problems associated with Western cultures.

There isn’t much saturated fat to be found in the Korean diet, but I am terrified of the amounts of sodium and MSG I must have consumed during my two years in Korea. For most people, Korean food itself will probably not be readily available, and, the fact is, most Westerners are initially turned off by the smell and degree of spice in many Korean dishes. You don’t need to drench your food in Tabasco sauce to boost your metabolism. Even a tablespoon of standard good old bright yellow American mustard on your turkey sandwich instead of mayonnaise can help you burn more calories after the meal.

While no culture has the perfect diet, there are things to be learned from each of them. As for what we can learn from Korea…

Eat a variety of vegetables several times a day to maintain your health. Include things like cabbage, spinach, broccoli, and maybe venture out into seaweed. Replace red meats with seafood and tofu. Although you get less protein, the protein that you do get doesn’t come riding piggyback on a cavalry of saturated fats. Spice up your whole grain meals with a little pepper or mustard and have a cup of green tea afterwards to help you digest and keep your metabolism moving. Remember that strength training to build muscle, sleeping regular hours, and drinking plenty of water will also help you to boost your metabolism and maintain a healthy lifestyle.