[Distribution Hot People] 'Senior Bareunmeokgeori' Korea's First Elderly Dietary Improvement Project "Very Rewarding"

Nam Gi-seon, Head of PDM Division at Pulmuone Green Juice (Ph.D. in Nutrition) · Yoon Min-ho, Secretary General of Pulmuone Foundation
Senior Healthy Eating Program by Pulmuone Supported a Total of 111 Elderly in Eumseong-gun Until Last Year

Nam Gi-seon, Head of PDM Division at Pulmuone Green Juice (Ph.D. in Nutrition) (left), and Yoon Min-ho, Secretary General of the Pulmuone Foundation, are explaining the Pulmuone Senior Healthy Eating Education Project.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] "The majority of deaths from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are patients with underlying conditions. It is related to lifestyle diseases of modern people such as diabetes and hypertension. Enduring the era of infectious diseases ultimately depends on what we eat."

"Healthy eating habits alone can sufficiently prevent and alleviate metabolic syndrome." This was the starting point for Pulmuone to launch the 'Senior Healthy Eating Education' project. On the 11th, two key figures leading the Senior Healthy Eating Education project, Nam Gi-seon, Head of Pulmuone Green Juice PDM Division (PhD in Nutrition), and Yoon Min-ho, Secretary General of the Pulmuone Foundation, emphasized, "At a time when health management through practicing healthy eating habits is more important than ever for all ages and genders, the comprehensive program that synergizes Pulmuone's values of healthy eating, expertise in nutritional balance, and the Pulmuone Foundation's educational programs is exactly the Senior Healthy Eating Education project."

With the prolonged COVID-19 situation leading to reduced outings and more people staying at home, the risk of exposure to metabolic syndrome has increased compared to previous years, and as physical activity decreases, it is even more important to pay attention to practicing healthy eating habits. Recognizing early the importance of managing metabolic syndrome in the elderly, Pulmuone, together with the nonprofit public interest corporation Pulmuone Foundation, has been working to improve the dietary habits and health of seniors in rural areas through the Senior Healthy Eating Education project. Since the pilot project began in 2017, a total of 111 seniors in Eumseong-gun have been supported up to last year.

Dr. Nam emphasized the reason for focusing on the metabolic syndrome project by saying, "While diseases like diabetes and hypertension require active treatment, metabolic syndrome can show positive health improvement effects simply by practicing improved lifestyle habits." In fact, all 64 seniors who participated in Pulmuone's education last year showed significant results in criteria used to assess metabolic syndrome such as waist circumference, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose. Among the 43 diagnosed with metabolic syndrome before the education, 14 (32.6%) were judged normal after the education.

Since 2018, the Senior Healthy Eating Education, implemented as a regular project, has been systematically conducted over five months with various programs including joint meal service village tables, dietary education, nutrition counseling, healthy lifestyle education, basic health checkups, and improvement evaluations in cooperation with the Eumseong-gun Public Health Center. Dietary education and nutrition counseling are provided by dietary experts (clinical dietitians) to offer professional services. Dietary education focuses on delivering practical methods for health promotion in old age in an easy and engaging way tailored to the participants' age, covering five topics: physical changes in old age and corresponding dietary guidelines, metabolic syndrome, low sugar, low salt, brain health, and depression prevention. Dr. Nam explained that habits formed through experience are most important to induce behavior, and motivation is essential in that process.

Regular nutrition counseling also provides integrated services regarding eating habits, nutritional knowledge, and attitudes toward food. Initially, there were concerns about whether seniors would participate. Secretary General Yoon recalled, "At first, some came holding soju in one hand thinking it was just a meal gathering, and many had difficulty remembering the educational content due to their age."

However, the foundation and field staff sat one-on-one with the seniors and repeatedly explained whenever possible, building rapport outside of education sessions to increase participation and understanding. Secretary General Yoon said, "For seniors, it was not just about delivering information but repeatedly spending time explaining even the smallest details, which led to good results. Due to positive responses after the pilot project, it has been expanded to two villages since 2018."

Their goal is to support nine towns and villages in Eumseong-gun by 2030 to create a healthy village in Eumseong-gun. However, the real vision is to use this project as a 'case study' so that the government, many institutions, and private organizations can expand similar projects, enabling more people to practice healthy eating habits free from metabolic syndrome.

Dr. Nam emphasized, "If metabolic syndrome is left untreated, the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, and even cancer increases according to research results," and stressed, "Metabolic syndrome should be prevented through regular dietary habits."

So, what is a good diet for the general public to prevent metabolic syndrome through daily eating habits? Dr. Nam recommended the '2:1:1 diet,' which consists of a ratio of vegetables, protein foods, and whole grains as 2 to 1 to 1. Assuming a meal is served on one plate, 50% of the meal should be vegetables, 25% whole grains, and 25% protein foods. He also explained that it is better to start eating with vegetables, followed by protein foods, and then whole grains.

Dr. Nam said, "Koreans tend to consume a very high amount of carbohydrates on average, so it is necessary to reduce carbohydrate intake to about 50-55% of total calories," and added, "Since it is difficult to go out and maintain nutritional balance with only home meals during this period, it seems to be a time when we need to consciously strive to maintain healthier eating habits."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.