"Ramen, Be Sure to Eat It with ○○" The MFDS's 'Perfect Pairing' Is

Teenagers Who Eat Convenience Store Ramen Daily... Better When Paired with Milk
Youth and Middle-Aged Vitamin and Mineral Guidelines Published

"Dear youth, try having milk together with convenience store ramen!"

On the 24th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation presented guidelines for foods that are good to consume for supplementing vitamins and minerals through the dietary guidebook "Trace Nutrients in Food, Vitamin and Mineral Journey."

The main targets are adolescents and middle-aged to older adults. First, in the case of adolescents, the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed a significant deficiency in the intake of essential vitamins and minerals. The proportion of adolescents consuming less than the recommended intake for vitamin A and vitamin C reached 91.5% and 83.8%, respectively. Calcium and iron were also at 91.2% and 79.5%, respectively. This means that 8 to 9 out of 10 adolescents are not properly consuming these nutrients.

The reason is attributed to the increased consumption of processed foods and convenience meals. Especially recently, eating convenience store ramen has become common among adolescents. Excessive ramen consumption during this critical period of nutritional development can cause nutritional imbalance. Vitamins and minerals are essential components for maintaining and regulating bodily functions and are especially necessary during adolescence. However, since they are not produced in the body, they must be consumed separately.

A large supermarket in downtown Seoul displaying ramen on the shelves. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends that adolescents consume milk together when having meals such as ramen, triangular kimbap, or tteokbokki from convenience stores to supplement vitamin A and calcium. The daily recommended calcium intake is 900?1000 mg for boys and 800?900 mg for girls, and one pack of milk (200 ml) contains about 226 mg of calcium.

Additionally, for girls who are relatively deficient in iron due to menstruation, it is recommended to consume more meat, eggs, and green vegetables. Fruits such as oranges are rich in vitamin C, which helps iron absorption. The daily recommended iron intake for girls is 14?16 mg, with about 1 mg contained in 150 g of beef and one egg (60 g) each.

Dietary Guidebook 'Trace Nutrients in Food, A Journey of Vitamins and Minerals'
[Image source=Provided by MFDS]

On the other hand, caution should be taken not to exceed the daily recommended caffeine intake of 150 mg from beverages such as coffee and energy drinks. Caffeine can interfere with the absorption of calcium and iron necessary for growth and may lead to deficiencies.

For middle-aged and older adults, research shows that one in five Korean women in their 40s has anemia due to iron deficiency, and two out of three have insufficient calcium intake. Since this can lead to chronic diseases, vegetables, fruits, and mixed grains are recommended as preventive foods.

It is also beneficial to consume foods rich in vitamin D, such as salmon and eggs, which help calcium absorption. Along with food, appropriate exercise and regular meals are more effective.

However, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety warned, "One should be cautious about consuming large amounts of specific nutrients only through health functional foods or supplements."

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