In South Korea, the trend of "slow aging diets" (also known as "slow-aging eating habits") has gained significant popularity, especially among younger generations in their 20s and 30s. The movement, which focuses on slowing down the aging process through diet, is being heavily promoted on social media platforms. The trend gained widespread attention when Dr. Jeong Hee-won, a geriatric physician at Seoul Asan Hospital, shared a diet plan featuring lentils, oats, and brown rice as part of a "slow-aging" meal. This sparked a wave of interest, and by last month, his "slow-aging diet" community had attracted more than 25,000 members in just two months. Community members regularly share photos of their meals and the ingredients they've used, with many posting pictures that feel trendy enough to be featured on Instagram. The once bland concept of "healthy eating" has now become a trendy habit among the 2030 generation, something to be proud of and show off.
The core of the slow-aging diet is to reduce foods that promote aging, such as simple sugars, refined grains like white rice and bread, red meat, and animal-based proteins. It also recommends cutting back on fried foods, butter, margarine, and cheese. In contrast, the diet encourages the consumption of green leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and berries. However, the diet isn't strict about only using these ingredients. The flexibility of the plan has made it accessible to a wider audience. Many people who have adopted this diet have started by making small adjustments, such as replacing white rice with multi-grain rice that includes beans, or swapping regular yogurt for low-sugar Greek yogurt combined with nuts.
For example, Park Sang-jin, a 32-year-old office worker who joined the slow-aging diet in May, said, "The biggest change for me has been replacing white rice with multi-grain rice. It's easy to mix it with lettuce, cucumber, tofu, and red cabbage, and it tastes great with soy sauce."
The slow-aging diet has especially resonated with people in their 20s and 30s, who are becoming more health-conscious. Ji Hyun-joo, a 26-year-old office worker, mentioned, "After receiving my health checkup results in July, I noticed my fasting blood sugar was slightly elevated, which made me realize the importance of managing my diet. I’ve heard that younger generations today are more likely to develop diabetes compared to previous generations, so there is growing interest in blood sugar management."
Indeed, the number of young people diagnosed with chronic diseases is on the rise. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of diabetes patients in their 20s increased by 47.7% in 2022 compared to 2018, the highest increase rate among all age groups.
