"The Nation's Favorite Side Dish" Betrays Us... "How Can This Be?" It Isn't Even Sweet, Yet Has Twice the Sugar of Crackers

Sugar Intake from Kimchi Nearly Twice That from Crackers
Sugar and Starch Syrup in Store-Bought Kimchi and Braised Side Dishes Blamed

Sugar Intake from Snacks Falls, but Intake from Meals Rises
Check Ingredient Labels and Limit Processed Foods and Zero-Sugar Drinks

It is advisable to avoid snacks and make a habit of eating home-cooked meals for the sake of your health, but even then, it is difficult to be sure you are not consuming too much sugar. Kimchi, in particular, is considered a healthy food, yet it has been found to supply the body with more sugar than snacks such as ice cream and crackers. Sugar and starch syrup added to commercially sold kimchi and side dishes for flavor have been identified as the reason, prompting calls to pay attention not only to snacks but also to the side dishes eaten every day.

Dining table file photo. Getty Images

Daily Sugar Intake from Meals Rises as Intake from Snacks Falls

An analysis of data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Seoul National University Health and Culture Project Group on Oct. 26 found that the average amount of sugar Koreans consumed from snacks each day fell by 2.1 grams, from 17.7 grams in 2019 to 15.6 grams in 2023. By contrast, daily sugar intake from meals rose by 0.9 grams over the same period, from 19.0 grams to 19.9 grams.

The average daily sugar intake from both sources combined edged down from 36.7 grams to 35.5 grams. However, the share of total sugar intake from meals rose by 4.3 percentage points, from 51.8% to 56.1%. In other words, even as overall sugar intake declined, the share of sugar consumed through meals increased.

Carbonated beverages. File photo. Pixabay.

In 2023, carbonated beverages were the processed food group that contributed the most sugar, at an average of 4.43 grams per day. Bread followed at 3.15 grams, then coffee at 2.74 grams, sugar and related products at 2.34 grams, and kimchi at 2.30 grams. Sugar intake from kimchi was about 62% higher than the 1.42 grams from ice cream and nearly twice the 1.18 grams from crackers.

These figures represent the average amount of sugar a person consumes each day from each food group. They reflect not only the sugar content of the foods themselves, but also how much and how often people eat them. This does not mean kimchi is sweeter than ice cream. Rather, because kimchi is eaten frequently as part of everyday meals, it can have a considerable impact on total daily sugar intake.

Hidden Sugar in Commercial Kimchi and Side Dishes

The researchers pointed to increased consumption of commercially sold kimchi and side dishes as a reason for the rise in sugar intake from meals. Kim Choil, a special appointment professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition at Seoul National University, identified increased consumption of store-bought kimchi as a major factor.

People often use little or no sugar when making kimchi at home, but some commercially sold products contain sugar or starch syrup to enhance their flavor. Researchers say that as more households buy kimchi rather than make it themselves, consumers may be more likely to consume sugar without realizing it. This shift is also linked to changes in lifestyle, including the rise in dual-income and single-person households, as more people buy packaged kimchi and ready-made side dishes instead of preparing kimchi themselves.

Kimchi stock photo. Pixabay

Sugar or fruit syrup may also be added to commercially sold side dishes such as braised quail eggs and pickled garlic. In foods with strong salty or sour flavors, it can be difficult to clearly detect sweetness even when they contain sugar. Complaints that kimchi served at some restaurants tastes sweet can be viewed in the same context. In other words, it is difficult to gauge a food's sugar content by taste alone.

Professor Kim Choil emphasized that institutional measures are needed to help reduce sugar consumption, given how difficult it is for consumers to know which foods contain sugar and in what amounts. It is also important to make product ingredients and nutrition information easy to check, rather than relying solely on consumers to be vigilant when choosing food.

"Zero" Products: Long-Term Effects Remain Uncertain

The spread of low-sugar products and foods made with alternative sweeteners has been cited as one reason for the decline in sugar intake from snacks. Zero-sugar drinks, which reduce sugar content or use sweeteners to provide sweetness, are a prominent example.

However, replacing sugar does not mean that all of the long-term health effects have been established. According to a meta-analysis involving researchers from Sookmyung Women's University and Harvard Medical School in the United States, published in the international journal Nutrition Research and Practice in May 2026, the group with the highest intake of artificial sweeteners had a 26% higher risk of Type 2 diabetes than the group with the lowest intake. The risks of hypertension, heart failure, and stroke were 13%, 26%, and 12% higher, respectively. A separate analysis reported an 11% higher risk of coronary artery disease.

Sugar file photo. Reuters-Yonhap News

In a study by researchers at Monash University in Australia who followed more than 36,000 adults for an average of 13.9 years, people who drank artificially sweetened beverages at least once a day had a 38% higher risk of Type 2 diabetes than those who rarely drank them. The association remained even after adjusting for body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.

However, these findings are based on observational studies of the association between artificial sweetener consumption and disease. They do not establish that sweeteners directly cause disease. The possibility that other factors, such as consumption habits and health status, influenced the results must also be considered.

Check Ingredient Labels When Buying Side Dishes

To reduce sugar intake, people should pay attention not only to drinks and snacks but also to the side dishes they eat every day. When buying packaged kimchi or braised dishes, it can help to check the ingredient list for sugar, starch syrup, or high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar content can vary among similar foods depending on the manufacturer and the seasoning blend.

If nutrition information is available, check the sugar content per 100 grams alongside the amount you actually eat. Even foods with low sugar content can add to your total intake if you eat a lot of them. Do not assume that a "no added sugar" label means a product contains no sugar at all; it is best to check both the ingredients and nutrition information.

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