Q. Isn't chicken breast and kimchi over rice considered a diet meal? Why am I not losing weight despite eating it?

Hello, I am Dr. Choi Yeon-seung from Baekrokdam Oriental Medicine Clinic. I remember a time when I also ate chicken breast rice bowls thinking they were the perfect diet food, only to find my body becoming incredibly swollen. Let’s look at why this diet can be problematic. From a conventional medical perspective, the high Glycemic Index (GI) of white rice stimulates insulin secretion, which promotes fat storage. When combined with the high sodium in kimchi, it causes cellular water retention, leading to edema. Essentially, you are creating an environment where your body stores energy rather than burning it. Traditional Korean Medicine looks deeper into this. When the Spleen's function of 'transportation and transformation' (運化) is weakened—a state called Spleen Deficiency (脾虛)—the body fails to convert food into vital energy. Instead, undigested waste turns into a sticky, pathological substance called Phlegm-Fluid (痰飮). This is the main culprit behind 'stubborn fat' and swelling that won't go away. If this stagnation continues to block systemic circulation, it leads to Blood Stasis (瘀血), which significantly lowers metabolic efficiency. Even when using high-quality ingredients like chicken breast, if the portion of rice and the salinity of the kimchi are not managed, your body may treat the meal as a source of internal 'toxins.' Rather than just eating less, it is important to assess whether your digestive energy is strong enough to process these foods. Making small adjustments to your meal composition will help your body feel much lighter.