Q. I often eat processed chicken breast products like sausages and steaks because they're convenient. Why are they considered bad for dieting?

I remember a time when I filled my freezer with chicken breast sausages for a diet, only to find myself bloated and stuck at the same weight. I eventually realized that these processed options are not just meat. To improve texture and shelf life, manufacturers add fats, sweeteners, preservatives, and high amounts of sodium. When these chemical additives enter the body, the liver must exhaust its energy on detoxification rather than fat metabolism, leaving no room for actual weight loss. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this state is identified as Spleen Deficiency (Pi-xu). When the Spleen, which governs the digestive system, becomes weak, it fails to transform food into vital energy and instead leaves behind a sticky waste called 'Phlegm-fluid' (Tan-yin). If this Phlegm-fluid stagnates for too long, it can turn into 'Blood Stasis' (Eo-hyeol), which further obstructs circulation. This creates a vicious cycle where you feel chronically fatigued while your body remains swollen. If your body feels heavy or your bloating won't subside despite dieting, it is crucial to check if you are over-relying on processed foods. Switching back to whole, unprocessed chicken breast may seem more tedious, but it is actually the fastest shortcut to a healthy metabolism.