South Korea has the best healthcare in the world. America, not so much. Ours, frankly, is embarrassing.
Food health, similar issue.
Recently Kara Swisher's new show, Kara Swisher Wants To Live Forever, is worth a look. Especially, her episode on South Korea. I've been listening to her for years, her podcast for the past year, Pivot with Scott Galloway, and her own On With Kara Swisher.
Highly recommend any of those shows.
But for now we're considering her new TV show on CNN about two systems that are fascinating to compare, especially right now. Actually for us, rather depressing. Ask Koreans if they would like to live in South Korea, or American, they'll likely choose South Korea, mostly for the healthcare situation which in South Korea (especially compared to America), is rather remarkable.
We really should follow suit. Stop listening to those who say it's not possible, who give one ridiculous, or sane reason to be honest, over another against better overall healthcare, and just force America to get our act together. Our healthcare is failing and in watching this episode of Kara's show, you can see why.
It in part has to do with our not putting our money and our mouths where the issues actually are.
Here's a breakdown.
Structure and Visual Metaphor
South Korea doesn't actually use a pyramid anymore. The Korean Nutrition Society introduced the Food Balance Wheels in 2010, designed as a bicycle: a large rear wheel divided into the six major food groups, and a small front wheel representing a glass of water -- the whole image is meant to symbolize physical activity as inseparable from diet. There was an earlier tower/pagoda model. The MAHA guidelines, by contrast, use an inverted pyramid structure that puts meats, cheese, and vegetables in the widest part at the top -- flipping the old American pyramid where carbs were the foundation. PubMed CentralCNN
Grains and Carbohydrates
This is a significant philosophical split. In Korea, grains -- particularly rice -- form the base of the pyramid, suggesting they should make up the largest portion of meals. Korean guidelines even specifically urge people to "enjoy our rice-based diet" as a cultural value. Korean Garden BostonPubMed
The MAHA guidelines move in the opposite direction: whole grains are still present but requirements were reduced, leading to concerns about inadequate fiber, while refined grains and added sugar are sharply discouraged. U.S. News & World Report
Protein
Both systems emphasize protein, but they diverge on sources. The Korean diet historically relied on fish, poultry, fermented soy products, and legumes as primary proteins, with red meat being rare in the traditional agricultural context. ScienceDirect
The MAHA guidelines are far more meat-forward. Even so, the guidelines urge Americans to "prioritize protein foods at every meal," emphasizing animal sources such as red meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs, alongside plant sources like beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy. One of the key recommendations is increasing daily protein consumption from 0.36 grams per pound of body weight to 0.54 to 0.73 grams per pound. U.S. News & World ReportHealthline
Dairy
Both systems include dairy, but with very different emphasis. Korea recommends dairy in moderate servings, with the Korean Food Guidance System offering an A-type pattern of two dairy servings for children and a B-type of one serving for adults, reflecting differing calcium needs. PubMed Central
MAHA puts dairy much more prominently. The new inverted pyramid places dairy products such as cheese near the top, while the guidelines specifically recommend consuming full-fat dairy with no added sugars. Healthline
Fats
Traditional Korean cooking uses sesame and perilla oil, limits deep-fat frying, and relies on fermentation rather than fat-based preservation methods. MAHA takes a rehabilitated view of fat broadly: the guidelines recommend incorporating healthy fats from whole foods such as meats, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados. ScienceDirectHealthline
Fermented and Whole Foods
This is where Korean guidelines are notably distinct. The Korean diet is characterized by a wide variety of fermented foods -- kimchi, fermented soybean products, and others -- rich in bioactive compounds that support cardiovascular health and glycemic control. Korea's guidelines treat fermentation as a cultural and nutritional pillar. ScienceDirect
MAHA's "eat real food" framing gestures in a similar whole-food direction but doesn't specifically address fermented foods. The 2025-2030 guidelines reestablish food rather than pharmaceuticals as the foundation of health, with a clear "common-sense" message. HHS.gov
Sodium
Interestingly, both countries have sodium problems but from opposite directions. South Korea has launched extensive low-sodium campaigns, including a "low-sodium meal service week," smaller soup bowls in restaurants, and a Samsam Low-Sodium Food Service system limiting lunch to under 1,300mg of sodium per meal -- because the traditional high-salt fermented foods drive excess intake. MFDS
MAHA's primary concern is added sugars and ultra-processed foods rather than sodium specifically.
Ultra-Processed Foods
This is where the two systems actually converge most clearly. MAHA calls for a dramatic reduction in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives. Korea has been pushing a similar message, worried about the shift away from traditional diets. South Korea has been battling increasing obesity as people shift away from the traditional diet heavy in pickled vegetables toward more processed and fast food. RealfoodFacts and Details
Bottom Line
The Korean system is carbohydrate-foundational, vegetable-heavy, fish-and-legume-centric, and deeply integrated with cultural food identity and fermentation tradition. MAHA inverts that structure -- making protein and full-fat animal products the anchor, reducing carbs, and framing the whole thing as a return to "real food" after decades of processed food damage. They share a common enemy in ultra-processed food, and both fold physical activity into the framing, but they'd produce very different dinner plates.
Cheers! Sláinte! Na zdravie!
JZ Murdock is a retired Senior Technical Writer/IT administrator, and an active award-winning author/ filmmaker, documentarian, and writer based in Bremerton, Washington.
He publishes commentary on the state of things at murdockinations.com and on his creative works over at Substack. He also posts on Slasher.com on the horror genre.
If this work means something to you, you can support it at Ko-fi. Tips are always welcome and go directly toward keeping independent documentary work possible.
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