At lunchtime, office workers do a lot of math. Before choosing what they want to eat, they check the price first, then weigh whether to add a cup of coffee afterward. Because it is a daily expense, even a 1,000-won increase per meal adds up to a meaningful burden over a month. That is why "lunchflation," a coined term combining lunch and rising prices, is unwelcome news for office workers.
The shift shows up in what workers actually spend. A domestic mobile payment company analyzed about 9 million mobile meal voucher transactions last year and found that users spent an average of 9,500 won on lunch. That is up about 58% from 6,000 won in 2017. Among major business districts in the greater Seoul area, Samseong-dong reached 15,000 won, Gangnam 14,000 won, and Yeouido and Seocho 13,000 won each.
For a worker spending 15,000 won a meal who comes into the office 20 days a month, lunch alone costs 300,000 won. That excludes breakfast and dinner, not to mention coffee. It is little wonder that workers looking to trim food costs are turning to convenience stores. The situation has become one in which the state of one's wallet comes before what one wants to eat.
The problem is that saving on food can lead to nutritional imbalance. Even at a convenience store, a balanced meal is possible if items are combined properly. But health problems can arise if a meal consists of nothing more than a piece of bread or a single rice ball, if lunch is skipped altogether, or if the missing nutrients are not made up at other meals.
One condition to watch for when such eating habits continue over a long period is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bone mass declines and the internal structure weakens, so that even a minor impact can cause a fracture. Even after growth ends, bone repeatedly removes old tissue and builds new tissue. If the nutrients needed for that process are not supplied in sufficient amounts, maintaining bone health becomes difficult. Diets lacking calcium and vitamin D in particular are considered risk factors for osteoporosis and fractures.
Skipping lunch a few times does not, of course, immediately cause osteoporosis. But osteoporosis often progresses without clear symptoms, making it hard to notice the effect that poor eating habits have on bone health. Those who are underweight or have other risk factors such as menopause need to pay even closer attention to their nutritional intake.
A balanced diet is important for preventing osteoporosis. If bone density has already declined, more active management and treatment are needed, given the risk of fractures.
In Korean medicine, herbal remedies are sometimes prescribed to treat osteoporosis with the aim of improving bodily function and curbing the loss of bone density. One representative prescription is Yeongolbogang-hwan, a compound herbal formula. A joint study by the Jaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute and the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Seoul National University's College of Pharmacy found that the formula increased the differentiation and maturation of osteoblasts, the cells that build bone, and suppressed factors that trigger osteoporosis. The findings were published in the international journal BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine.
None of this means workers must eat expensive food every lunch hour. Even when cutting food costs, it is important to consider nutritional balance. When comparing price tags, it is worth also checking whether a protein side dish is included and whether enough calcium is being consumed over the course of the day. The money saved on lunch today is visible, but the effects of nutritional shortfalls built up over years may surface only after bones have already weakened.
