It was after the well-being boom that occurred in 2003 that people became aware of the importance of nutritional food. As a matter of fact, food had been merely a means to sate hunger in the past, until Kim Yeon Soo appeared as the first “food therapist” in Korea.

When you turn on the television, you would easily find doctors recommending all sorts of food that are good for your body. It was after the well-being boom that people gradually realized the importance of such nutritional food. Here, we can never leave out the contribution made by food therapist.

As a food therapist and current representative of IFTA (International Food Therapy Association), Kim showed great passion and willingness throughout the interview. Despite the familiarity of its name, you would be able to grasp only a vague concept of what food therapist does. What exactly is a food therapy? While doctors prescribe medicine to patients, food therapists provide people with guidelines of what to eat according to their physical state. Food therapists consider not only the nutritional value of the food but also the appropriate recipes for them to be cooked. Since ingredients give different effects to different people no matter how nutritional they are. Food therapists help each person develop ideal eating habits.

▲ Picture of Kim Yeon Soo. Provided by Kim Yeon Soo.

Although people are showing great interest in well-being food nowadays, their attitudes toward food were quite cynical in the past especially regarding its therapeutic value. When Kim was working as a reporter for 11 years, writing medical columns in Munhwa Daily News, there were no specialists in food who could provide appropriate dietary guidelines to people. Therefore, there were many readers who personally contacted her in order to consult on their health problems. Doctors and nutritionists did exist, but she thought an expert that studies more about the therapeutic value of food in depth was needed. After years of studying and contemplating on the job, she, herself, decided to become the first food therapist in the country.

She currently provides sources of information and ideas to enterprises that are trying to develop a healthy aspect to their alimentary products. Pulmuone, Dongwon and Starbucks are some of the enterprises that are working with Kim. She also wrote several books including, Food Therapy for my Child, S Diary of Skinny Bitch, and participated as a member of the panel in KBS Vitamin and SBS Morning Wide, which are well-known television programs.

Additionally, Kim recently produced juice made of kelp and apple. This is the first product that she commercialized after becoming a food therapist. “People always ask me what exactly a food therapist does. I wanted to create a product that could show what my work is, instead of explaining to them every time. This juice is what I have been prescribing to people suffering from constipation. Because they gave me positive feedback, I wanted more people to share the same effects.”

▲ Juice made of apple and kelp is good for constipation. Provided by ticketmonster.co.kr

Because she was the pioneer of this unknown field, there definitely existed many obstacles. In fact, she still seemed to remember the shock when she heard people calling themselves “food therapists” without any official permission. “Since food therapist is a job that is directly related to one’s health, I think it requires extreme devotion and seriousness. However, there were, and still are, many people who abuse its name for commercial purposes. When marketing, they easily sell their products as ‘means of food therapy.’ Such phenomenon discourages food therapists who are passionately working with their professional spirits,” said Kim.

Currently, there are not many official food therapists in Korea but more future food therapists are being trained. “I am trying not to give the title of ‘food therapist’ so easily to people. I think people should put in a considerable amount of time and show great passion in order to be called a professional food therapist. It is not a job that can be acquired by just possessing some license.” As a result, when training, there are several steps to take before becoming a professional. “Because I want only those with great willpower to become food therapists, I am selecting a few pupils and am receiving high tuition fees,” said Kim, expressing her sense of duty for her job. According to Kim, one of the people who are being trained is from Hong Kong, which implies the worldwide spread of interest in the job.

“I think the future of food therapists is very bright. As people’s standards of living are improved nowadays, living healthy is being considered more and more important. It is very interesting to see so many television programs giving tips about healthy food. Such a fact reflects the change in trend in contemporary society,” said Kim, showing great confidence.

“I hope many people acknowledge the passion we have for our work. Our pure, responsible desire to make people healthier should be distinguished from those who abuse the title” she added with sternness. If you are willing to cure people through finding the right food, why don’t you challenge yourself to become one of the food therapists?

▲ Well-being food is gaining popularity nowadays. Provided by nbsports.tistory.com.

▲ Food Therapy for My Child written by Kim Yeon Soo. Provided by gmtoys.or.kr.Skinny Bitch’s S Diary written by Kim Yeon Soo. Provided by danzzac.com.