Kimchi, My Childhood Friend by Sarah Choi

Photo by Koreanbapsang.com

What can make a delicious and healthy addition to any meal? Kimchi! Kimchi has been my staple food since longer than I can remember. I’ll happily add it to anything including burgers, pizza, tacos, ice cream...okay, maybe not the ice cream, but you get what I mean. To put it short, I love kimchi and you should too. 

Although kimchi has been present in my life since longer than I can remember (literally while I was in the womb), it is not well known to many non-Korean Americans. Recently, kimchi seems to be gaining popularity in America, making its way to standard grocery stores such as Safeway and Trader Joe’s, claiming the superfood title, and being infused into many restaurant dishes.

So what is kimchi is exactly and why do I value it like a childhood friend? Let’s find out. 

What is Kimchi?

• Kimchi is as common Korean dish that may be eaten on the side or incorporated into many Korean dishes such as ramen, fried rice, and soups. Kimchi is fermented cabbage made with a variety of different ingredients such as spring onions, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, red pepper paste, anchovy paste, fish sauce, and radish. Ingredients may vary on preference. The perfect savory, umami, salty, tangy, refreshing, and spicy blend of taste can make a powerful addition to any meal. Traditional kimchi is typically made with Napa cabbage however kimchi may also be made with alternate vegetables such as radishes or cucumbers. 

Full recipe can be found here: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tongbaechu-kimchi

Health Benefits of Kimchi
Nutrition Facts  
Kimchi is extremely low in calories, only ~33 calories per 100 grams. Although low in calories, kimchi is packed with dietary fibers and micronutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin K, manganese, vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6, and iron (Levy, 2018). Along with micronutrients, kimchi is also filled with various probiotics or “good gut bacteria” such as Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc (Lee, Shim, Park, Heo & Kim, 2016).  

• Weight loss 
  • Kimchi may contribute to weight loss(Patra, Das, Paramithiotis & Shin, 2016). Studies show that regular consumption of kimchi has various positive outcomes such as lowering cholesterol levels, lowering glucose levels, lowering cardiac risk factors (often associated with obesity), and improving metabolism (Patra et al., 2016). This delicious and low calorie treat is also filled with fiber and may also help keep the stomach feeling fuller (Gropper, 2013).  
• Probiotics  
  • Kimchi has a high content of probiotics, such as Lactobacillus, which are “good bacteria” in our gut that help digest the foods we eat. Regular consumption of kimchi may help regulate bowel movements and prevent GI diseases (Lee, Yoon, Ji, Kim & Park, 2011). Not only do these probiotics help with assisting the digestive system, they also are able to protect against food borne pathogens. Probiotics are essential for a healthy immune system (Gropper, 2013).  

• Antioxidants  
  • Ever wonder why Koreans seem to age so slowly? It could be because of Kimchi (along with amazing skin care products)! Common ingredients used to make kimchi, such as cabbage, peppers, ginger, garlic, and onions contain a high content of antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect against free radical induced oxidative stress (Kim, Choi, Kang, Park & Cho, 2014). In other words kimchi may help protect against aging, cell damage, inflammation, some diseases, and some infections (Kim et al., 2014).

Although I cannot promise that Kimchi will be everyone’s favorite food, you have to admit that Kimchi is a true friend when it comes to our nutritional health and well being. If you haven’t already, be sure to give it a try! Your gut bacteria will thank you! 

Photo from wikipedia

Bujňáková, D., & Kmeť, V. (2012). Functional properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated from dairy              products. Folia Microbiologica, 57(4), 263–267. doi: 10.1007/s12223-012-0121-x

Gropper, S. (2013) Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism. Boston, MA. Cengage Learning.

Lee, K. W., Shim, J. M., Park, S.-K., Heo, H.-J., Kim, H.-J., Ham, K.-S., & Kim, J. H. (2016). Isolation of      lactic acid bacteria with probiotic potentials from kimchi, traditional Korean fermented                        vegetable. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 71, 130–137. doi: 10.1016/j.lwt.2016.03.029

Levy, J. (2018, October 26). Kimchi: Improve Immunity & Digestion with Kimchi. Retrieved November        6, 2019, from https://draxe.com/nutrition/kimchi/.

Maangchi. (2014, June 22). Traditional napa cabbage kimchi. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from                https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tongbaechu-kimchi.
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Patra, J. K., Das, G., Paramithiotis, S., & Shin, H.-S. (2016). Kimchi and Other Widely Consumed                    Traditional Fermented Foods of Korea: A Review. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7. doi:                                  10.3389/fmicb.2016.01493