During one of my trips to Korea, I had the pleasure of touring a kimchi factory where acidic ionized water was used to clean the Chinese cabbage. For those of you who don’t know, kimchi is Chinese cabbage mixed with red peppers and other vegetables and spices and then fermented for at least a week. It is a staple in Korean diet and absolutely delicious and nutritious! Here are some reasons why you should consider eating it.
I buy kimchi from my local Asian supermarket. My favorite food to cook with kimchi is kimchi pancakes. No, not the Bisquick pancakes you make for breakfast. Korean pancake mix is much more savory and when you mix it with kimchi and fry the pancake in seasame seed oil, the result is quick, healthy and delicious!
I also use kimchi to make a quick stew. Just add some kimchi to a pot along with some pork and spices and you’ve got a delicious a nutritious dinner. Here’s how healthy kimchi is for you:
The Chinese cabbage used in kimchi by itself is nutrient dense. Once cup has 19% of your daily value for vitamin B6, 22% of vitamin C, 20% of folate, 55% of vitamin K, 24% of riboflavin, plus iron and niacin.
Vitamin K is worth mentioning here. We don’t normally get a lot of vitamin K and it is responsible for bone metabolism and blood clotting. If you have issues with either of these, get some kimchi!
The fermentation of kimchi creates probiotics that help with our food digestion even more than yogurt! Lactobacillus breaks sugars into lactic acid, and this helps with hayfever and diarrhea.
Probiotics have also been linked to protection or improvements from several other conditions including cancer, the common cold, constipation, and heart health.
In one study, the lactobacillus platarum in kimchi reduced inflammation. Inflammation levels are often elevated when your body is fighting an infection or disease. Kimchi lowers these levels to help your immune system work more efficiently.
Other studies have concluded that kimchi may reduce inflammation, making it great for athletes. It may also slow aging because kimchi increased cell viability and extended the lifespan of the cell. Kimchi may also prevent yeast infections.
The last exciting health benefit we want to report about kimchi is that it helps you lose weight! Kimchi reduces your blood sugar level and improves blood pressure, leading to a lower body mass index in those studied. The low calories count and high fiber of kimchi are also thought to aid in weight loss.
One of the negative stereotypes about kimchi is that it is too spicy. It’s not! The red pepper they use are not hot at all! Kimchi has a mild spice to it, making it versatile to use in many dishes.
Because of the health benefits, low cost, and deliciousness of kimchi, we recommend that you give it try. It’s born in factories that use acidic ionized water, so it has healthy roots. The Koreans are on to something amazing here and I can attest it makes for some GREAT meals!
