How to Make the Most of the Amazing Benefits of Kimchi
Are you looking for a superfood that tastes great and is a reliable source of healthy ingredients at the same time? Kimchi – a spicy Korean fermented cabbage dish – is rightfully taking the nutrition world by storm. Kimchi is made up of Chinese cabbage leaves along with some other vegetables (for example, carrots or radishes), fermented with Lactobacilli bacteria. It is low in calories and tasty. It can be easily added as a side dish to your everyday diet. While kimchi has been used in Asian cuisine for centuries, it is now making a real splash in the Western world.
And with celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Jessica Alba, Liam Neeson talking about their love for this food, it’s worth taking a look at the health benefits of kimchi. Health Experts have also recommended Kimchi, New York based Alicia Harper one of the world's leading experts in Probiotics has recommended eating Kimchi in her award winning blog ProbioticReviewGirl.com.
Let’s see what the great side-effects of eating kimchi can be for you too!
Healthy Bacteria for Digestive System
One of the most obvious benefits of eating kimchi is the intake of good bacteria which has a positive impact on your digestive system. The Lactobacilli bacteria used to make kimchi is the same as what is normally in our gut, helping us digest food. It is also an ingredient within our gut that can be seriously impacted by stress or a bad diet. This is why eating kimchi is really beneficial for gut health. Adding the Lactobacilli back into our bodies is supplemented by the high fibre content of kimchi. This combination helps those suffering from constipation immensely.
Cholesterol Levels
Recent scientific studies point to the benefit of introducing probiotics into our diets to reduce bad cholesterol levels. Probiotics such as the Lactobacilli can help our bodies regulate the levels of cholesterol, and ultimately ward off against obesity or other cholesterol problems.
Kimchi often includes garlic, which is rich in allicin and selenium – both cholesterol-lowering ingredients. By preventing your arteries from clogging up, in the long-term, these ingredients are contributing to protecting you from heart disease and strokes.
Vitamin A Benefits
Kimchi includes a good amount of vitamin A – up to 18% of the daily recommended amounts for a healthy diet. As a result, an additional benefit of consuming kimchi is that it supports healthy vision and also general health (as vitamin A is a great antioxidant). Vitamin A is a cancer-fighting supplement as well.
Hair and Skin Benefits
Another great benefit of eating kimchi appears to be an improvement in the health of hair and skin. It is also an anti-aging supplement. This is because of the antioxidant properties of kimchi ingredients – the selenium found in garlic is excellent for this.Not only does it support hair and skin health, selenium boosts vitamin C in the body and preserves it and we know that vitamin C aids collagen production. Kimchi’s anti-inflammatory properties are also linked to slowing down the aging process.
Low Calorie & Weight Loss
We have mentioned already that kimchi is very low in calories, so it’s almost negligible when added to your diet. This is obviously great if you’re looking to lose weight: there are only 40 calories in 150 grams of kimchi.
However, the most relevant impact of kimchi in weight loss comes from the fact that it helps carbohydrate metabolism. Another metabolism boost from kimchi comes from capsaicin, contained in the chili peppers kimchi is made with.
Immunity
The antioxidant properties of kimchi, added to its richness in vitamin C, make it a great supplement for immunity. Moreover, Chinese cabbage and radish are known to contain bio-chemicals which help detoxify your liver, small intestine, and kidney. These also prevent stomach cancer. So you can see how kimchi ingredients are boosters for your immune system.
Peptic ulcer, caused by Helicobacter pylori which is also present in our gut, is another illness that kimchi can fight. The leuconostoc mesenteroides in kimchi produce dextrin, which in turn inhibits the development of Helicobacter pylori and will reduce your chances of developing peptic ulcer.
Another element usually found in kimchi is ginger. Along with radishes, scallions, garlic, and cabbage, ginger is anti-inflammatory and helps prevent diseases like cognitive disorders, coronary artery disease, and cancer.
Finally, eating kimchi can help fight the onset of diabetes. It is due to its antioxidant content which can reduce the glucose in your body. Research has shown that, after four weeks of eating kimchi, test subjects were found to have higher levels of insulin and lower levels of glucose. You can read the medical studies for the health benefits of kimchi here.
Conclusion
As you can see, the ingredients and the way in which kimchi is made through fermentation combine together to create a true superfood with numerous potential health benefits. Beyond what we have covered here, kimchi ingredients are rich in a multitude of vitamins (A, C, K), minerals, and amino-acids.
The increasing popularity of kimchi around the world means that you can order it online or find it in grocery stores ever easier. You can also make your own kimchi using Chinese cabbage leaves, soy sauce, Korean red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, shallots, and salted water. You can find a number of recipes online.
All in all, kimchi is a great addition to anyone’s diet and it’s tasty too. Its addition to anything from grilled chicken sandwiches to salads has actually opened us up to a new range of foods – so it’s all win-win with this wonder food!
Kimchi is actually one of my brother's favorite Korean food and now that I already know the benefits of Kimchi, I think I should try it too! :) Thanks to your blog :)
I have been wanting to learn on how to make kimchi. Thanks for this blog, it helps me a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy mom also said that kimchi really has many benefit. So when i heard that i was eating kimchi.
ReplyDeleteMy mom also said that kimchi really has many benefit. So when i heard that i was eating kimchi.
ReplyDeleteKimchi is actually one of my brother's favorite Korean food and now that I already know the benefits of Kimchi, I think I should try it too! :) Thanks to your blog :)
ReplyDeleteAng sarap pala ng kimchi.Ang dami palang benefits.Thanks for this
ReplyDeleteI love kimchi! Super healthy and full of flavor
ReplyDeleteWanna try kimchi too. Super love namin ni hubby ang spicy! We will surely love this promise.
ReplyDeleteI so love kimchi. Its so delicious
ReplyDeleteSarap kimchi is the best ever❤Love it so much
ReplyDeleteSarap naman ng Kimchi.Love it so much❤Kimchi is the best
ReplyDeleteWow! Dami palang health benefits Ng kimchi! ❤️ Would like to try some!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this informative blog,i super love kimchi��❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks for this informative blog, I super love kimchi��❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, it's very helpful ♥️
ReplyDeleteYep it is really a super food because it has a lots of good ingredients
ReplyDeletewow ive never try it but i think this is so yum ����
ReplyDeletethis is so yummy 😍😋
ReplyDeleteKimchi is one of my family's favorite food.
ReplyDeleteI really want to try this kimchi but didnt have a chance.And It has a lot of health benefits too 😍
ReplyDeleteWow,i love kimchi.dilicious, and lot of benefits❤️ true it was a SUPERFOOD-
ReplyDeleteGen quirao
Ive never taste kimchi before,,but because i get hooked with kdrama,,seeing them eating kimchi makes me want to try eat those too and i love it..
ReplyDelete-gabe rielle
Because of kdrama im beginning to love this kimchi these days.
ReplyDeleteBecause of kdrama im beginning to love this kimchi these days.
ReplyDeleteSobrang sarap ng kimchi lagi kami na order nian kakagutom tuloi
ReplyDeleteWowww, healthy and yummy naman po pala ng kimchi 😍💞
ReplyDeleteThat's my husband's favorite...yummy kimchi
ReplyDelete