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Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with salted, fermented vegetables. It may contain a variety of ingredients mostly including cabbages and seasoning such as salt, sugar, onions, garlic, ginger and chilli peppers. It contains probiotics and is rich in a variety of nutrients that may support the immune system, have anti-inflammatory properties, and several other benefits.
Before refrigerators were invented, it was very difficult to preserve foods for a longer period without decaying. Therefore, preserved foods like kimchi became popular mediums to store foods for a longer period.
So what is kimchi actually, and are there any health benefits of consuming this Korean traditional dish?
What Is Kimchi?
In ancient times, it was not possible to grow fresh vegetables throughout the entire year, as agricultural technology was not that developed. Therefore people mainly used food preservation techniques such as pickling and fermentation, to preserve and consume foods, especially vegetables in off seasons.
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Pickling and fermentation are methods that use certain microorganisms and enzymes to create chemical changes in food that improve their shelf life. Kimchi typically contains vegetables like cabbages, radish, celery, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, spinach, scallions, beets, and bamboo shoots added up with seasonings like sugar, salt, onions, garlic, ginger and chilli peppers.
In Korea, the traditional fermentation process of kimchi can take up to 1 month, during which kimchi is stored in special jars, and then partially or sometimes completely stored underground.
Though kimchi is usually eaten after fermentation, it can also be freshly eaten, or unfermented immediately after its preparation. Kimchi is not only savoring to the tongue but also offers a lot of health benefits, mainly due to its probiotic properties. Let's talk about some of the major health benefits of consuming kimchi.
Health Benefits Of Kimchi
Since kimchi has more than 200 different variations, its nutritional content also varies with its preparation. Kimchi is a good source of vitamins A, B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals, fiber and amino acids. Additionally, they are generally very low in calories and rich in nutrients.
One single cup of kimchi, which amounts to approximately 150 grams contains around 23 calories, 1 g of protein, under 1 g of fat, 4 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of fiber and 2 g of sugar.
The abundance of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants present in kimchi can provide numerous benefits to health. Some of the major benefits of consuming kimchi are as follows:
1) Improves Heart Health
Some research and evidence have shown that consuming kimchi is related to improving heart health and preventing the risk of heart disease, by lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation in the body. Inflammation is one of the major factors contributing to metabolic syndrome, which refers to a group of conditions that together contribute to increased risk of heart disease, strokes and type 2 diabetes.
People with high cholesterol and chronic inflammation are more vulnerable to heart diseases. Studies on mice have shown that consuming kimchi helps to lower fat levels in the liver, promoting clear blood circulation, which leads the heart to pump more blood, improving heart health.
2) Better Digestion
The production of kimchi and similar kinds of fermented foods involves a process called lacto-fermentation, which uses the bacteria Lactobacilli to break down sugar and starches into lactic acid. These are good bacteria that help to clean the intestine, improving gut health. Eating fermented foods hence results in reducing the negative symptoms of digestion-related diseases. These "good bacteria" can also be found in yogurt, and people often refer to them as probiotics.
3) Promotes Weight Loss
Kimchi is very low in calories and additionally, it promotes weight loss. Studies on adults suffering from obesity have shown that the presence of Lactobacillus sakei derived from kimchi might help in reducing fat and waist circumference in the body. Similarly, other studies have shown that kimchi may exhibit anti-obesity properties.
Consuming kimchi regulates blood pressure, and body fat percentage, which is responsible for weight loss, as they have a low-calorie count, are full of probiotics, and are high in fibre which significantly improves heart health.
4) May Prevent Yeast Infections
The presence of probiotics and healthy bacteria in kimchi may help to prevent yeast infections. Candida fungus is a microorganism that causes vaginal yeast infections, which multiply very rapidly inside the vagina. Though antibiotics are generally used to treat this fungus, there can also be some natural treatments.
Animal studies have shown that certain strains of Lactobacillus can fight Candida. Studies have shown that kimchi may have antimicrobial properties which help the body fight against fungus.
5) May Improve The Immune System
The bacteria Lactobacillus present in kimchi may result in boosting your improve system. Some studies show that in addition to having anti-inflammatory properties, eating fermented foods such as kimchi has been shown to help remodel the gut microbiome, which results in altering and strengthening the immune system. Test tube studies investigating Lactobacillus found that kimchi possesses immune-enhancing effects.
A 2014 mouse study indicates that consuming kimchi can lower levels of the inflammatory marker tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which is found in higher levels in the body during infections.
6) May Have Anti-Ageing Effects
Chronic inflammation is not only responsible for several diseases but also is responsible for accelerating the aging process. Kimchi is effective in prolonging cell life by reducing chronic inflammation. Test-tube studies have found that human cells treated with kimchi demonstrated increased viability, which increases overall cell health, and also extends life span regardless of their age. Hence, it will reduce the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles on the skin.
However, much more study is yet needed to prove the effectiveness of kimchi in treating chronic inflammation, and whether it can be used as a treatment for slowing down aging.
How To Prepare Kimchi
Kimchi can be easily made at home, as compared to other fermented foods. To make kimchi traditionally, first cut fresh vegetables like cabbages, carrots, radishes, and onions.
Keep ingredients like ginger, garlic, sugar, salt, rice flour, chilli oil, chilli powder, pepper flakes, fish sauce, saeujeot (fermented shrimp), etc to season them later.
While doing the seasoning, spread salt in between the layers of cabbage leaves and let it sit overnight. Use the ratio of half a cup (72 grams) of last to every 6 pounds (2.7 kg) of cabbage. To remove the extra salt, rinse the cabbage leaves mildly with water and then drain it in a colander or stainer. Mix all the seasonings evenly into a paste. The proportion of seasonings can vary on the taste of individuals.
Then add the evenly mixed seasoning paste to the vegetables until the vegetables are completely coated with the paste. Then find an air-tight container, put the mixture into it, and then seal it properly.
Kimchi can also be made favorable for vegetarians and vegans if you decide to leave out saeujeot or fish sauce. If you prefer kimchi without fermentation then you can easily eat them right after you have coated the veggies with seasonings without storing them in the jar or container.
If you prefer fermented kimchi, then you will realise that it is ready to eat, once it starts to smell and taste sour. After the fermentation process is done, you can store the kimchi container in a refrigerator and keep on eating it for up to a year. The fermentation will still go on but at a much slower rate due to the cool environment. With time, you would see more bubbles, bulging, a more sour taste, and softening of the vegetables, which are perfectly normal for kimchi until a year.
However, if you smell a very foul odour or any signs of mould, such as a white film on the top layer, then most probably the dish is spoiled and should be thrown out. Ideally, kimchi should be fermented from 3 to up to 21 days depending on the environment and temperature under which it is kept.
Kimchi is generally very safe to consume, but one of its major safety concerns is food poisoning. Kimchi has been related to microorganisms such as E. coli and norovirus outbreaks. Though generally, fermented foods don't generally pose a threat to foodborne diseases, the ingredients used to prepare kimchi and the environment they are kept in can make them vulnerable to pathogens.
People with problems of digestion and weak immune systems should take precautions before consuming kimchi. People with high blood pressure levels should take precautions as kimchi is high in sodium content. Hence, if one wants to consume kimchi, one needs to prepare it carefully as to their own taste and health needs.
Make sure, if you want to buy kimchi, it is from a trusted brand. Kimchi is rich in probiotics that boast in numerous probiotics, Consuming it with precaution can regulate your immune system, aid in weight loss, fight inflammation, help to cure chronic diseases, and even slow down the aging process.
If you love the tangy taste of fermented dishes and love cooking, then make sure to add it to your next meal.
