Is kimchee healthy for you

Answer 1

You can spell it "kimchee" or "kimchi," but this spicy Korean dish, which is usually made of fermented napa cabbage, daikon radish or cucumbers is so healthy for you that Koreans eat up to 40 pounds of kimchi per person every year.

Some people think just eating spicy food is good for you (kimchi is made with red chili pepper powder), but there's even a "white kimchi" that's popular in Korea that has no heat. It's the fermentation that is good for you: when the salted veggies ferment, it creates lactobacilli -- the same bacteria that's promoted in yogurt -- and this is what contribute to good health in your gut. The bacteria helps in digestion to break down the stuff we eat, but it does a lot more.

The current explosion of popularity in cultured food is partly because of the concern that our modern diets are stripping our insides of the millions of bacteria in our bodies that help us not just process food but also fight off illnesses. Fermented foods are credited increasingly with helping to prevent major illnesses such as cancer.

It's easy to ferment many types of food, but especially vegetables. If you've ever pickled anything, it's the same idea (though traditional kimchi was a little more work than just putting cabbage in a jar -- kimchi was buried while it fermented!).

Koreans have made kimchi for hundreds of years, and it became Korea's national dish after the use of red pepper as an ingredient was first documented in the 18th century. There are almost 200 varieties of kimchi archived in a Kimchi Museum in Seoul. Besides the bacteria from fermentation, kimchi is rich with vitamins and carotene, as well as fiber.

Koreans think it's the ultimate health food. If you haven't tried it, give kimchi a taste and see if you feel better!