The Undeniable Power of Kimchi

Made of Napa cabbage, Korean radishes, and other fermented vegetables, kimchi can be found in many Asian restaurants and increasingly in grocery stores. In the last ten years, kimchi has popped up on chain-restaurant menus from TGI Friday’s to California Pizza Kitchen.

Today, you can find kimchi in tacos and even as a topping for hot dogs. It adds salty, garlicky, crunchy heat to many dishes. Also, this trendy food is crazy healthy. Let’s take a quick look at the power of kimchi.

The Power of Kimchi

This low-calorie, high-fiber nutrient-packed food provides numerous vitamins, including A, B1, and B2, and vitamin C. It also contains essential amino acids and minerals such as calcium, iron, and selenium.

But wait, there’s more. It offers an impressive array of amino acids as well as beneficial probiotics lactobacillus bacteria. This dish, with its sour, spicy, umami flavor, also contains helpful compounds such as capsaicin, carotenoids, flavonoids, chlorophyll, and isothiocyanates. And did I mention it is low in fat and sugar?

Improves Digestion

All fermented food aid in digestion, but kimchi truly excels at this task. Its high fiber content and millions of lactobacillus will keep you regular and your digestive system healthy.

Improves Your Immunity

Research has linked probiotic-rich foods like kimchi to help increase our overall immunity. Improving our immunity through the food we eat can shore up our defenses against many types of bacteria.

Provides Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Compounds

Kimchi is filled with spices and other ingredients that are known for their anti-inflammatory and health-promoting properties. Cabbage contains many antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory compounds. Also, radishes, garlic, ginger, scallions, and red peppers have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Lowers Cholesterol in Our Bodies

A study found evidence that support claims that eating kimchi regularly can help balance cholesterol and glucose levels in our bodies. Further research also indicates that kimchi can help lower cholesterol among a host of other benefits. Lower cholesterol is directly related to a lower chance of developing heart disease.

Diabetes Prevention

An estimated 415 million people worldwide already have diabetes, and that number will only continue to grow. Research has demonstrated that kimchi can reduce glucose in our bodies and might be a powerful weapon against diabetes. It could very well be a delicious way to stave off diabetes.

Kimchi’s tang and taste have captured the hearts of many, and its health-promoting benefits have sealed the deal for most of us. Although the dish was first created thousands of years ago, new ways of cooking it continues to pop up. With its versatile taste, kimchi can liven up noodles, rice dishes, and soups.

Excuse me, gotta run. I feel a craving coming on.