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Is kimchi good for you? It's a traditional Korean dish that contains salted fermented vegetables. Kimchi contains probiotics and other nutrients and is known to have various health benefits, including improved immunity and reduced inflammation.
Kimchi is usually made with cabbage but can also be prepared using radishes, celery, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, spinach, scallions, beets and bamboo shoots depending on their seasonal availability.
In this article, we try to understand the nutritional profile and health benefits that make kimchi good for you along with an easy recipe to make this dish at home.
Why is kimchi good for you?
A cup (approximately 150 grams) of kimchi provides:
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- Calories: 23 kcal
- Carbs: 4 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Fat: less than 1 gram
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sodium: 747 mg
- Vitamin B6: 19% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin C: 22% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 55% of the DV
- Folate: 20% of the DV
- Iron: 21% of the DV
- Niacin: 10% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 24% of the DV
This impressive nutritional profile makes kimchi good for you. It's an amazing source of vitamin C, an important antioxidant, and can protect the body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
It also provides a significant amount of vitamin K, which is required for blood clotting and bone metabolism. Kimchi can provide good amounts of plant-based non-heme iron and folic acid. All these vitamins and minerals make kimchi good for you.
Is kimchi good for weight loss?
A cup of kimchi contains only four grams of carbs, which makes it amazing for a low-carb diet.
It's allowed on a keto and other similar diets. It's also a low-calorie food, as a cup of it contains only 23 calories. A keto-friendly profile makes kimchi good for you; hence, it can be said that it's good for weight loss. Cabbage and other vegetables used to make kimchi are among the low-carb vegetables to include in your diet.
Other health benefits that make kimchi good for you
Kimchi can also be good for heart health due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Beneficial compounds and antioxidants like vitamin C in kimchi can reduce inflammation and prevent chronic inflammatory conditions like heart disease and fatty liver disease.
Probiotic gut bacteria improve gut health and promote digestion and absorption of nutrients. Kimchi is among the best probiotic-rich foods to include in your diet. Studies have also found promising results, but more are being conducted to understand about the health benefits that make kimchi good for you.
Is kimchi good for you? Recipe to try out
Here's an easy and simple recipe for kimchi that you can try out at home:
Ingredients:
- 4kg (8.8 pounds) of Chinese cabbage
- 16 cups (3840 ml) water for the cabbage
- 1.5 cups (285g / 10 ounces of sea salt or natural rock salt
- 1/2 cup (97g / 3.4 ounces) cooking salt
- 2 Tbsp glutinous rice flour
- 1.5 cups (360 ml) water for the paste
- 1.5 cups (141g / 4.97 ounces) Korean chili flakes
- 540g / 19 ounces Korean radish
- 1 Tbsp fine sea salt for the paste
- 3.5 Tbsp Korean fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp salted fermented shrimp
- 90g / 3.2 ounces Korean chives
- 140g / 4.9 ounces carrots
- 1/4 cup (42g / 1.48 ounces) minced garlic
- 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 75g / 2.6 ounces onion, finely grated or made into a paste
Instructions:
- Cut the cabbage into quarters, and rinse it in running water.
- Dissolve the coarse salt in the water in a large bowl. Dip the cabbage in the saltwater once.
- Pinch some cooking salt, and rub over the cabbage.
- Put the salted cabbage in a large container, and pour the salt water. Keep aside for six hours.
- Rinse the cabbages in running waterm and drain.
- Mix glutinous rice flour with the water (1.5 cups) in a saucepan, and boil it over medium heat till it thickens.
- In a large mixing bowl, add radish, fine sea salt, Korean fish sauce, salted fermented shrimp, Korean chives, carrots, minced garlic, minced ginger, sugar, blended onion and Korean chili flakes.
- Spread the seasonings over each leaf.
- Transfer into an airtight container, and keep aside for 24 hours at room temperature followed by refrigeration.
Indranil Biswas is a nutritionist and personal trainer with a diploma in dietetics and personal training with a specialization in sports nutrition and strength training.
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