Why Eat Kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish and is eaten as a condiment or mixed with other dishes. It is made from fermented cabbage combined with other ingredients such as radish, carrots and onions. The vegetables are cut or sliced and salted to create a brine. Spices are then added before packing them up into fermenting jars. 

The recent trend for Korean Pop Culture has said to have brought interest to more things Korean, and that of course includes food. As Korean Drama became popular, people in many parts of the world became more conscious to try korean food such as noodles, bibimbap, bulgogi and kimchi.

Popularity aside, kimchi is also found to have many health benefits. The most widely known is its role in supporting gut health. Recent findings shows evidence that fermented food such as kimchi contributes in maintaining good levels of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract that is linked to improved intestinal health, better anti-inflammatory defense & immune system.

There are also studies that shows how kimchi can help support heart health. Compounds known as Conjugated Linoleic Acids (CLA) produced by the bacteria to aid fermentation, may have an effect to lowering blood pressure as well as minimising atherosclerosis by keeping the blood vessels clear.

More claims for kimchi being a healthy binge is linked to maintaining good Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood sugar management. However, despite the overwhelming claims and evidences, the direct correlation as to eating kimchi and these benefits requires further studies and research to fully understand how powerful is this ancient food. 

Kimchi has become more available in the market today, there are many commercially made Kimchi thats accessible from your local grocers or supermarket. A word of advise though is for you to be a conscious consumer. Be sure to check on allergens, salt content and one more important tip is to choose “unpasteurised” kimchi, as pasteurisation may have potentially kill beneficial bacteria.

As for us, we like to make our own kimchi at home to ensure that we only use  organic ingredients and be in control of the “spicyness”. There are loads of recipes online, so try to be a little experimental and you’ll have your own version of kimchi in no time.

Another thing that we have been binging on are kimchi chips! We so love kimchi that we are so happy to have discovered Osh Kimchi Chips. We call it our kimchi-on-the-go. What a healthy alternative to the usual salty chips! If you are curious on how kimchi chips taste like and would like to add savoury and healthy to your snack drawers, check out Osh Kimchi Chips here.