SEOUL, KOREA — Korea’s national food, Kimchi, has been a traditional dish for centuries. Koreans eat this dish often, and even foreigners enjoy the taste of this delicious fermented cabbage. Eating Kimchi is not only good to eat; it is also good for you. In fact, a recent study revealed that eating well-fermented Kimchi can help people lose more weight in comparison to eating fresher versions of Kimchi.
The Korean Rural Development Administration and Ajou University conducted an experiment on 22 overweight adults for a period of three months. Half were given well-fermented Kimchi to eat, while the other half ate fresh Kimchi. The results showed that the first group lost more body fat and showed greater improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The top two ingredients for promoting the beneficial bacteria and inhibiting the unfriendly bacteria that causes fat and cholesterol are cabbage and onions. And according to many health experts, fermented cabbage is the absolute healthiest. Fermented cabbage! In other words, Kimchi!
The researchers concluded, based on the outcome of their hypothesis, “fiber from kimchi's main ingredient, napa cabbage, and vitamins A and C from the red chili peppers, helped in losing weight. The fiber extracted from napa cabbage and the capsaicin in red chili peppers, which both facilitate the decomposition of body fat, are more activated in the process of fermentation.”
Other evidence shows that the fermentation process multiplies the availability of the vitamins, minerals and all other nutrients in Kimchi and indicates that the probiotics in Kimchi are crucial to our health. Therefore eating a well balanced diet with Kimchi will result in eliminated cholesterol, an increase in intestinal health, and overall well being.