The Top 3 Health Benefits of Kimchi

If you've never had kimchi before, you're missing out on not only a delicious dish but also a whole host of health benefits. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with salted and fermented vegetables. It typically contains cabbage and seasonings like sugar, salt, onions, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers. But the list of ingredients isn't what makes kimchi so good for you; it's the fermentation process.

During fermentation, lactobacilli bacteria grow and multiply. These are the same types of probiotics that are found in yogurt, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods. Probiotics are beneficial to your health in many ways. They can boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and even protect against colon cancer.

Let's take a closer look at each of these health benefits in turn...

Benefit 1: Boosts Your Immune System

One of the most well-known benefits of probiotics is that they can help boost your immune system. And since kimchi is packed with probiotics, it stands to reason that it would have the same effect. In fact, there's some research to back this up. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that kimchi reduced the severity of colds and flu symptoms in seniors.

Benefit 2: Reduces Inflammation

Inflammation is your body's natural response to injury or infection. However, chronic inflammation can lead to a whole host of problems like heart disease, arthritis, and even cancer. The good news is that probiotics can help reduce inflammation. A review published in Nutrients found that probiotic supplementation was associated with reduced levels of inflammation markers in adults.

Benefit 3: Colon Cancer Protection 

While more research is needed in this area, there is some evidence to suggest that kimchi may help protect against colon cancer. This is because kimchi contains lactobacilli bacteria, which produce lactic acid. Lactic acid has been shown to inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells in test-tube studies. What's more, a population-based study found that people who regularly ate kimchi had a lower risk of colorectal cancer than those who didn't eat it. 

More Health Tips

Kimchi is not only delicious but also packed with health benefits thanks to its high probiotic content. Probiotics are beneficial to your health in many ways; they can boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and even protect against colon cancer. So next time you're looking for something new to try, don't hesitate to give kimchi a go! Your gut—and your taste buds—will thank you for it.

For more health tips and to learn about your own food sensitivities, please take my FREE Masterclass!

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Wellness wishes,
Elena 

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8045997/