Environmental Nutrition

If you're a fan of Korean cuisine, you might already be familiar with kimchi, a mixture of salted and fermented vegetables, because it has been a staple for centuries. But, if it's your first time reading about it, you'll be glad to discover that kimchi benefits apply not only to those at risk for heart disease and diabetes, but also for those looking to manage their weight, improve digestion, promote skin health, and more.

What is kimchi?

Kimchi is a low-calorie, low-fat, nutrient-dense source of vitamins (especially vitamin C and beta-carotene), minerals, fiber, important phytochemicals (including beta-sitosterol, sulfur compounds, and capsaicin), and perhaps most importantly, numerous probiotic strains (including Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis). Researchers have compared kimchi to yogurt, stating that kimchi can be considered a vegetable probiotic food, while yogurt is a health-promoting dairy probiotic food.

Kimchi benefits for weight loss

Studies have reported numerous health benefits of kimchi and other fermented vegetables. For instance, eating kimchi can help obese people decrease body weight, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and percentage of body fat.

Kimchi benefits also improve a number of metabolic factors associated with being overweight that increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes: fasting blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. In diabetic rats, kimchi improves insulin function and lowers average blood glucose levels. In healthy young people, kimchi helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

Other kimchi benefits

Besides its effect on weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, kimchi benefits that have been reported in the scientific literature (but may also benefit from additional research) include:

--Increased antioxidant status

--Protection from asthma

--Anti-aging properties

--Anti-cancer benefit

--Protection from atherosclerosis

--Anti-constipation effects

--Colon health promotion

--Brain health promotion

--Skin health promotion

--Immune system stimulation

Utilizing kimchi benefits

There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi, each with varying types of fermented vegetables, seasonings and cooking methods. Tastes range from bland to very spicy. Good kimchi is often described as having a balanced sour, salty and spicy flavor, and it has a crunchy texture. Experiment to find brands and varieties that suit your taste, but make sure you're purchasing fermented kimchi, as opposed to non-fermented varieties. Also, avoid kimchi that contains excessive amounts of sodium and/or preservatives by making your own.

(Environmental Nutrition is the award-winning independent newsletter written by nutrition experts dedicated to providing readers up-to-date, accurate information about health and nutrition in clear, concise English. For more information, visit www.environmentalnutrition.com.)