I’ve become great friends with Kimchi. Who’s she? some folks might be asking. 🙂 Well, “she’s” a “native” of Korea and is known to be one of the healthiest in the world. She strongly promotes beneficial bacteria and inhibits unfriendly bacteria via the cabbage in “her” that is fermented. According to this article on TreeLight.com: “The top two ingredients for promoting the beneficial bacteria and inhibiting the unfriendly bacteria are cabbage and onions.”
I first learned about Kimchi during my course at the Living Foods Institute last June. There, we learned to make a less spicy version and called it Vege-Kraut. Because of its high health benefits, we were encouraged to add it to our meal every day for the 10 days we were there.
When I recently made a visit to Grassroots Natural Market near my home, I noticed they carried Sunja’s Kimchi, so I thought I’d try a bottle. Cabbage, carrots, red peppers, leeks, green onions, garlic, ginger, and sea salt, are the ingredients used in that version. It has a slightly spicy pep to it, but when I mixed it with a tasty raw tomato sauce I had made, I came upon a wonderful combination — and a fine meal for me for a few days!
After eating some Kimchi when I felt as if my body was trying to catch a cold (first time in a long time), my slightly stuffy nose seemed to have miraculously cleared up. Days later, I happened to come upon this information in the source mentioned above: “Any time your energy is low, or you think you might be fighting off a cold, pour out some of the kimchi juice that collects in the bottom of the jar and drink it — its a wonderful tonic for what ails you!”
Now that I’m partaking of Kimchi more regularly, I can also attest to more of its cleansing benefits.
According to the article mentioned: “Kimchi also works to clean out your system by feeding the lactobacteria and bifidobacteria that live in your intestines. These are the ‘friendly bacteria’ that we need to be healthy. Kimchi nourishes them so they can thrive and outnumber the ‘unfriendly bacteria’ that threaten our health from the inside.
“The bifidobacteria that are responsible for producing many of the B-vitamins we need, including the B-12 that is so frequently missing from vegetarian diets. Since the body cannot produce these vitamins for itself, these bacteria are essential for our health.
“The lactobacteria prevent flatulence and keep sticky, sludge-like waste matter from accumulating in the intestinal tract, adhering to the intestinal walls, and interfering with nutrient absorption. All in all, the lactobacteria and bifidobacteria are pretty good friends to have around!”
I’m happy to have made Kimchi my friend. I’m sure she’d love to be your friend, too. 😉
Friends Always,
Penny & Kimchi 🙂
Photos: flickr.com by ianlove11 and David Nicholai