Healthspan Blog

Health Magazine ranks Kimchi one of the healthiest foods in the world. Kimchi has lots of vitamins and antioxidants, but kimchi also has “healthy bacteria called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections, according to a recent study. And more good news: Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer.”

However, I’ve also heard of studies that link kimchi with an increased risk of cancer. Like most foods, we never really know but if you eat only foods that most people think are healthy and not too much of any one food, you’re doing the best you can.

For me, kimchi was an acquired taste. I’ve lived in Korea for 5 years and have only recently started eating kimchi. Interestingly, it’s the same for Korean children. I remember my three-year-old niece crying after her father accidentally fed her some kimchi with rice (it is pretty spicy). As children get older, they become more tolerant of the spicy kimchi.

My favorite kimchi recipe is kimchi fried rice. To impress your friends you can try speaking the Korean, kimchi bokeumbap. I doubt I really need to give you the recipe for kimchi fried rice. Chop up some kimchi and other vegetables (I like carrots, onion, spring onion, garlic, and bell pepper) and fry. I fry until the rice on the bottom is brown and crispy but not burned. Of course you can also add meat or tofu. I like to top mine off with a fried egg, but Korean style would be either a raw egg or sunny side up egg.