There always seems to be a new food fad – and this one is said to help prevent unwanted weight gain while boosting energy levels.
A study has claimed that by eating kimchi every day, Brits could benefit from a range of health benefits. Studies have shown kimchi – a Korean fermented cabbage and vegetable dish – may improve levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut. The dish has also been found to lower men's risk of obesity, while helping both men and women fight excess pounds.
The data, published in the journal BMJ Open, looked at the health of 115,726 people aged 40 to 69 in Korea who were questioned about their consumption of kimchi using surveys. It found that men with a total intake of one to three servings of kimchi per day had an 11 per cent to 12 per cent lower risk of obesity when compared with men who ate less than one serving a day.
Men who instead ate three servings a day had a further 10 per cent lower likelihood of obesity and excess fat round their stomach and abdomen. The risk was eight per cent lower in women.
But what do we know about the superfood?
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made up of salted fermented vegetables. The most common vegetables used are cabbage and radishes.
They are then covered in a wide selection of seasonings, including gochugaru, spring onions, garlic and ginger, and normally eaten as a side dish, a wrap or as a condiment.
It is one of the most famous Korean dishes, made and eaten in both North and South Korea but is becoming more widely used in western cultures.
How do you make kimchi?
Kimchi is commonly sliced and added to soups and hotpots or chopped to be stirred through rice after going through its fermentation process.
It has spices and pickles added to it, then is left alone to ferment for around two weeks, but can be left for months.
Chefs say the right cabbage to use is the napa variety, commonly known as Chinese cabbage. You can follow a guide to making kimchi here.
Is kimchi halal?
In general, fermented foods are considered halal, as long as the ingredients used in the fermentation process are themselves halal.
Where can you buy it?
Kimchi is now becoming more widely used and so it is more freely available. You can order online but it is also very commonly seen in supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and the likes, often in the foods from other countries aisles.
