Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of salted, fermented vegetables. There are countless variations out there and it is most commonly eaten as a side dish.
According to ASICS FrontRunner Megan Lagerwey (aka The Good Gut Guru) aside from adding another level of flavour and some exciting colours to a plate, "it is always good to have fermented foods as part of your diet, from a gut health point of view."
"The lacto-fermentation process is what makes it so unique," Megan explains. "It uses the bacterium Lactobacillius, which have shown to be have a host of benefits, including a beneficial influence on our gut bacteria - a fab way to add live probiotics into your diet - give it a go!"
Not all the scientists agree, but many studies point to various benefits of eating fermented foods (such as kimchi) which can help turn you into a better runner, there include:
- Can aid weight loss 150 grams of kimchi contains less than 50 calories.
- Can help lower cholesterol The high amount of garlic used contains allicin and selenium – both of which are helpful in decreasing the
bad cholesterol in the body. - Can help reduce inflammation One study published in the Journal of Microbiology found that a specific strain of probiotic found in kimchi reduced several markers for inflammation in the gut.
Learn more about the benefits, here.
This is Megan's easy DIY kimchi recipe. Enjoy:
INGREDIENTS
1 cabbage, roughly chopped
3 tbsp salt
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ginger, finely grated
1 - 2 red chillies, finely chopped
1⁄2 tspn chilli flakes
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
METHOD
Place the 1 roughly chopped cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle over salt. Toss and cover with clingwrap. Allow to stand for at least 3 hours, tossing every 30 minutes. Rinse the cabbage, then place in a clean bowl. Pound the 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp of finely grated ginger, 1–2 finely chopped red chillies and 1⁄2 tspn chilli flakes in a mortar and pestle or blend to form a paste. Add fish sauce and vinegar and pound into a paste. Coat the cabbage in the paste and store in an airtight container.
Featured photo by Micah Tindell on Unsplash
