As autumn turns to winter, it's once again the time for harvesting napa cabbage, and housewives in South Korea are busy with their annual必修课 (required course) - making kimchi. According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on November 16, the Korea Kimchi Association recently announced that to promote the excellence of kimchi and develop kimchi culture, it plans to designate November 22nd as "Kimchi Day." The reason for choosing this date is that kimchi has 22 outstanding health benefits.
Just last year, Korean kimchi was named one of the world's five healthiest foods by the American magazine "Health." The magazine praised kimchi for being rich in important vitamins such as A, B, and C, and for containing many beneficial lactic acid bacteria that aid digestion.
Korean researchers, however, believe that among the 22 benefits, the most outstanding and widely recognized are the following seven: 1. It has antibacterial properties. During the fermentation process, kimchi produces a large amount of probiotics, which not only inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria but also regulate the intestinal flora, benefiting gut health. [China Food]
2. Kimchi is mainly made from vegetables and contains a large amount of dietary fiber, which helps prevent constipation, enteritis, and colitis.
3. Kimchi also helps prevent adult diseases and is effective in preventing obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and digestive system cancers.
4. According to recent research, regular consumption of kimchi can lower blood cholesterol levels.