Is your bought kimchi dead or alive?
Let me show you how to pick one with live bacteria - the crucial element contained within it thought to help stave off weight gain according to a new study this week
Kimchi, the tangy Korean fermented cabbage condiment for spicing up a boring chicken mayo sandwich or cheese toastie, may prevent weight gain. Or so says new research hitting the headlines this week.
Scientists think that the bacteria that proliferate in kimchi as it is fermented - namely various types of lactobacillus - may help silence genes which are involved in us gaining weight. They think that eating 1-3 portions of kimchi containing live bacteria daily, may help keep a lid on weight gain.
But how do you know the one you are buying contains the crucial live bacteria needed to help?
1) Make sure the label says “live bacteria” on it
To make kimchi, vegetables eg Chinese cabbage, carrot, radishes, spring onion, ginger, are massaged with Korean chilli flakes called gochugaru and salt then left to ferment for 3-5 days. During this time they spawn billions of live bacteria and a lovely tangy flavour.
When we eat it these billions of live bacteria are parachuted into our intestines and interact with our genes.
Remember - a “live” kimchi should go through a simple process of just ferment, jar, fridge. Hold that thought…
A side point: if you buy a live kimchi - don’t heat it up if you want the live bacteria to get into you and help your health in a probiotic kind of way. I usually just dollop it cold on top of whatever I’m eating on serving.
2) Check the label specifically says “unpasteurised” otherwise it probably isn’t which means the bacteria have been killed.
If your kimchi doesn’t have this word on the label it indicates it has probably been pasteurised – which means all the live bacteria have been killed.
Pasteurisation means that after fermentation, the kimchi has been heated to a high temperature to kill all the live bacteria that have developed in it.
Some food companies do this to make it stable for transport and give long shelf life - which is ultimately more profitable for them.
Pasteurised kimchi – by all means buy it if you like the taste and it can be useful for cooking. Because if you say, heat your kimchi up in a stir fry, you’ll be killing the bacteria anyway. You’ll get some fibre from the vegetables and a tangy flavour in your cooked dish but you won’t get probiotic punch.
3) Make sure the label doesn’t mention vinegar
The presence of vinegar is another sign your kimchi may not be live. so again, avoid this. I remember speaking to a food manufacturer who once described to me pickled foods containing vinegar as “dead” food, and fermented foods as “alive” foods.
So let’s look at what the main brand kimchis available in UK big retailers and which ones I recommend or don’t…BTW if you aren’t in the UK, you’ll get the general idea...
My recommendations…