South Korea currently ranks among the top ten for countries with the longest life expectancy. Indeed, by 2030, according to the World Population Review anyway, this Asian country is expected to have the longest life expectancy in the world. At the same time, in case you’re wondering, the United States lags far, far behind, ranking a paltry 39th in the world for life expectancy.
There are likely many factors that contribute to the South Koreans’ robust and lifelong good health.
A recent article in the Sunday Post credits the Korean love of forest bathing and habit of taking regular trips to healing spas called jjimjilbang, which are often open 24 hours a day 7 days a week, as well as the country’s collective love of meditation, among other healthy lifestyle practices.
Feel-good with fermentation
But another key component to South Korean longevity is the Korean habit of eating fermented foods.
The most prominent Korean fermented food is kimchi (김치). Made from cabbage, radishes, onions, and other vegetables, kimchi is consumed with almost every meal in Korea.
According to one source I found, adults living in Korea consume an average of almost 200 grams of this fermented cabbage every day (that translates into almost one cup, or half a pound). That’s a lot of cabbage.
Kimchi will save your life
In a recent study from the Journal of Ethnic Foods, researchers highlighted the various health benefits of consuming kimchi. Their list is quite impressive.
Before I walk you through some of the study’s findings, I’ll fast forward to the take-away: If you’ve never tried kimchi before, now’s the time.
In this study, a team of seven scientists reviewed eleven randomized controlled trials reporting the benefits of kimchi in improving overall health. They found that kimchi contains many anti-inflammatory properties that prevent cancer and promote healthy immunity. Kimchi has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in lung, colon, gastric, breast, liver, and uterine cancers.
The fermentation of kimchi involves microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which contain beneficial probiotics.
The fiber, lactic acid bacteria, and rich nutrients in kimchi also combine to lower cholesterol, decrease fasting blood glucose levels, and prevent atherosclerosis.
Furthermore, diets rich in kimchi appear to improve overall gut health by reducing harmful bacteria like Escherichia coli and improving beneficial bacteria in the gut, such as Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium.
This study also found that kimchi is linked to improved symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome such as bloating and abdominal pain.
Consuming kimchi is a no-, I mean good-for-the-brainer
The benefits don’t stop there. Some randomized controlled trials have even found that kimchi improves cognitive decline.
In a 2018 study published in the journal Nutrients, scientists first injected mice with amyloid beta, a protein found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. As expected, the learning and memory functions of the mice decreased significantly after their brains were exposed to the injected amyloid beta.
The mice were then given a daily dose of kimchi methanol extract and kimchi bioactive compounds, by mouth, for two weeks. These kimchi components were found to actually reverse the rodents’ cognitive declines.
At the same time, the levels of antioxidant enzymes increased in the mice, while the levels of inflammation-related enzymes decreased. The scientists concluded that the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory characteristics of kimchi may help reduce symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
DIY kimchi
You can buy kimchi in most grocery stores. Look in the refrigerated section across from the produce aisles. But, depending on where you live, you may have trouble finding organic kimchi with no sugar added bottled in a glass container. So another option is to make it yourself, which is what many Koreans and Korean-Americans do. My friend Christine Gross-Loh, whose parents were both born in Korean, remembers her grandmother making such large quantities of kimchi that she used the bathtub to let the cabbage ferment.
Full disclosure: I’ve never made kimchi from scratch. But I’m eager to try this home recipe from Emily Han at the Kitchn. Here is how to make it, according to Emily Han (with some editorializing from Jennifer M.):
Grab two pounds of organic napa cabbage and cut it into quarters. It’s important to use all organic cabbage (as well as other ingredients) in order to avoid toxic herbicide and pesticide residues.
In a large bowl, add ¼ cup of salt to the cabbage. Rub the salted cabbage until it softens. Immerse the cabbage in water. Cover the cabbage with a plate. Place a heavy object on top to hold it down. Allow the cabbage to sit for about an hour or two.
Place the cabbage in a colander and rinse it a couple times in a stream of cold water. Let it sit again for about 15 minutes.
Time to get pasty! Use 1 tablespoon of organic grated garlic,1 teaspoon of organic grated ginger, and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce or salted shrimp paste to form a mixture. (Emily’s recipe also calls for 1 teaspoon of sugar, but I recommend you skip that. Yes, I’m anti-sugar. Read this article to find out why.) Three tablespoons of water may be substituted for a vegan version of this recipe. Add between 1 to 5 tablespoons of red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it.
Remove excess water from the cabbage. Combine 8 ounces of sliced radishes, 4 medium chopped scallions, the paste, and the cabbage.
Place the kimchi in a sealed jar and allow it to ferment for at least 24 hours. The fermentation may take up to 5 days. It is advisable to place the jar on top of a dish for drainage (as it ferments and becomes bioactive it may ooze).
Every 24 hours press the vegetables down in the brine. Once the kimchi tastes ripe enough, store it in the refrigerator.
Enjoy this Korean staple dish. Let it heal your body, your gut, and your mind.
Do you make an effort to eat a forkful of fermented foods with every meal? Have you ever made your own kimchi? Fermented sauerkraut? If so, please share your thoughts (and favorite recipes!) in the comment section below.
I imagine that the real trick is eating fermented cruciferous vegetables in general, and there are lots of options there. Kimchi is just one of them. I've been fermenting my own veggies for years. My favorite is a 50-50 mix of red cabbage and white cauliflower. I just cut them up, pack them into a glass jar, place an uncut leaf of the red cabbage on top, fill it to the top with salt water (2 tbsp. of iodine-free salt per quart of water) and stick it in the cupboard for a week or so before moving it to the fridge. I use an old cottage cheese container to capture the overflow as it ferments and refill the jar with more salt water after two or three of days. The end result is a uniform pink color, so uniform that I have to look really close to see whether a particular piece started off as red cabbage or white cauliflower. I don't believe it's really necessary to eat large servings of it. I add about two tablespoons of one of my fermented veggies to my dinner every night. I'm 73 years old, not taking a single Big Pharma product (not so much as a stinking baby aspirin), and in excellent health. I figure that in just a few more years my life will be close to half over. I have every expectation of making it to at least 150.
Along with sauerkraut and horseradish, we eat fermented garlic. A Persian tradition ( Torshi Sir) of covering whole cloves of garlic in red wine vinegar with a dash of salt in 76 ounce glass pickling jar. Let sit for at least a year, in a cool dark location. The garlic should have turned dark brown before eating. We have some vintages that are over 15 years old… only reserved for special dinners.