WHY WE AVOID IT:

This fermented cabbage dish is Korea’s national dish. If you don’t like the smell of cabbage, then you’ll certainly hate the smell of it fermented. It’s a rather strong smell that haters equate to burning rotting garbage.

WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT:

Kimchi tastes so great that Koreans eat 40 pounds of it per person each year. They eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner; as a topping on pizzas, burgers, and pancakes; and served at every single meal. Kimchi is so important in Korean culture that they say “kimchi” instead of “cheese” when getting their picture taken. It’s interesting to note that both kimchi and cheese are fermented food products that are good for you.
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Kimchi makes an already healthy, highly nutritious vegetable into a super-healthy ultra-nutritious one. Extremely low in calories, fat and sugar, high in fiber, packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron, kimchi might be considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet. It might also be the reason why Koreans have kept obesity and high blood pressure at bay. In one study researchers fed fermented kimchi to a group of obese adults and unfermented kimchi to another. After three months, the group that ate the fermented stuff lost significantly more weight, had lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Fermentation adds the bonus of healthy probiotics that restore the natural balance of your intestinal tract, aids digestion and helps boost your immune system. The high levels of dietary fiber, along with the probiotics in kimchi make it a powerful remedy for digestive issues and can prevent colon cancer. With so many health benefits, it might be time to say “kimchi” as often as the Koreans do.