Minute Reads - Kimchi

I love kimchi and often recommend it to NHS patients and private clients alike for it's incredibly diverse probiotic populations to help gut health. However I recently discovered that not all kimchi in fact has diverse live probiotic populations. Some kimchi sold in the UK is fermented and then pasteurised. .. this means that it is in fact dead - not a living probiotic strain in sight and whilst still tasy and still providing fibre, is not a probiotic food.

I therefore have looked at the most commonly available ones so I can know what to recommend.

Supermarket brands:

LIVE = Probiotic food

• Vadasz Raw Kimchi. - All the major supermarkets seem to stock this. It is a great all round general flavoured kimchi, mildly spicy and salty. As it states it is raw, and therefore it is live. I often find I open the jar and it releases a bit of pressure - a good sign fermentation is ongoing.

• The Cultured Collective - currently I can find this online only for Sainsburys. Also live, raw. A bit spicier that the Vadasz. Very tasty.

PASTEURISED = NOT a probiotic food

• Biona Organic Kimchi

• Yukata Korean Kimchi

Online there is a greater range of stockists and kimchi types. Some boast over 200 strains of live beneficial bacteria, others tend not to give numbers, but the general understanding is that most kimchi's that are live will have over 70 strains (most probiotic capsules contain 5-14 strains for comparison)

When looking for a kimchi I advise to ensure that you find something that states it is RAW, LIVE or UNPASTEURISED for maximum benefit.