Kimchi, was Jack LaLanne

[Guest guest]

The Asian store kimchi has MSG, but otherwise it seems to

be made like homemade kimchi, from the descriptions

and the taste of what I've had. Except they don't put

the " good stuff " in it (like pinenuts, seseme seeds, fish).

Kimchi PRODUCES a lot of preservatives (it is being studied

to come up with new and better preservatives for food) but

as far as anyone can tell those preservatives don't hurt anyone.

It DOES seem to keep " meat red " so there might be some kind

of nitrate or nitrate-like substance produced from cabbage

nitrates But nitrates DO seem to be reduced by any fermentaion,

regardless of what they turn into. The link below talks about

a lot of types of fermentation, but specifically nitrates are below --

Kimchi not only lowers nitrates, but any bad stuff like ecoli or

salmonella (or whatever is in raw fish, listeria?). I think kefir has

a similar effect, which is why I use it on jerky.

http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/iufost/lee.htm

On the other hand, most of the traditional fermentation methods have their own

inbuilt safeguard mechanisms. The food infectious and poisoning microorganisms

contaminated on the vegetables and other raw materials of kimchi are killed

within one week of fermentation period mainly due to the acid formation and

bacteriocin production (Lee 1997). Also, large amounts of nitrate and secondary

amines in vegetable products are reduced by fermentation (Lee 1986). The

importance of fermentation technology for the improvement of hygienic situation

of needed region, where cold-chain system is not well established, was discussed

at the FAO/WHO Workshop on the Assessment of Fermentation as a Household

Technology for Improving Food Safety held in December 11-15, 1995, Pretoria,

Republic of South Africa (WHO 1996).

http://www.thebakersfieldchannel.com/health/1726017/detail.html

The researchers found that the process of fermenting cabbage produces

isothiocyanates, compounds that have been found to prevent the growth of cancer

in animals, particularly in the breast, colon, lung and liver, they said. No one

knows yet whether the compounds, which are not found in raw cabbage, have a

similar effect in humans. Further studies are needed, they said.

" We are finding that fermented cabbage could be healthier than raw or cooked

cabbage, especially for fighting cancer, " said Eeva-Liisa Ryhanen, research

manager of MTT Agrifood Research Finland. " We are now working on ways of

optimizing the fermentation process to make it even healthier so that consumers

will eat more (sauerkraut). "

Evidence for sauerkraut's anticancer effect is growing. Previous studies have

found that Polish women who move to the United States have a higher incidence of

breast cancer than those who remain in Poland, which scientists attribute to a

higher consumption of cabbage among the Polish women compared to their American

counterparts.

http://www.zongga.com/info_eng/e1101.asp

Recently, the benefits of Kimchi has been published in a report, including its

anti-aging and anti-cancer effects.

Kimchi has many valuable substances that are beneficial to human health.

We should preserve a variety of traditional Kimchi recipes to pass them down to

our posterity.

Here is an analysis of kimchi ingredients:

http://www.kimchi.or.kr/english/make/source_prepare.html

Methylmethionine,a biologically activated form of methionine found in chinese

cabbage, helps treat Atherosclerosis

Salted fish includes a variety of long-preserved fermented foods. During the

fermentation period, protein is hydrolyzed into amino acid, resulting in a

unique flavor. The bones of the fish turn into calcium, easily absorbed, and the

fat turns into volatile fatty acid, providing taste.

>Would this also cover you think kimchee bought at the asian store?

>

> :

>>Does this mean the nitrates in kimchee are null and void?

>

>All the studies I've seen on kimchi (and kraut) indicate

>that kimchi and kraut eaters have LESS cancer, and

>that the cabbage ferments into potent anti-carcinogens.

>Plus I read that nitrates are disabled in your stomach,

>if you have enough stomach acid ... you would think

>that kimchi has enough acid? And nitrates cause

>plants to grow nicely ... I wonder if they " fertilize "

>some of the buggies in kimchi ...