Kimchi vs. Sauerkraut [Complete Guide] (2024)

FAQs

Kimchi vs. Sauerkraut [Complete Guide]? ›

Kimchi is a traditional cabbage-based Korean dish made by lactic acid bacteria fermentation. Interestingly sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage dish which has a similar place in German food culture. The main difference between the two is kimchi is cut into larger pieces and served with a variety of spices and sauces.

Which Is Healthier Kimchi Or Sauerkraut? Kimchi is healthier than sauerkraut due to its higher probiotic content and increased nutrients. What 3 Foods Are Bad For Your Gut? Diet soda, processed and refined foods make up some of the worst foods for your gut bio and overall health.

Taste: Sauerkraut has a tangy, acidic taste, whereas kimchi tastes salty, possibly even spicy. The signature kimchi taste is sometimes called umami (translated to mean savoriness). Kimchi can vary in taste due to the exact vegetables you use to make it, while sauerkraut always tastes like fermented cabbage.

Although individuals can cook kimchi, keep in mind that heating any fermented foods can start to kill off the healthy probiotics. So, to retain the health benefits, it is best to add kimchi in at the end of the cooking process.

Sauerkraut is delicious, tart, and full of thriving probiotics. During the fermentation process, cabbage is thinly sliced, salted and sealed. Lactobacillus, a beneficial probiotic, grows and thrives in the delicious brine environment.

How Often Should You Eat Kimchi. In order for the benefits of kimchi to be effective, probiotics and beneficial bacteria need to be consumed regularly. Regular can mean a lot of different things to everyone so more specifically, it is recommended that one serving (100g) of kimchi is consumed daily.

When I did the sauerkraut protocol, it took me about 6 weeks to get through step 3 and about 2 months to get through all the steps. But everyone is different. Probiotics crowd out bad bacteria; anti-bacterials kill bad bacteria. To eradicate stubborn bad gut bacteria, try taking some anti-bacterial herbs.

Are There Less Probiotics In Store Bought Sauerkraut? Most store-bought sauerkraut varieties will always contain fewer probiotics compared to homemade sauerkraut. This is because of pasteurization, which uses heat treatment to eliminate harmful as well as useful bacteria culture.

Sauerkraut contains far more lactobacillus than yogurt, making it a superior source of this probiotic. Two ounces of homemade sauerkraut has more probiotics than 100 probiotic capsules. Store-bought sauerkraut is often treated with preservatives, meaning it does not offer the same health effects as homemade sauerkraut.

But sauerkraut has two further advantages: 1) One study found that a single batch contains up to 28 different bacterial strains. That's many more than you'll find in a standard probiotic supplement. 2) Because they're in food form, these probiotics may be more likely to reach your intestines intact.

What temperature kills probiotics in kimchi? ›

Applying Heat

Live probiotic cultures are destroyed at around 115°F, meaning that fermented foods like miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut should be used at the end of cooking if you want to preserve their gut health benefits.

If your gut health isn't in tip-top shape, I would start with just a small teaspoon of kimchi (or another fermented veg) with just one meal a day. Build your way up – when you're constantly enjoying a whole food, fibre-rich diet, then you can probably enjoy one or two tablespoons with two meals a day.”

The winner? Kefir, and by a long shot. It clocked in significantly higher than the rest with a whopping 27.7 billion CFU per 1 cup serving. Other heavyweights are yogurt and kimchi at 3.6 billion CFU per 1 cup serving and 2.6 billion CFU per ½ cup serving, respectively.

Does cooking destroy sauerkraut's probiotics? Using sauerkraut in recipes is delicious, but the heat used in cooking sauerkraut will kill probiotics. If you do cook your sauerkraut, serve a bit extra as a raw side dish or condiment to reap the most benefit!

HOW MUCH SAUERKRAUT SHOULD I EAT? To get the gut benefits from sauerkraut, you should eat about a tablespoon daily. This is easily done by adding a small portion to your plate at dinner time. Doing so is known to aid in digestion and prevent constipation.

Fermentation Temperature, Time, and Management

At these temperatures, sauerkraut will be fully fermented in about three to four weeks; at 60 to 65°F, fermentation may take six weeks.

Are there any drawbacks to eating kimchi? The most common—and expected—drawback is that kimchi is spicy. The taste alone could be a deterrent, but also if spicy foods ignite your acid reflux, that's another con to eating kimchi.

Most kimchi you'll see on the shelves at the grocery store undergoes pasteurization before it's packaged and therefore does not contain any traces of probiotics.

When prepared properly and refrigerated, it can last up to 6 months. Nonetheless, you should never eat kimchi that smells off or has visible mold. If you're ever unsure whether your dish is safe to eat, it's best to toss it out.

What naturally kills bad bacteria in the gut? ›

An anti-inflammatory diet, regular exercise, good quality sleep, and probiotics are all strategies to put in place before trying antimicrobials or antibiotics to get rid of bad bacteria.

Eating sauerkraut may help you strengthen your immune system, improve your digestion, reduce your risk of certain diseases, and even lose weight. To reap the greatest benefits, try eating a little bit of sauerkraut each day.

To obtain such a large number of probiotics, you will need to consume between 7 to 14 g of unpasteurized sauerkraut per day. For more consistent results, you should regularly consume sauerkraut for at least 8 weeks.

Are Vlasic Pickles Fermented? No, Vlasic pickles are pickled and heat-pasteurized, so they don't have probiotics.

Raw unpasteurized sauerkraut is the best variety to but as it contains healthy probiotics that restore gut bio balance. Does Store Bought Sauerkraut Have Probiotics? Not all store-bought sauerkraut varieties have probiotics; only raw unpasteurized sauerkraut contains live probiotics.

You do NOT need to rinse sauerkraut (unless it's overly salty). Drain it thoroughly before cooking or using raw. Chop your sauerkraut roughly before cooking (or putting in a salad) so it's easier to combine with other ingredients.

Sauerkraut is also packed with probiotics that can improve your overall gut health. This combination makes sauerkraut an excellent food to aid with digestion. Obesity affects more than 40% of American adults and is associated with increased risks of heart disease, digestive problems, and type 2 diabetes.

There are two ways to get more good bacteria into your gut: fermented foods and dietary supplements. Fermented foods are the most natural source. Probiotic supplements, which are typically sold over the counter, are reserved to treat specific ailments as suggested by your doctor, and not recommended for everyday use.

Store bought sauerkraut is typically pasteurized during the canning process, which destroys the active probiotics and therefore makes it less nutritious than fresh or homemade sauerkraut.

How do I know if my sauerkraut has probiotics? ›

Long story short: when looking at the ingredient list on a sauerkraut nutrition label, the only ingredients you should see listed to verify your sauerkraut contains probiotics are cabbage and salt, and optionally some other veggies and/or herbs for extra flavor and spice.

Miso soup is full of probiotics, which contribute to improved gut health. Miso soup contains the probiotic A. oryzae, which can reduce the risk of inflammatory bowel disease and other problems with the digestive system.

Kimchi is a Korean dish, made of cabbage, seasoned with chilli, garlic and ginger, and then fermented. It is rich in vitamin K and riboflavin (B2) and also contains plenty of Lactobacillus bacteria, which can survive the acid bath of the stomach and make their way down to your large intestine.

Can you eat too much kimchi? A. Eating kimchi in moderation is essential because a high intake can cause obesity and digestive distress. Additionally, an excess intake of this dish could lead to gastric cancer development.

Improve Digestive Health

Consuming the so-called “good bacteria” in kimchi can help you maintain a healthy digestion. Eating the probiotics found in fermented food can help reduce the negative symptoms of many gastrointestinal disorders, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and colon inflammation.

Meanwhile, a weeklong study including 100 people found that eating 0.5–7.5 ounces (15–210 grams) of kimchi daily significantly decreased blood sugar, total cholesterol, and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels — all of which are risk factors for heart disease ( 56 ).

Kefir and yogurt are both cultured dairy products, but don't be fooled… they're not the same! While both are cultured, kefir contains more probiotics and is fermented for a longer period of time, resulting in a higher count of colony-forming units (CFU) – and by a landslide.

Probiotic Drinks are typically bottled with one billion or more probiotics, which is about ten times the probiotic count of an average kombucha. This volume is much closer to the recommended daily CFU requirements - offering much more benefit to the gut and body.

Jongga is classic Korean kimchi made with Napa cabbage and customary ingredients. These robust ingredients increase complexity as the kimchi ferments, bursting with flavorful heat but delightfully balanced. They are the number one kimchi brand in Korea.

What happens if I eat sauerkraut everyday? ›

Eating sauerkraut every day can help maintain regular and healthy digestion for two main reasons. First, sauerkraut provides natural probiotic bacteria to balance the gut microbiome. Second, sauerkraut contains a lot of enzymes, bioavailable nutrients, essential vitamins, and minerals.

Although heat does kill the good bacteria living in your sauerkraut, it only happens at 46°C (115°F). So if you're cooking at a very, very low temperature, you should still retain a large amount of these probiotics. Another solution could be to add your sauerkraut or kimchi to a cooked meal near the end.

Freezing stops probiotic sauerkraut's diverse mix of health-promoting bacteria cold. Locks them up tight. Even kills off some of them. And the fresh, crunchy-chewy texture of sauerkraut can turn flabby when thawed out, as freezing expands the liquid in the fermented cabbage cells, rupturing them.

Cabbage: Much like broccoli and cauliflower, eating cabbage helps stimulate the activation of two crucial liver-detoxifying enzymes that help flush out toxins. Try eating more kimchi, cabbage soup and sauerkraut as fermented or cooked cabbage is less likely to affect the thyroid than raw cabbage.

Sauerkraut is a fermented dish best consumed in the morning at about one tablespoon to 10 grams per day. Sauerkraut is a highly nutritious, probiotic-rich food, and you are recommended to eat about a tablespoon or 10 grams per day.

Sauerkraut is one of the foods richest in probiotics. Just two tablespoons of sauerkraut offer all the daily recommended colony-forming units that you will need for optimal gut health in a day.

Improve Digestive Health

Consuming the so-called “good bacteria” in kimchi can help you maintain a healthy digestion. Eating the probiotics found in fermented food can help reduce the negative symptoms of many gastrointestinal disorders, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and colon inflammation.

The most common fermented foods that naturally contain probiotics, or have probiotics added to them, include yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, miso, tempeh, kimchi, sourdough bread and some cheeses.

Sauerkraut is also packed with probiotics that can improve your overall gut health. This combination makes sauerkraut an excellent food to aid with digestion. Obesity affects more than 40% of American adults and is associated with increased risks of heart disease, digestive problems, and type 2 diabetes.

Apple cider vinegar is indeed a fermented food, but it does not have probiotics, as yogurt does. Instead, beneficial gut bacteria form. Apple cider vinegar goes through the fermentation process twice – first, to change the apples to a cider with alcohol, and then into vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has tons of benefits!

How much fermented food should I eat a day for gut health? ›

For those that are used to fermented or probiotic foods and consume a good amount of fiber, the right amount is three times a day. The amount you consume doesn't have to be a lot. Serving sizes are quite reasonable, for example, a half a pickle, or a quarter cup of sauerkraut.

Apple cider vinegar is apple juice that has been fermented twice. First, crushed apples are mixed with yeast, sugar or another carbohydrate. After a few weeks, natural bacteria and yeasts ferment the juice, changing the carbohydrates into alcohol.

May reduce inflammation. Active compounds in fermented foods including kimchi have anti-inflammatory effects this has wide-ranging benefits from supporting vascular health to improving memory and cognitive function.

The most common reaction to fermented foods is a temporary increase in gas and bloating. This is the result of excess gas being produced after probiotics kill harmful gut bacteria and fungi. Probiotics secrete antimicrobial peptides that kill harmful pathogenic organisms like Salmonella and E. Coli.

While yogurt is probably the best-known probiotic food in the Western diet, kefir is actually a better source of good bacteria. Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria and yeast, making it a diverse and potent probiotic ( 15 ).

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