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Kimchi

Also known as Baechu kimchi, Korean fermented cabbage

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Salted napa cabbage layered with chilli, garlic, ginger and usually a seafood element, then fermented by the bacteria native to the vegetables. Hundreds of regional versions exist, differing in vegetable, seasoning and fermentation length.

Heart HealthGut & Digestive HealthWeight Management

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Some small trials report modest improvements in blood lipids with kimchi intake. Sample sizes are small, most trials come from a single research setting, and the sodium content complicates the picture.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Gut microbiome

Gut & Digestive Health
Limited evidence

Some trials report shifts in gut microbial composition with regular kimchi intake. The studies are small, mostly conducted in one population, and the changes are modest.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for kimchi affecting body weight or fat mass. A handful of small short trials exist with inconsistent results, and the popular weight-loss framing goes well beyond what they show.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Kimchi

Ask about Kimchi

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories15 kcal1%
Protein1.1 g2%
Total fat0.5 g1%
Carbohydrate2.4 g1%
Fibre1.6 g6%
Total sugars1.06 g—
Water94.3 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.067 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.037 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.241 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.104 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A5 µg1%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.11 mg1%
Vitamin K43.6 µg36%
Thiamin (B1)0.01 mg1%
Riboflavin (B2)0.21 mg16%
Niacin (B3)1.1 mg7%
Vitamin B60.213 mg13%
Folate52 µg13%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline15.5 mg3%
Minerals
Calcium33 mg3%
Iron2.5 mg14%
Magnesium14 mg3%
Phosphorus24 mg2%
Potassium151 mg3%
Sodium498 mg22%
Zinc0.22 mg2%
Copper0.024 mg3%
Selenium0.5 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene55 µg—
Alpha-carotene1 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin49 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.7 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Cabbage, kimchi (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170392).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • fermentedIncreases live cultures

    The bacterial population rises sharply in the first days of fermentation and shifts in composition as acidity increases, which is why young and mature kimchi taste and behave differently.

  • cookedReduces live cultures

    Cooking kimchi into a stew or pancake kills the live bacteria. The dish keeps the flavour and the sodium.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    High sodium

    Kimchi is salted twice over in most recipes, and high kimchi intake has been associated with high sodium intake in Korean dietary surveys. This is the main reason to treat it as a condiment rather than a vegetable serving.

  • Allergy

    Hidden seafood ingredients

    Most traditional kimchi contains salted shrimp, anchovy sauce or fish sauce, which makes it a hidden allergen for people with fish or shellfish allergy and unsuitable for vegetarians unless labelled otherwise.

  • Interaction

    Biogenic amines

    Fermentation and the seafood component together can raise histamine and tyramine, relevant on non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors and for people with histamine intolerance.

  • Worth knowing

    Chilli and reflux

    The capsaicin content can aggravate reflux and irritable bowel symptoms in some people, independently of the fermentation.