Korean diet and Korean food are key to long and healthy life while Kimchi is known to boost immunity against virus
Kimchi, the National Food of Korea, is one of the healthiest food available in the world. The World Economic Forum says, Kimchi as the new superfood. Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. is currently promoting Korean food through Korean Pavilion and other partners at the Expo 2020
Press Release
Date: Dubai, UAE, November 03, 2021
Korean men and women will soon outlive us all, a recent report by World Economic Forum says, thanks to healthy Korean food and Korean diet – that is gradually becoming more popular worldwide due to its health and nutrition value.
“Women born in South Korea in 2030 are projected to be the first in the world to have an average life expectancy of above 90,” says a research report by Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation, which looked at future life expectancy in 35 industrialised countries.
The same report says, Korean men will also outlive all other men with the highest life expectancy exceeding 85 years by 2030.
Women currently live more than 85.8 years on an average in South Korea, a country where average life expectancy exceeded 82.8 years and growing. South Korea ranks 9th among 184 countries in the world in terms of average life expectancy, statistics show.
Average Life expectancy is a measure of how long the average person lives in a given country. This is usually calculated by just averaging out the ages at which people die to get the mean value.
The study, which uses 21 different models to forecast life expectancy, gives South Korean women born in 2030 a 57 percent chance of exceeding the age of 90, and a 97 percent probability they will live to be over 86. What is the secret?
“The researchers say South Koreans’ expected longevity is based on the assumption that they will have lower average-body-mass indexes (BMIs) and blood pressure than citizens of other comparable countries,” said World Economic Forum in a recent report.
“Their long lifespans could also be down to the South Korean diet, other experts suggest; most notably kimchi, a dish based on fermented vegetables – usually cabbage – which is high in probiotics and vitamins A and B,” it says.
Other factors driving rising life expectancies in the countries at the top of the league table include improved nutritional education, advances in economic and social status, lower road-traffic accident rates and high-quality healthcare systems, which improve prevention and survival rates from serious diseases and reduce infant mortality.
Hyouk Kim, Director for Korean Agro Trade Center Dubai, says, “Korean food, especially kimchi is gradually become the healthy food of choice worldwide as more and more people – couples and families – are consuming kimchi to remain healthy, fit and seek as long life.
“Kimchi has a lot of important healthy elements that are linked to lifestyle choices of a person. It reduces cholesterol, keeps blood pressure under control, keeps the flow of insulin in a body, therefore eliminates the possibility of diabetes and boost immune system that prevents diseases and viruses such as the devastating COVID-19.”
Korean food is synonymous with being healthy and delicious. Over the years, they have evolved from the culture, country’s geography, and traditions of the people of the Korean peninsula under various effects. To keep the body warm and healthy, the Koreans have developed fermented foods that improve metabolism.
Korean gastronomy has been established on healthy food. The Koreans do not eat food to become full, according to experts. Foods are prepared and consumed to be healthy, healthy food is consumed in order to prevent diseases, and individuals who get sick aim to heal with foods and refer to using medications in case these methods are insufficient.
Kimchi – the new superfood
Kimchi, the National Food of Korea, is one of the healthiest food available in the world. The World Economic Forum says, Kimchi as the new superfood while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in one of its publications recently said that Kimchi is no longer a Korean food, but more of an “international healthy cuisine”.
Kimchi, a low-fat and high-fibre meal, is a traditional Korean dish made with salted fermented vegetables. It typically contains cabbage and seasonings like sugar, salt, onions, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers. It may also boast other vegetables, including radish, celery, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, spinach, scallions, beets, and bamboo shoots. Though kimchi is usually fermented for a few days to a few weeks before serving, it can be eaten fresh, or unfermented, immediately after preparation, according to Healthline, a healthy food advisory.
It is full of beta-carotene and other antioxidant compounds that can help reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as stroke, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Kimchi is also an excellent source ofVitamin A. Vitamin C.
Kimchi contains healthy bacteria and probiotics for the overall wellness of one’s body. Because kimchi is fermented, like yogurt, it contains “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli that aids in the digestion process of an individual’s body, according to a report by a Korean food services organisation. Another important by product of its fermentation process are the probiotics can also fight off various infections in body.
Kimchi lowers cholesterol levels as the garlic in kimchi contains allicin and selenium – both of which are help reduce cholesterol in the body. In addition, these substances also indirectly help prevent stroke or other cardiovascular diseases of any kind, due to its prevention of plaque build-up in the walls of arteries.
Around 95 percent of Koreans eat kimchi, that translates to more than 2 million tonnes of kimchi worldwide, according to Kimchi Market Analysis research report by Technavio. Global kimchi market is poised to grow by US$2.39 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8 per cent, Kimchi Market Analysis says.
“About 81 percent of the growth will come from Asia Pacific region. One if the key drivers for this market will be the health benefits offered by kimchi,” it says.
Kimchi helps develop healthy body and clear vision. “A 100-gram serving of Kimchi has 18 percent of the daily value of vitamin A, if we consider the 2,000-calorie per day diet. Aside from vitamin A being an antioxidant which can help get rid of free radicals in body that cause cancer, the benefits of kimchi are not limited to this only. This same vitamin A is significant in developing a healthy body, including in embryos; it’s also helpful in the maintenance of clear and healthy eyesight,” according to a Seoul Korean Restaurantfood specialist.
Kimchi produces radiant skin and shiny hair. “It doesn’t just make one’s inner beauty shine through – it makes outer appearance appear excellent as well. Because the selenium found in garlic in kimchi keeps skin and hair healthy, eating kimchi helps prevent wrinkles in the long run,” it says.
“Also, selenium is a relevant part of glutathione, a booster that reconstitutes vitamin C and preserves it, thereby making it stronger and more effective in the body.”
Kimchi is also known to prevent stomach cancer. Professor Miri Kim of the Food Nutrition Department in Chungnam National University discovered Chinese cabbage and radish found in kimchi contain bio chemicals such as isocyanate and sulfide helpful in detoxifying heavy metals found in your liver, small intestine and kidney. These bio-chemicals, particularly isocyanate, are studied to be able to prevent stomach cancer as well.
One of its key qualities is that kimchi slows down the aging process. This explains why most Koreans look way much younger than they are. Kimchi, after two weeks of being fermented, is rich in anti-oxidants which decrease the rate of aging of the skin. It also inhibits cell oxidation, making one look carefree and relaxed, even though the person might be under a lot of stress.
“Kimchi helps in losing weight. As much as 150 grams of kimchi contains only 40 calories. Kimchi helps carbohydrate metabolism to aid a person in losing weight. Additionally, the capsaicin found in chili peppers in this Korean dish boosts your metabolism and makes you use the excess energy in body, thereby increasing weight loss,” the Seoul Korean Restaurant specialist says.
Most important, kimchi boosts one’s immunity! Professor Rina Yu of the Food and Nutrition Department in the University of Ulsan found out kimchi causes the immune cells to be more active and the antibodies to be more abundant.
“Eating a high cholesterol diet can give 55 percent immune cell activity, a normal diet can give 68 percentbut a high cholesterol diet plus kimchi can give 75 percent,” she found.
Hyouk Kim, Director for Korean Agro Trade Center Dubai, says, “Kimchi and other Korean food, that helps in long and healthy life, could be used by the GCC residents to boost their immunity against any types of viruses – especially COVID-19. Korean food is antidote to a lot of health problems – including obesity and diabetes.”
Ends
Editor’s Notes
About aT Center
Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. (aT Center) is a wholly government-invested enterprise responsible for agricultural marketing services and international trade since its incorporation in 1967. a-TCentre provides support services for the Korean agricultural industry through marketing activities and undertaking export agent functions for large number of small and medium size agro-processors.
aT Center also provides various agricultural trade information to domestic exporters and foreign buyers. To support overseas market development, aT Center operates offices (Overseas Agro-Trade Center) in Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Chengdu, Dalian, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Dubai, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Osaka and Vladivostok. Web: http://www.at.or.kr
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