The Pregnancy Superfood You Never Knew: Kimchi
Pregnancy is a wonderful life experience, but it comes with a long list of dos and don'ts. No raw fish, no deli meats, and no soft cheeses like Camembert; but that doesn't mean your diet has to be bland, both in taste and in color! Add some kimchi recipes into the mix for something both delicious and nutritious!
Women are often concerned that consuming kimchi could harm their developing child because of the spiciness often associated with it; however, they should actually be eating it! Kimchi has many health benefits and is filled with probiotics that help the immune system, something you really want to be focusing on whether you are pregnant or not. A healthy immune system during pregnancy will surely benefit your baby in the long run. Kimchi also aids in digestion and helps lower your blood sugar. The anti-aging benefits are a plus!
You might be wondering where exactly you should be starting this culinary journey because, let's face it, there are plenty of different types of kimchi and you may not know which one is the one for you. For starters, you can try Napa cabbage kimchi, which unfortunately requires the most work to make if you plan on making your kimchi fresh. Here’s a little tip if you do decide to make your kimchi at home: You can easily also make this style of kimchi by cutting up the Napa instead of using the whole leaves. It’s less of a hassle for you, meaning there's more time for eating!
Its fresh taste will make many babies happy! Luckily for you, there's a variety of kimchi you can make so you have multiple ways to get those probiotics.
Cubed radish kimchi is quite similar to the last side dish, spicy and crisp! They are often paired together, however, this dish comes with a pregnancy superstition you may want to consider. In Korea, women were given this dish with the radish cut into perfect cubes in hopes of having a perfect baby!
There isn’t enough time in the world to list all the kimchi recipes that exist, but Maangchi has a page on her website dedicated to kimchi! Some recipes online suggest adding salted seafood to add flavor, but be wary of the addition of seafood in some of these recipes. With this being said, whether you have a baby cooking or not, go treat yourself to some delicious kimchi!
Written by Stephanie Lemus
