**UPDATE ON 10/19/12: THE CONTEST IS OVAH! CONGRATS TO ANN K.!**
Think you can get your fill of probiotics only from yogurt and sauerkraut? Think again!
From the country that brought us Gangnam Style comes one of my favorite fermented foods – KIMCHI! And my favorite purveyor is Mother In Law’s Kimchi (MILKimchi), which hand-makes and packs this tangy and spicy condiment in New York City.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the benefits of probiotics and know that one of the keys to good health is keeping your gut happy. There are trillions of bacteria in your GI tract, and it’s important to make sure you’ve plenty of “good guys” to keep the “bad guys” from overrunning the joint. (I’m not gonna get all science-y on you, but if you want more information about the microbiome in your guts, check out this post by Chris Kresser or read Diane Sanfillipo’s Practical Paleo.)
Most people – Paleo eaters included – don’t ingest enough fermented foods. For the past few months, I’ve been downing lots of kimchi, the national food of Korea. I love the fiery tartness it adds to my favorite grilled meats and frittatas.
If you’re a home fermenter or aspiring kimchi maker, the upcoming cookbook from Lauryn Chun, the owner of MILKimchi, is an excellent resource.
Me? I’m too lazy to make my own, but I’ll happily stock my fridge with the different varieties of MILKimchi. Wanna try some?
It doesn’t matter if you’re already a huge kimchi fan or not – if you’ve got taste buds and a GI tract, this giveaway is tailor-made for you. What’s up for grabs?
A cute T-shirt that announces your love of probiotics…
…and a sampler pack of MILKimchi’s three most popular flavors.
Here’s a description of the kimchi from the fine folks at MILKimchi:
Napa Cabbage Kimchi is handmade using napa cabbage, the finest chile peppers, natural ingredients and no preservatives. Spiced with an authentic recipe of specially selected chile peppers, the kimchi has natural depths of flavor that combine spicy complexity and savoriness. Natural fermentation makes it a healthy probiotic food that is good for your digestion. Our most popular flavor.
Muu Daikon Radish is made using fresh daikon radishes mixed with our special blend of chile peppers and all natural ingredients. Fermented to the ideal point where it maintains a pleasant crunch coupled with a complex chile-pepper punch, it makes an ideal complement to grilled meats, noodles, or rice. Comes cut in bite-size cubes.
Vegan Napa Cabbage Kimchi has all the zest, spice and flavor of our Napa Cabbage Kimchi but was made without using any shellfish. Hand-made using all-natural products, the Vegan Kimchi is a raw, fermented food that’s filled with natural probiotics that aid digestion.
How do you enter the giveaway?
- Like the MILKimchi Facebook fan page
- Like the Nom Nom Paleo Facebook fan page
- Leave just ONE comment at the end of this blog post letting me know you followed the directions by Thursday, 10/18/12, at 9pm PST.
(Sadly, Tumblr – which hosts my site – restricts this contest to U.S. residents over the age of 18. Apologies to my super-awesome international readers!)
Good luck and good gut!
