Kimchi is a spicy, fermented cabbage dish from Korea that often includes radishes, carrots, onions, garlic, a touch of sugar, and even seaweed. It delivers top-notch nutrition, keeps your gut biome happy, tamps down inflammation, improves blood pressure, and reduces body fat.

As a probiotic, it feeds healthy bacteria in your digestive tract, helping your body regulate blood sugar, maintain a healthy intestinal lining, increase brain health, and keep your immune system working to protect you.

As a source of vitamins, 1 cup of kimchi delivers around 20% of the daily value for vitamins B6, folate, and riboflavin, as well as and 10% for niacin. One cup also delivers 60% of your daily value for vitamin C and 50% for vitamin A.

The fermentation also boosts kimchi's health benefits by encouraging the formation of important nutrients: bioactive peptides that help fight chronic disease.

Bioactive peptides are short-chain fatty acids that improve gut health, tamp down inflammation, and boost brain health, and polysaccharides that are anti-tumor, antidiabetic, and antiviral.

If the spicy flavor of kimchi doesn't appeal to you, try another fermented cabbage dish — sauerkraut. It delivers the same benefits, boosting the gut-brain axis and immune health while tamping down inflammation.

For healthful recipes, check out the Roasted Trout with Crauti in Dr. Mike's "What to Eat When Cookbook."

If neither kimchi nor sauerkraut appeal to your palate, consider taking probiotic supplements to boost your health.