Korean Ginseng ~ KoreaTaste Gift

Hi everyone!,

As some of you already know, I'm a huge fan of Korean Food, I love eating it and cooking it, and KoreaTaste started their blogging contest on february, which was entered by default since I was already a member of the site, this only encourage me to blog more about food!

Last month the winners were announced and I got 3rd place (YAY!), and also got selected as a winner for being a "new" member, 2 weeks ago I received an email regarding my gift being sent and this Thursday I got a huge package on the mail!

The package had a Thank you letter from KoreaTaste, a Box of Seaweed (5 packages), 1 Box of Korean Red Ginseng Tea (it contains like 100 teabags) and a bottle of Korean Red Ginseng extract, of course I didn't know how to use this, so I asked some friends and checked some videos online to know more about it.



First, the Teabags, the ginseng comes in some sort of powder, there's no need of a Teabag or a Tea-spoon (is that how it's called? lol), you just pour it in warm water and that's it, I thought it was going to taste bad (I read about the bad taste somewhere), but no, the taste is a little bit sweet and it's very refreshing, anyway, I found out that Korean Ginseng is good to lower high blood pressure, helps Boost the immune system, helps treat Diabetes Mellitus and helps developing Brain efficency and also it has some effect on the eyes... I read you have to take about 600ml a day (2-3 cups) and after 2 weeks you have to take another week off of the tea, it's not recommended to drink it at night because it can cause insomnia, and I already have enough insomnia to add this to it :P. I just started taking it this weekend, so, let's see how it helps in the next couple of weeks!

The Korean Red Ginseng Extract helps:

 Relieve stress and fatigue since Ginseng works as a natural adaptogen in the body that allows the body to accommodate to stress in a natural manner (it is also said to work with the nervous system as a natural tranquilizer)

Boost mental efficency since it containg many gensenosides that are able to boost efficency in the brain and reduce mental fatigue.

Boost libido, this is one of the most widely-known bennefits of Red Ginseng ~Something I don't think I'll get to test~ lol

Boost immune system because of Ginseng's high amount of Vitamins and Minerals, it is believed to strength the body's immunity and it can also wok as a natural detoxifier.

Lower blood pressure. It is benneficial to those who suffer hypertension (Like me!)

Control blood sugar. Red Ginseng reduced cortisol levels in the bloodstream and helps promote insulin production. Helps manage or preven Diabetes.

Treat Arthritis, because of its anti-inflammatory properties is a great natural alternative to reducing the severity of rheumatoig arthritis.

Promote Bodily balance, all ginseng varieties are classified as adaptogens aka herbs that work addressing any imbalances you have in your body (includes infections, insomnia, stress, digestive issues, etc.

And I don't think I have to tell you what the Seaweed is used for, right? :)

There you have it, I guess I'll be posting more about this since I just started taking the Ginseng Tea and this week I'll try the Red Ginseng!

감사합니다!

I would like to thank KoreaTaste for the opportunity to blog for them and for the Healthy presents I got! 

-Gisela V.

**Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/benefits-korean-red-ginseng-10509853.html

Kimchi and its Properties

Hi Everyone!

My Kimchi ingredients (some of them) & Makgeolli

2 years ago I made my 1st Kimchi (and last...hehe), some of you remember some of you are new here, so it was a whole experience to 1st buy the ingredients and then the process of making the Kimchi, saddly I was busy enough reading the instructions on how to make it (and making it) and I didn't take any pictures of the process.... Since it's kind of complicated to make it (If you are not Korean or don't know the ingredients/process by heart) I decided that was my 1st and last and if I was craving Kimchi I'd go to Korea Town to either eat it or buy it... I've found pretty good Kimchi's around K-Town so it's easier to buy it... plus If I make it it will be way too much and I'm pretty much the only one in my house to eat it.

A few weeks ago I endend up in the Emergency Room because I wasn't feeling very well and turns out I suffer Hypertension [term used to describe high blood pressure], after some pills, a shot and a few hours in observation I was able to leave the ER with some new Life-rules... 1st I have to take 2 pills every 8 hours for the rest of my life (It kinda made me feel OLD :( ) and then, I can no longer eat Salt (at least not for a few months), I can not drink Soda, alcohol, sweets, etc... nothing fun, right?... It was time for a change and I better follow my doctor's order if I want to live long and prosper (lol).

But yersterday I met up a friend to go eat at the Cultures Festival (more on that later!) and since my cravings for Korean food were too much we decided to eat at the Korean Stand... we had 김치, 밥, 김밥 and 잡채 :) (small portions of course)... I love Kimchi...and that one was specially good so I bought another portion to take home and then I felt guilty.... as if I was cheating on someone...why? Because Kimchi has salt...lots of salt since it's fermented so I decided to ask my friend Google how bad was my situation "Kimchi-Hypertension"... to my sorprise it's not bad at all, so why don't we check some of the properties of Kimchi?

Kimchi Stew

Kimchi is made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fiber and it's low in calories. One serving contains 50% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C and Carotene. It also contains Vitamin A, B1, B2, Calcium, Iron and lactic acid bacteria. Kimchi was even named one of the Top 5 "Wold's Healthiest Foods" by Health magazine because it helps aiding digestion and prossibly reducing Cancer growth.
 
Kimchi has lots of functionality, especially the kimchi diet has been known to cause weight loss and to prevent constipation and colon cancer. Kimchi, a good source of lactic acid bacteria as probiotics, reduces serum cholesterol levels in relation to anti-atherosclerosis. In addition, anticancer effects of kimchi have been recently reported and related to its components such as antioxidative nutrients, phytochemicals and lactic acid bacteria.

When real foods are preserved/fermented, the result is high quantities of vitamin C, MSM, and phytochemicals that are missing in the industrial diet. When coupled with good fats like olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, raw butter, (plus eggs and fish, under the right conditions) then high high blood pressure never really becomes an issue.
Of course, any salt that is used should be sea salt. Table salt is bleached to make it white, and "purified" to remove everything but sodium chloride, which eliminates vital minerals like potassium. So using sea salt does make a difference.

So there you go... I can still eat Kimchi without feeling soooo guilty u_u 

If you have any recommendations on WHAT (Korean food) can I eat to help my blood pressure I will be very thankful :)

-Gisela V.