Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Katie26]

Kim-healthy or not?

Just curious really given that I've chowed down on a packet.I mean it tastes mighty salty and is a bit oily.

[carleverson]

If they douse it with salt and oil, it won't be very healthy despite what the Koreans claim.

[seoulsucker]

That stuff is about as healthy as potato chips. I'm sure, like potatoes, it has nutritional value at the start gate but after all the processing, flavoring and packaging you might as well bust open a bag of Ruffles.

[Gaber]

Pleanty of healthy fiber and vit. C, but also loads of sodium, which isn't something you really need on top of an asian-y diet. My blood pressure was a little scary at my last physical.

[atwood]

There's a lot of oil and sail; that's why kids love it.

I saw an investigative report that said they dumped hydrochloric acid into the water where they raise the kim to make it grow faster.

[Rutherford]

You can buy kim that's oily, salty and delicious. You can also buy kim with little salt or oil and kim that's not fried which is probably the healthiest of all. The latter I've mostly seen used for kimbab. It's darker green and a little more chewy.

[PatrickGHBusan]

All types of Gim out there.

The one you refer to is high in sodium and oily so wolfing down a bag of it would qualify as unhealty.

Then again downing a bag of chips is also bad for you.

Gim in moderation is fine.

Other types of seaweed are better for your health but are also used for different dishes.

[kinerry]

it's seaweed, with minimal salt and olive oil in most situations

the olive oil amplifies the salt flavor, there really isn't much in there and a bag of gim is usually around only 10 calories

I eat the stuff by the dozen and I've gotten much better blood pressure and lost over 5kgs in the mean time

The only downside is the crazy bad farting

[noraebang]

Depends. Olive oil and salt laver is a much healthier alternative to potato chips. And if you exercise, you need the sodium anyway.

If you're a health nut, you'll get the dry, unsalted seaweed bricks, rather than the packaged laver, which has extra salt and oil added.

As an added bonus, real seaweed (in those heavy bricks, or unflattened) is always much cheaper for the weight you get. However, it's not ready to go. You've gotta soak it in water or whatever. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask a Korean to help you buy the seaweed they use for cold seaweed and cucumber soup.

[OiGirl]

My hair and nails grow crazy fast when I'm eating it regularly.

[rkc76sf]

I thought you were talking about Kim Jong Il.