Jane Han is the North America editor for The Korea Times. Based in Seattle, she has covered business, culture and social issues across the United States for over 15 years. She previously worked at The Boston Globe.
Eat kimchi: US dietary guidelines highlight fermented foods
The new U.S. dietary guidelines food graphic, left, and kimchi photographed for popular Korean food blog My Korean Kitchen.
By Jane Han
SEATTLE — Kimchi made its first appearance in the U.S. dietary guidelines this week, a small line in a federal nutrition document that is giving the Korean staple a noticeably bigger moment.
Released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, the updated guidelines encourage Americans to eat more whole and minimally processed foods and single out fermented options such as kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir for their potential benefits to gut health. The revisions also recommend cutting back on ultra-processed foods and artificial additives, reflecting a broader rethink of how diet affects long-term health.
Health officials cited a growing body of research showing how the gut microbiome affects digestion, immunity and overall health, pointing to fermented foods as a simple way to add beneficial bacteria to everyday diets.
While kimchi has become increasingly popular in the U.S. in recent years, appearing on restaurant menus and grocery shelves well beyond Korean communities, its inclusion in the latest federal dietary guidelines marks a step further into the mainstream. The mention gives official backing to a food that has often been introduced through wellness trends rather than government policy.
Since the guidelines were released, food blogs and social media accounts have begun posting simple explainers on what kimchi is, how it is made and how it differs from other fermented vegetables. Compared with earlier bursts of attention driven by probiotic trends, the current interest is more closely tied to the weight of official guidance.
Industry watchers say that distinction matters. Government recommendations often shape consumer habits over time, and kimchi’s appearance alongside familiar fermented foods could help normalize it further for U.S. shoppers seeking gut-friendly options.
“Gut health — that’s new. Didn’t see that in the old dietary guidelines,” said celebrity biohacker Ben Greenfield in a new podcast Wednesday, as he read off the fermented food list recommended by the new U.S. guidelines. “Americans are going to have to remember what those look like. That’s very Asian of us. I like that.”
The update represents one of the clearest signals yet that gut health has become a formal part of U.S. nutrition policy, with fermented foods now explicitly named in federal guidance.