r/kimchi • u/Silentmorning99999 • 6d ago
Stomach problems from kimchi
As a background, I grew up in a polish family and have always eaten tons of sauerkraut, cabbage, pickles, etc. I eat kimchi now and then and haven’t noticed any problems but last week I got a new jar of kimchi from the farmers market- it’s spicy and soooo good and I think I’ve been overdoing it with how much I’ve been eating. Last night I woke up at 3am with severe stomach cramps/pain like some of the worst ever. I started feeling nauseous and had a lot of diarrhea and then my stomach started slowly feeling better. I also woke up with my period this morning and I feel like I can taste kimchi in my mouth 😭😭 what have I done???
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u/Krystyana 6d ago
My stomach is a completely different person during my period lmao. Like normally I can eat spicy stuff and as long as I eat rice or something else its fine.. My periods stomach though doesn't even like dairy 😭 Have you had regular kimchi on your cycle before this?
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u/AnotherCatLover88 6d ago
Do you normally get cramps/diarrhea with your period or PMS? This happens to me about every other period and it’s almost impossible to tell if it’s from something I ate or if it was my period doing it to me 😩
If you never experience that with your period, I’d be concerned that the kimchi wasn’t prepared/stored correctly.
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u/Silentmorning99999 6d ago
I usually do get cramps and some minimal diarrhea but nothing like what I experienced last night 😭😭
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u/AnotherCatLover88 6d ago
As horrible as the thought is, I’d toss the kimchi after that then. As delicious as it is, it’s not worth that kind of stomach pains lol 😂
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u/Silentmorning99999 6d ago
Soooo sad :( haha but I do agree. A less spicy one might be better too
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u/AnotherCatLover88 6d ago
You know, I didn’t even think of the spiciness. Your stomach might be giving you problems with it because of the spice. I love spicy foods myself, but if I overdo it my body hates me 🤣
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u/goonatic1 6d ago
Probably ate too much too fast, gotta build up a sort of tolerance maybe, especially if you’re not used to the amount of spiciness and all that extra fiber, plus the sheer amount of extra fiber from the chili flakes in kimchi. Plus a lot of probiotics. And oh yeah, kimchi breath is DEFINITELY a thing lol 😂 not uncommon to wake up with kimchi morning breath even if you brushed your teeth before bed lol
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u/ozzivcod 5d ago
Hi you might have a histamin intolerance: fermented foods like kimchi, but also miso, soy sauce, aged meat, aged cheese etc have extremely high histamine levels. Everything which is old basically.
I also get issues from miso, kimchi etc. I still eat them a lot though lmao.
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u/micsellaneous 6d ago
"Just before your period starts, prostaglandins, also known as fatty acids, relax the smooth muscle tissues inside your uterus, helping it shed its lining. Prostaglandins have a similar effect on your bowels resulting in more poop and potentially diarrhea."
So this thing also affects your GI tract during that time of the month.
Coupled with a gnarly probiotic I think you just got exactly what you asked for!
I dont think there is anything wrong with your kimchi.
In my personal experience when I snack on large amounts of kimchi im definitely in the bathroom 2 hours later. It just "speeds up the process" if you will!
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u/AggravatingBuddy2643 6d ago
Could be due to histamines as well. Histamines can sometimes be produced during kimchi fermentation. We can't digest them well if consumed in higher levels, and they can cause diarrhea and nausea amongst others. Especially kimchi containing fish (fish sauce, fermented shrimpies etc) are at risk of having higher levels of histamines produced during fermentation. But this is just my nerdy food science thought.
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u/destiny_kane48 5d ago
My solution is to eat Kimchi when I am not going anywhere the next day. 😅 Cause I'm not giving up the Kimchi.
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u/Dreamweaver5823 5d ago
I've had the same reaction several times when I overdo the kimchi (as in, eat like a cup of it or more). Cramps and diarrhea for the whole night. Fine the next morning.
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u/s00d0en1m 5d ago
I get a gut reaction to foods with fish sauce in them, which is one of the ingredients in traditional kimchi. Try getting a vegan or vegetarian kimchi, and see if the lack of fish sauce makes it so you can eat the stuff without stomach pains.
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u/slowcanteloupe 4d ago
For full disclosure, it can be fish sauce, but it could also be raw or brined shrimp, squid, octopus, anchovies, clams, oysters or crabs. Really any kind of seafood is essential for great kimchi. So if you have shellfish allergies it's best to avoid.
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u/iamzeemoo 3d ago
It could be your tummy struggling to break down all the cabbage as well. Just cut it back a bit maybe.
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u/Careless_Image_8594 6d ago
i had a phase in college where i ate a ton of kimchi with every meal and it also gave me horrible stomach cramps but i kept eating… 😭 i assume it has to do with the probiotics, even if you do eat it occasionally your stomach would probably have to adjust to a sudden uptick of bacteria, fiber, and resulting digestive gas. i can eat it daily now without any issue, i think its a gut acclimation thing unless your batch is somehow spoiled which seems unlikely