Kimchi is made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fibers, while being low in calories. It also provides 80% of the daily required amount of ascorbic acid and carotene. Most types of kimchi contain common ingredients like onions, garlic and peppers all of which have well-known health benefits.

The vegetables being made into kimchi also contribute to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium and iron, and also has active and beneficial bacterial cultures of Lactobacilli, which results in a higher lactic acid content in the final product than in yoghurt.

Kimchi has a reputation of being a healthy food. It has been recommended by popular health magazines, such as the periodical Health, which named kimchi in its list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly retarding cancer growth. However, research has also found kimchi to be ask factor in gastric cancer, suggesting that nitrates and salt, ingredients prevalent in kimchi, might be a cause. Interestingly, another study found one type of kimchi to be a protective factor against gastric cancer and two other types to be risk factors.