I Thought Kimchi Would Save Me

I saw the headline: "Daily kimchi reduces obesity risk in men." Eleven percent lower chance. Three servings daily. I screenshotted it immediately. Within hours, I had five jars lined up in my fridge. Baechu, kkakdugi, the watery kinds I couldn't pronounce. I calculated portions, worried about sodium, googled the difference between Lactobacillus brevis and plantarum. For eight weeks, I ate kimchi with everything. My mouth burned. My stomach rebelled. The number on the scale stayed exactly the same. But I kept going back to that study. 115,726 participants. Korean adults over forty. Maybe I needed the right vegetables. Maybe I was the wrong demographic. Standing in my kitchen at 2 AM, fork halfway to my mouth, I finally understood. I wasn't trying to get healthy. I was trying to get fixed. #FoodGuilt #ControlIsExhausting #NotJustAboutTheScale #Health #Diet