Whether you love it or hate it, pickle juice may be good for your health. The combo of vinegar, water, and sodium is more than just a hangover cure.
Dietitian Camille Skoda revealed six ways pickle juice can bring good health to you and how you can reap the benefits.
Pickle juice contains probiotics
Needless to say, naturally fermented pickles — and their juice — contain beneficial microorganisms called probiotics.
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Probiotics are live, microscopic good bacteria and yeasts that you can also find in:
- Kimchi.
- Miso.
- Sauerkraut.
- Yogurt.
Your gut contains many bacteria species that are beneficial for metabolism, overall health, digestion, and fighting sicknesses. They’re also linked to less anxiety, depression and better mood.
explains Skoda.
Probiotics help keep your good gut bacteria in balance. People eat probiotics for these benefits, especially to aid digestion.
According to her, you can find probiotics in refrigerated pickles that are not vinegar-based. They should be fermented naturally in water using salt and spices.
To get these benefits, try eating a pickle a day. But keep in mind that everybody tolerates probiotics differently. So if you’re drinking pickle juice for the probiotics, start with a small amount.
And don’t drink so much that you overdo it on the sodium.
Pickle juice helps you rehydrate after exercise
Electrolytes help regulate the fluid balance in your body and keep all systems firing.
But when you sweat, you risk losing too many. The antidote?
Pickle juice contains electrolytes in the form of a lot of sodium and some potassium and magnesium. That’s why you can use it as a natural electrolyte.
It can help to rehydrate after exercise.
To get the most benefit, she says to choose a vinegar-based pickle without yellow dye and preservatives. Using pickle juice as an electrolyte may work well for people who:
- Have a chronic condition that requires you to take in more sodium.
- Don’t get enough sodium in their diet.
But using pickle juice as your go-to recovery drink isn’t for everyone.
The recommendation is to have no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day. And 3 ounces of pickle juice gives you 900 mg right there, depending on the brand.
You can find electrolyte supplements that only have 150 mg of sodium and more potassium and magnesium instead.
Pickle juice helps regulate blood sugar
Studies show that vinegar can help prevent spikes and dips in blood sugar. That’s a check in the win column for vinegar-based pickle juices.
You would also see the same benefits from vinegar-based salad dressings and apple cider vinegar.
Pickle juice also help in weight loss
The research gets a little murkier when it comes to pickle juice’s effects on weight loss. But it’s also less about the pickles and more about vinegar.
Pickle juice could help curb your appetite by stabilizing blood sugar. It’s easier to lose weight and control appetite when your blood sugar’s stable.
And if you’re drinking pickle juice for the probiotic benefit, improving digestion and metabolism could definitely help you lose weight.
Pickle juice can cure your hangover
Drinking too much alcohol can dehydrate you. Electrolytes can help reduce some of those effects, says Skoda.
Drinking pickle juice as a hangover cure can help if it’s the electrolyte you choose.
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Pickle Juice contains disease-fighting antioxidants
Antioxidants may protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are molecules inside the body that are linked to cancer, heart disease and more.
You can get some antioxidants from pickle juice, but eating the pickle is more beneficial.
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