We share how fermented foods impact your gut microbiome.
Health Benefits of Pickles
Some pickles are healthier than others.
But not all pickles are fermented.
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Here are some additional nutritional facts to consider.
Improve Hydration Levels
Pickles provide somepotassium, a mineral thats super-important for fluid balance in the body.
Potassium is an electrolyte, a category of minerals that support hydration, among other essential processes.
Maintain Digestive Health
Pickles are veggies, and all plant foods contain some fiber.
When pickles are fermented (more on that below), they also provideprobioticsthat support the gut microbiome.
The gut microbiome is a group of over a trillion microorganisms that live in our intestinal tract.
However, most store-bought pickles are high in sodium.
Here’s a closer look at the cons of consuming a lot of pickles, whether fermented or not.
Very High in Sodium
A final micronutrient pickles deliver onsadly, not in a good wayis sodium.
Compare this to the 4,000 to 10,000 mg of sodium that many Americans consume each day.
This is, of course, when large quantities of pickles are consumed.
These changes could be improving flavor, shelf life, or health benefits.
These pickles develop their tangy tartness due to microbe activity that is the result of the process of fermentation.
Pickle Juice Benefits
Don’t toss that pickle juice once you’ve finished off your pickles!
If you want to try it, consider these benefits.
Drinking just 1/3 cup of pickle juice helped relieve muscle cramps more quickly than drinking water.
Try these ways to add pickles to your meals.
Fooddata central.Pickles, cucumber, dill or kosher dill.USDA.
Reflex Inhibition of Electrically Induced Muscle Cramps in Hypohydrated Humans.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 42(5):p 953-961, May 2010.
| DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181c0647e
Pickle juice.
U.S Department of Agriculture.
