6 Surprising But True Health Benefits Of Pickles

Dec 28, 2018

The lowly pickle is actually a healthy food that brings plenty of health benefits along with a nice flavor boost. Let's learn a bit more about this briny vegetable.

When do you eat pickles? Sliced pickles work well on a sandwich. Cut up pickles are easy to add to a salad. Whole pickles are an occasional snack. But, did you know this favored condiment is more than a tasty treat? It has real health benefits as well. For example, pickles are known to help stop muscle cramps and ease nausea symptoms.

Most pickles sold in the US are created using brine, vinegar, or sugar and salt to preserve the vegetables. Here's a quick breakdown of pickles you may be familiar with:

• Quick-processed pickles you find in a supermarket
• Fermented pickles that use salt to soften the vegetable and preserve it
• Vinegar pickles that use acids to preserve the vegetable

Keep reading to learn about just a few health benefits of the simple pickle.

Pickles come in so many varieties. You can find cucumber pickles in kosher, bread and butter, dill, sweet and sour, and gherkins. Other vegetables like garlic and chilis can also be pickled. How do they rate when it comes to nutrition?

Many of the vegetables used in pickling naturally have a lot of water. Sodium or sugar helps preserve them. Most of them are low in calories and contain little fat. For example, a 4-inch cucumber contains as little as 15 calories. It has 258 mg of Vitamin A, 63.5 mg of Vitamin K, 31 mg of potassium, and only 3.05 g of carbs. The pickling process actually helps to preserve these nutrients in the vegetable. Water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C tend to leach out during the pickling process, though not all of it is lost.

Pickles tend to have a lot of antioxidants which are good for fighting reactive molecules called free radicals. These destructive molecules damage the body's cells and increase levels of oxidation, which has been associated with conditions like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Some pickles, like sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, and American dill, are created using fermentation. Eating a fermented pickle offers a solid dose of good bacteria which helps with digestion while boosting immunity.

The fermentation process involves breaking down the sugars in the vegetable using lactic acid bacteria. These are the good bacteria that help with human digestion. Vinegar pickles do not have these good bacteria. 

Some studies have also found that foods filled with probiotics help the body stave off allergies in children. They also help women avoid urinary and vaginal infections.

If you start feeling nauseous, nibble on some pickled lemon or ginger. Avoid sweet pickles, however.

The old cliche about pregnancy and pickles actually has some science to back it up. Many women experience nausea during pregnancy, mostly as morning sickness usually in the first trimester. Eating pickles can actually help with nausea. It seems that the tart flavor of a pickle helps ease nausea symptoms while reviving the appetite. Sour foods, like lemon and ginger, tend to help the most.

It's important to eat only a little at a time, as high levels of sugar and sodium can wreak havoc on blood glucose and blood pressure.

The juice in a pickle is one of the best options for relieving muscle cramps. One study looked at the effect of drinking pickle juice while dealing with cramps. It compared it to drinking water or not consuming any liquid. The study found that those that drank 1.5 ounces of pickle juice per 100 pounds of body weight recovered 36% faster than those who drank water and 45% faster than those who drank nothing at all.

If you start having muscle cramps, bring out the pickle juice. Drink it slowly to avoid upsetting the stomach. It can take as little as 85 seconds to ease a muscle cramp with pickle juice. The only downside is the strong flavor, though some people enjoy it.

While research is still ongoing for the underlying reason why this works, researchers speculate that the pickle juice helps increase the number of electrolytes in the body, which helps ease muscle cramping. Another theory speculates that the act of eating the pickle sends a message to the muscles, which stops them from firing and eases the cramp.

Pickles tend to slow down the stomach's digestive process. It also delays gastric emptying. Both of these help to decrease the rate of glucose release. This helps avoid the sharp spike in glucose levels many people get after eating. This is the reason why many people drink apple cider vinegar when trying to lose weight. 

An easy way to introduce a pickle to your meal is by putting one on a hamburger or sandwich. It helps to balance the number of carbs in the bread.

The fact that pickles help decrease glucose spikes is a potential breakthrough for those with Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance. Its benefits are still under investigation, but it seems promising.

In 2014, researchers released a study that found a certain type of bacteria usually found in Japanese turnip pickles actually helped the immune system fight spleen cancer in mice. It was only a preliminary study and much more research needs to be done to see if this benefit is seen in humans. But, it's an interesting finding.

For those with blood pressure problems, the high sodium in pickles can cause problems. Also, sweet pickles can contain a lot of sugar which can be a problem for those dealing with blood glucose issues or with a risk of heart problems. The solution is to eat them in moderation.

Do you want to reap the benefits of pickles? Let us know your thoughts. Also, give others the chance to indulge in the pickle's health benefits.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!