What Are Pickles?
They’re cucumbers preserved in a tasty mixture of vinegar, spices, and salt. This preservation method has been used for thousands of years.
You can pickle cucumbers yourself, or buy them. Grocers sell lots of varieties, including whole dill pickles, sliced sweet pickles, and sour spears.
Pickles Nutrition Facts
A whole dill pickle can have about:
- 20% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin K, which helps your blood clot and keeps your bones strong
- 6% of the calcium adults need for strong bones and teeth and healthy nerves
- 2% of your daily requirement of potassium, which helps your nerves work right
- 3%-4% of your daily requirement of vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects your cells from damage
- 1% of the daily value of vitamin A, important for your vision, immune system, and a healthy pregnancy
Some ways pickles may be healthy include:
Help with digestion. Fermented pickles are full of good bacteria called probiotics, which are important for gut health.
Fight diseases. Cucumbers are high in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that may help lower your chances of heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, and respiratory disease, and promote your eye health.
May ease muscle cramps. Some athletes swear by pickle juice after exercise to quickly replace lost electrolytes. One study shows that pickle juice may work slightly better than water to ease muscle cramps. But the evidence is weak.
Curb sugar spikes.Some studies suggest that vinegar in pickle juice may help keep your blood sugar levels even.
Lessen cell damage. Antioxidants in pickles have a number of benefits. The way they reduce damage-causing free radicals appears to have minor effects on general health.
May aid weight loss. Cucumber pickles are a low-calorie food. Because of their high water content, they may help you feel fuller longer …
