The definition of pickle juice is pretty straightforward: it’s the fermenting of cucumbers with water, dill, salt, and vinegar. As simple as it sounds, the mixture provides more nutrients and natural remedies than most artificial drinks and medications. The once lesser-ingested briny blend has now become a preferred option amongst athletes and CrossFit junkies to help solve nagging pains as well as a replacement for lost electrolytes.
Benefits of drinking pickle juice go way further than just a substitution to Powerade. There’s an extensive list of beneficial reasons to include pickle juice as part of your daily diet. Here are ten ways the tangy soluble will make your life that much better.
Pickle Juice Subsides Muscle Cramps
Cramps are a debilitating and common occurrence among professional and novice athletes. But the dehydrated muscles will have rapid relief when you drink 1/3 cup of pickle juice — almost twice as fast and effective as water. The tangy and salty concoction contains predominately vinegar, which is known to stop nerve signals that affect muscles during dehydration.
Pickle Juice Keeps You Hydrated
Drinking sodium and potassium (both nutrients prevalent in pickle juice) are keys to helping your body hydrate twice as fast in rigorous workouts or arduous activities in hot climates. You naturally lose sodium and potassium when you sweat so you are naturally adding those items back into your body with pickle juice. You still need to be careful on the intake of briny drink as extra sodium in your body could harmful to your health.
Pickle Juice is Fat-Free Muscle Recovery
The main reason athletes drink electrolyte-boosting drinks – such as Gatorade as well as protein shakes – is to aid muscle recovery. With pickle juice, you have a solution that not only provides muscle recovery but it’s also fat-free. The amount of calories in pickle juice ranges from zero to 100 on average (based on a one cup intake).
Pickle Juice Has Antioxidants
Significant amounts of vitamins C and E are contained in pickle juices. Those two antioxidants will keep the body from being exposed to harmful molecules called “free radicals” — and nearly everyone comes across the molecule. The vitamins also increase the effectiveness of your immune system.
Pickle Juice Stops Hangover
Battling hangovers could be torture for some but there’s one underused cure: pickle juice. The tangy brine actually helps balance your electrolytes and increases your sodium levels when you ingest. When you are suffering from a major hangover, the pickle juice, mixed with water, will help you hydrate even quicker.
Pickle Juice Helps You Lose Weight
The large presence of vinegar in pickle juice is a major reason those that drink it daily will lose weight. A research test, conducted by Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry, revealed that participants that consumed an ounce of pickle juice or vinegar daily are prone to losing weight and fat quicker than those that don’t.
Pickle Juice Lowers Blood Sugar
Journal of Diabetes Research recently studied the effects of consuming vinegar-based items before eating. The results proved that the solution actually regulated blood sugar levels, especially with those that had type 2 diabetes. Keeping your blood sugar levels at a healthy balance is enormously important and will prevent serious health problems such as blindness and heart disease.
Pickle Juice Aids Stomach Health
Vinegar is the main ingredient in pickle juice and it also helps clean your digestive system properly. The reason is that the fermented liquid helps balance and boost good bacteria and flora in your stomach. The combination of the vinegar, along with the sodium, settles upset stomach.
Pickle Juice Kills Bad Breath
The large number of bacteria that develops in your mouth could be a challenge to control at times. But if you are drinking pickle juice daily, then you won’t have to worry about those bad-breath causing germs. The dill and vinegar in pickle juice contain plenty of antibacterial properties. Hence, your breath is instantly freshened when you take a shot of the juice.
Pickle Juice is a Perfect Drink for Pre and Post-Workouts
Majority of dedicated athletes live by drinking pickle juice before and after they finish at the gym because of the high amount of nutrients the juice provides to the body. “The calcium chloride and vinegar present in pickle juice make the sodium and potassium more readily absorbed by the body,” Delhi-based nutritionist Anshul Jaibharat told NOTV Food.
The inclusion of pickle juice as part of your diet is a necessary one. But, like anything else in life, you must not overdo it. One big reason to ration the intake is that there’s a large amount of sodium included in the drink. An abundance of sodium will cause water retention and bloat your body; cardiovascular issues can also occur if overused. You MUST be strict on your daily consumption of pickle juice and not exceed a cup.
