Can you imagine a life without pickles? You probably can if you dislike them, but that signature briny crunch out of the jar is on another level of delicious. If you are like most people, you probably associate the word “pickle” with the classic cucumber variety. There are many other pickled foods, including various fruits and vegetables.
Natural pickling and fermentation are traditional forms of food preservation, enhancing the quality of foods. Fermentation is an external, predigestion process that converts complex nutrients into simpler ones. Common fermented foods include sourdough, vinegar, and wine. Pickling is a more controlled form of fermentation that uses salt and examples include miso, sauerkraut, and olives.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Eating Pickled Foods?
Pickled and fermented foods are some of the most common sources of probiotics. When eaten in conjunction with prebiotics, you can help create the best environment for gut microbes to flourish. The gut also houses the enteric nervous system, which is a second nervous system. Eating pickled and fermented foods can help support the connection between shared cells from both of these systems.
Eating naturally pickled and fermented foods can encourage the healthy growth of gut microbes. That process can help prevent the growth of unwanted or unhealthy microbes from developing. Pickled and fermented foods can also help to suppress inflammatory responses commonly associated with allergies, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Because of that, fermented foods may aid immune function. Plus, pickled and fermented foods tend to contain a high concentration of vitamins, including vitamins A, C, and K. Pickles are especially high in those vitamins because water is drawn out of the pickles by the salty brine.
A few studies found that some vinegar-based brines in pickles may help stabilize blood glucose levels. By regulating blood glucose levels, you help prevent feelings of intense hunger. You also help to curb blood sugar spikes, which can lead to energy crashes.
Nutritional Value Of Pickles
Like most vegetables, pickles are mostly water and contain very little protein and fat. They have a high concentration of vitamins because the salty brine draws out the water from the pickles. Although the nutritional value varies from pickle jar to pickle jar, the average whole dill pickle contains the following:
- 20% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin K
- 3%-4% of the RDI of vitamin C
- 6% of the RDI of calcium
- 2% of the RDI of potassium
- 1% of the RDI of vitamin A
Pickles also contain phosphorus, folate, and are great sources of beta-carotene. Studies indicate that beta-carotene can help lower the risk of several chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes and age-related macular degeneration. If you want to learn how to make pickles, read on for four amazing recipes.
Fermented Dill Pickles
Eating fermented foods is highly beneficial for your digestive health. Dare we say that these pickles are better than your granny’s homemade ones? You be the judge!
Click here to start pickling them pickles.
Homemade Dill Pickle Sauerkraut
Get ready for a recipe that will help improve gut health. Not only is it easy to make, but it is also 100% Full Body Cleanse Approved.
Click here to start pickling that kraut.
Easy Raw Refrigerator Pickles
Attention cleansers: You finally have a raw vegan pickle recipe! Once you make these, you’ll be wondering where they were all your life.
Click here to start pickling them pickles.
Homemade Pickled Red Onions
This easy pickled red onion recipe is about to be your new favorite topping to a variety of dishes. Here’s a tip: they go great on tacos!
Click here to start pickling them onions.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
