Pickle juice may not be high on your list of refreshing thirst-quenching beverages; however, it does have some scientifically proven, remarkable health benefits!
If you are like most people, once you have finished enjoying that delicious jar of pickles with your sandwiches or burgers, you spill the juice, or “brine” out and toss the jar. But stop yourself before you do that next time – that pickle juice has a number of surprising health benefits!
Pickle juice has been found to relieve pain. Scientists believe the vinegar in pickle juice is responsible for rapid pain relief.
It also is rich in probiotics. Probiotics are made up of microscopic bacteria and yeast that help to keep the good bacteria in the body in balance. The good bacteria in the gut aids in digestion, metabolism, immune response, and even mood. But, to get all of these benefits, the kind of pickles matter, only the juice from naturally-fermented pickles made without vinegar have these health benefits.
All types of pickle juice can help you recover quicker from working out. Pickle juice is rich in electrolytes, which can help to restore the fluid balance in the body after sweating from a workout. Pickle juice can restore levels of sodium, potassium, and magnesium in the body.
It also can help regulate sugar. The vinegar in pickle juice is known to prevent spikes in blood sugar. This helps to regulate both blood sugar and insulin levels. It may also aid in weight loss. A 2009 study found that people who consume a small amount of vinegar each day tend to lose more weight than those who do not drink vinegar regularly; pickle juice made with vinegar could have a similar impact.
However, if you have high blood pressure, drinking pickle juice is a no-no, and anyone should take care not to drink too much of it because of its high salt content.
Just 1 cup of pickle juice contains about 821 mg of sodium.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that most adults limit their sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day. If you are currently following a low-sodium diet, your daily limit may be lower.