Are pickles good for health?

A pickle which is just a vegetable that is made sour or acidified.

It is questioned that whether pickles are good or bad for health? As these sour dishes have their benefits and downfalls, therefore, it becomes a difficult question to answer.

It is said that pickles are very helpful to lose weight and can also fight certain types of cancer.

They are also filled with healthful antioxidants, but on the other hand, it is also said that consuming pickles on a daily basis can be harmful.

Let us evaluate the consequences as well as benefits of consuming pickles before answering this question.

The Consequences-

Can increase stomach cancer risks

• According to stats, countries like Turkey and Japan where pickles are very common and preferred by many also have higher chances of Gastric Cancer.
• In a recent discovery, doctors in Turkey found that among the gastric cancer patients, the people who ate less bread, cereal, juices, and milk and consumed more pickles were more than the people who did not.
• Well, this one is not a small consequence, is it?

May lead to high blood pressure

• One dill Pickle contains 500-1100 milligrams of sodium which is excessively high than the recommended amount.
• An excessive amount of salt in a single day is not even harmful but can raise the amount of sodium in the bloodstream and may lead to reducing the ability of kidneys of removing water.
• This can cause high blood pressure because of the extra fluid and extra strain.

Can cause diarrhea

• Consuming too much of pickles can lead to digestive disorder.
• It is one of the food items which is needed to be avoided for staying away from diarrhea.
• Other than that, one might experience stomach discomfort or pain and also flatulence, if someone consumes the pickles in large amount.

 Benefits of a pickle-

Source of minerals and vitamins

• The dips of pickle are prepared with healthy green vegetables like coriander, spinach, parsley, and curry leaves.
• It is an easy way to consume the nutritious leafy vegetables which people otherwise chide away.
• It includes Vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron, potassium, and calcium respectively.
• These elements are beneficial for providing protection from certain diseases as well as strengthening bones, improving immunity and vision, and to cure anemia.

Protect the liver

• Other than being a good source of vitamin and minerals, pickles of gooseberry (called ‘amla’ in Hindi) have hepatoprotective properties.
• According to studies, these hepatoprotective properties are very helpful in protecting the liver damage.
• Or those who have any problem with their liver can try to reduce the risks of its damage by these properties.

Helps in reducing ulcers

• It is also suggested to consume pickle for removing sores.
• The ulcers are caused due to the failure of mucous membranes and acid interaction in tissues.
• If the mucous membrane is weakened or hyperacidity is caused, then it can lead to gastric ulcers.
• For eliminating the risk of ulcer formation or reducing it, Indian gooseberry pickle can be fruitful.

Can boost the probiotic content of the meals

• The process of pickling is a kind of fermentation.
• The fermented fruits and vegetables lead to healthy bacteria breaking down the hard-to-digest cellulose and natural sugar in foods.
• So, those people can eat yogurt who are lactose intolerant.
• The benefits of this healthy bacteria are that it helps to increase the good bacteria in the gut and majorly it can ensure the fermented food safe.
• Eating a pickle along with the meal can enhance the probiotic content of the feed, even though it doesn’t have a lot of minerals and vitamins in it.

Benefits of Antioxidant 

• When the pickles are prepared with the vegetables through pickling, it preserves their antioxidant power.
• The natural antioxidants in the pickle are helpful to fight against free radicles.
• These free radicles are formed naturally in the body which are the unstable chemicals that are produced by the cellular metabolism.
• These unstable chemicals are dangerous enough to damage the DNA, and thus can create more free radicals.
• Therefore to stop the radical attacks, it is good to consume food with high antioxidants.
• The antioxidant power can also help to attain many health benefits including reducing the risk of certain diseases.

Pickles help to control diabetes

• According to some studies, the consumption of vinegar-based pickle by the diabetic patients can help to improve the hemoglobin levels of that person.
• For this particular purpose, the acetic acid present in vinegar is very much responsible.
• But again too much of salted pickles can be harmful and can lead to high blood pressure, as discussed in the consequences.

Fights the yeast infections

• Yeast is the part of vaginal microflora, but for many reasons, it can overgrow and become pathogenic.
• Mostly it happens because of some antibiotic therapy which might affect the bacterial colonies which are majorly responsible to intact the Yeast.
• The undue discomfort and feeling awkward in public due to the desire to scratch private parts is because of the yeast infections.
• Consuming pickles can help to avoid yeast infections by keeping a check on it, as pickles increase the good probiotic bacteria.

Pickles can help to prevent constipation

• Pickles are also helping to improve the function of the gut and intestine as it contains high fiber, probiotic bacteria, and water content.
• This makes it easy to move the food and after that waste from the body very efficiently.
• This way there are fewer chances of having a constipation problem.

An excellent solution to lose weight

• As pickles are an attractive as well as an exciting way to consume vegetables, pickles like cucumber pickle help to lose weight.
• The cucumber pickles are low in calories and have water content and are suitable for desirable snacking, and therefore helps to lose some weight.
• But loading them up with sodium cannot be good as it can cause unsightly retention in peripheral parts of the body.

A perfect solution for morning sickness

• Everyone knows that pregnant women love pickles and crave for it more often during their pregnancy, but why?
• Well, according to doctors pickles help to control the morning sickness as it reduces nausea and vomiting.
• According to research, sour foods help to suppress the vomit feeling and also ease nausea stem.
• It is good to eat pickles, but too much of it with all the added sodium can adverse badly and may lead to high blood pressure.

 Final word

So now the answer to the first question can be answered! Are pickles good or bad for health?

Well, evaluating the harm and benefits of pickle it is seen that there are more benefits than the prejudices of consuming pickles. So, it is clear that pickles are good for the health.

But here is a piece of advice, too much of anything can never be right, therefore consumption of pickles should not be excessive.