4 Surprising Health Benefits of Pickle Juice

 

What’s the tea on pickle juice? TikTokers are obsessed with drinking it, claiming that pickle juice can ease cramps, cure a hangover and stop hiccups. (Not to mention the fact that Selena Gomez loves to dip her spicy popcorn in the green stuff.)

While some of the purported benefits of pickle juice are likely coincidence or the placebo effect, there are real health upsides to tossing back the light green, tart drink. “Pickle juice can offer certain health benefits, particularly for serious athletes or those needing quick electrolyte replenishment,” says Joy Bauer, MS, RDN, CDN, nutrition and healthy lifestyle expert on NBC’s TODAY show. 

What is pickle juice?

It’s not what you get when you squeeze a pickle, like you would to make a lemon into lemon juice. Instead, it’s the brine that turns cucumbers into pickles, generally made up of water, vinegar, seasonings and salt. Some companies that make bottled pickle juice will add ingredients for taste or function. “Since the brine doesn’t taste exactly like our pickles, we infuse natural essential oils to create the same flavors as our pickles,” says Chase Coleman, head of marketing for Suckerpunch, which has a bunch of different pickles and pickle-adjacent products. They also add extra electrolytes in the form of magnesium, calcium and potassium to help with hydration, although pickle juice contains these naturally.  

Health benefits

Okay, so pickle juice isn’t a magical health food that can be enjoyed willy-nilly like cucumbers, but you probably knew that. So what are the upsides? Here are the key ways pickle juice can be good for you, and how to safely incorporate it into your diet.

Pickle juice can replace electrolytes after exercise.

Can you swap out your sugar-laden sports drink for pickle juice? Maybe. Pickles are definitely high in potassium, a key electrolyte. “If you want to use pickle juice as a sports drink during activity to replace sodium lost in sweat, drink 20–50 ounces of water per 2 ounces of pickle juice to achieve the right level of sodium,” says Blatner.

That said, there’s a risk of overdoing it, even with all that dilution. “If you don’t know just how much sodium is in your brand of pickle juice, it’s not an ideal choice for a sports drink,” she said. Instead, choose a mini supplement bottle of pickle juice available with the amount of sodium clearly stated on the label. 

Another good way to replenish electrolytes is to add pickle juice to a post-workout meal. “You can use 2 ounces or less in salad dressing, or yogurt or oil marinades for meat tofu or veggies,” suggests Blatner. “You can use pickle juice in your tuna or chicken salad. Try a splash when you’re making hummus, or to flavor rice or quinoa.”

It may stop muscle cramp pain.

TikTok might be onto something here. A study from researchers at the University of Michigan, Cedars-Sinai and Harvard Medical School found that one tablespoon of dill or kosher pickle juice reduced the severity of cramping in 69% of the patients they surveyed. While pickle juice can’t prevent sore muscles from exercise, “the acetic acid in pickle juice might trigger a reflex that inhibits the nerves causing cramps, providing quick relief,” says Bauer.

Pickle juice could improve your gut health.

Some pickles contain probiotics, which are made up of live organisms that boost the “good” bacteria in your body. “I’d opt for pickle juice from fermented pickles for the probiotic and gut-health benefit,” says Marisa Moore, MBA. RDN. LD., founder of Marisa Moore Nutrition in Atlanta, GA. You’ll find those in the refrigerated cheese section of the grocery rather than in the condiment aisle. 

Why are fermented pickles better than just pickled cucumbers? According to information from Stanford University, fermented pickles remain unpasteurized, so the probiotics are not destroyed during processing. “Look for a pickle with a simple ingredient list–pickles, water, salt and seasonings for flavor,” Moore adds.

It could even out your blood sugar.

If you have diabetes or insulin resistance, ask your doctor if pickle juice is right for you. “The vinegar in pickle juice may help stabilize blood sugar levels,” says Bauer. Vinegar is thought to possibly boost the body’s response to insulin because of its main component, acetic acid, Bauer adds. Keep in mind, though, that there are no evidence-based guidelines to recommend how much to drink or when to drink it.

Precautions

There are some potential pickle juice downsides, says Bauer. “It’s very high in sodium and can cause potential digestive issues, so it’s best to consume it in very small amounts. For folks with high blood pressure, kidney disease, reflux or those on a sodium-restricted diet, consuming pickle juice is problematic and can exacerbate health issues,” she says. 

That’s because sodium is a giant no for people with high blood pressure, and pickle juice is largely vinegar, which is highly acidic, she says. (Reflux is when stomach acid comes back up your esophagus, so pouring acid down your throat isn’t exactly going to help.) “If you have any health conditions or concerns, it’s important to consult with your doctor or a registered dietitian before adding it to your routine.”

The amount of salt in pickle juice is an inexact science, because it depends on the brand you choose. Plus, it depends on the type of pickle floating in the pickle juice – one large dill has 1630 mg of sodium, according to USDA data. To compare pickles to pickles, 100 grams of sweet pickles have 457 mg, versus 100 g of sour dill pickles with 1250 mgof sodium. 

Complicating the situation even more is that the nutrition label on a jar of pickles gives info about the pickles, not the juice, so unless you’re buying your pickle juice pre-bottled, it’s hard to know just how salty it is. “Choose whole pickles,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, CSSD, author of The Superfood Swap. “Research has found that the pickle juice from whole pickles had lower sodium than jars with sliced pickles.” 

The Bottom Line

Pickle juice could do your body good, but you need to drink it in moderation. “If you choose to incorporate pickle juice into your diet, make room for it by avoiding other high sodium foods during the day,” Moore says. Plus, we’ll say it one more time: check with your doctor to get the go-ahead before trying the trend.