A dietician has demystified the growing trend of consuming pickle juice for various health benefits including hydration, relieving a sore throat, and probiotics for gut health.
While it does platform funny dance videos and relationship trends, TikTok is also home to countless health and food hacks that promise the modern equivalent of the fountain of youth. Though a recent study found that most tips and tricks are completely fabricated, there are some juicy tidbits on the app if you know where and who to look to.
Is pickle juice healthy?
Currently, there is a subsection of TikTok content creators that are pushing forward the idea that pickle juice is the ultimate solution for all your health-based woes. Of course, the fermented liquid is not quite as revolutionary as some are led to believe.
Registered dietitian Abbey Sharp is a well-regarded expert with over 800k followers on the video-sharing app. Though her content covers food and health in its entirety, Abbey has made a name for herself addressing the rise of misinformation on social media.
“Pickle juice, the brine solution used to pickle cucumbers, has gained attention for its potential health benefits and uses beyond simply being a byproduct of pickling,” she told USA TODAY.
One of the first benefits is pickle juice’s ability to rehydrate you, which shockingly, is actually accurate. You see, some athletes use pickle juice in lieu of Gatorade.
“Pickle juice contains water and electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, which can help replenish fluids and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise or hot weather,” Abbey said. “Some athletes and individuals engage in pickle juice consumption for rehydration purposes.”
Abbey further explained that, despite popular opinion, pickle juice is not the gut savior you have been looking for. Though it’s correct that the juices do contain probiotics, “It’s highly unlikely that you will get anywhere close to a clinical dose of probiotics from pickle juice.”
You shouldn’t be consuming pickle juice daily
Though pickle juice is not necessarily unhealthy, Abbey did warn against consuming it every day as it is high in salt and could cause issues with tooth enamel, acid reflux, blood sugar, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Abbey said: “Pickle juice is typically super high in sodium due to the salt used in the pickling process. That can exacerbate high blood pressure, fluid retention, hypertension, and cardiovascular issues.”
