Weight loss is about burning more calories than you eat, so simply eating pickles won’t melt away the pounds. But pickles are low in calories — so they can fit into a weight loss, calorie-controlled diet — and have some properties that might help with fat loss. But their high sodium content means you might gain water weight after eating them, which can impact the results you see on the scale.
1 – A Low-Calorie Snack for Weight Loss
Including pickles in your diet as a healthy snack can help you shed pounds, thanks to their low calorie count. A cup of dill pickles — regular or low sodium — has just 17 calories. Even if you’re following a very restricted diet of 1,200 calories per day, that’s less than 2 percent of your daily calorie allowance. If you’re craving dill pickle-flavored chips or popcorn, satisfy your craving with actual pickles to lose weight. Each 1 ounce serving of dill pickle chips has 160 calories — if you swapped out the chips for real dill pickles three times a week for a year, you’d save enough calories to lose more than 6 pounds of fat.
Make sure you stick with unsweetened pickles for your low-calorie snack, though. Sweetened pickles, like bread and butter pickles, are much higher in calories — 146 calories per cup. Most of those calories come from the sugar use to sweeten the pickles, which means sweetened varieties aren’t ideal for a weight loss diet.
2 – Potential Benefits From Vinegar
Pickles’ sour taste comes from the vinegar mixture that makes up the pickle brine. This vinegar contains acetic acid, which might play a role in weight loss. One animal study, published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2015, reports that rats fed acetic acid were more resistant to obesity than rats that didn’t get acetic acid. Vinegar might also keep food in your stomach for longer after a meal — literally “filling” you up and boosting satisfaction after a meal — according to a review published in Nutrition Reviews in 2014. The review also notes that vinegar might boost your calorie burn throughout the day, which makes it easier to burn more calories than you eat and lose weight. However, the review also notes that the evidence for vinegar and weight loss is preliminary; while these early results show promise for vinegar as a weight loss aid, more research is needed to know just how well it helps you shed pounds.
3 – Sodium and Weight Loss
Pickles have one major drawback — their sodium content. Sodium doesn’t actually prevent you from losing fat, but it can make it harder to notice weight loss in your regular weigh-ins. That’s because sodium makes your body retain water, so you might gain a few pounds from the added water weight. Regular dill pickles have 1,157 milligrams of sodium per cup — that’s 48 percent of the daily value — while sweet pickles have 731 milligrams of sodium, or 30 percent of the daily value, per cup. For a healthier option that won’t make you gain water weight, go for low-sodium pickles. This variety has a negligible 26 milligrams of sodium per cup.
4 – Serving Pickles for Weight Loss
Use pickles — the low-sodium variety, of course — to add flavor to diet-friendly meals without adding much fat or calories. Chopped pickles work well on a leafy green salad, while pickle slices in turkey or chicken breast sandwiches give a flavor boost so you don’t have to use fattier flavorings like mayo. Add chopped pickles to your tuna and chicken salads. Pickles are lower in calories than the other ingredients in these salads — including the chicken, tuna and mayonnaise — so adding pickles to the mix lets you eat a larger portion size for roughly the same number of calories.
If you get bored with plain cucumber pickles, experiment with other low-sodium pickled veggies. Pickled beans, beets, cauliflower and even asparagus make low-calorie snacks, and they help you boost your vegetable intake while you satisfy your salt craving.
FAQs
Aside from being rich in nutrients, pickles are also very low in calories. The spices in pickles also help in breaking down the body's fats. Fermented food also contains fibre that allows a person to feel full longer- again aiding in weight loss.
How do pickles help in weight loss? ›
Aside from being rich in nutrients, pickles are also very low in calories. The spices in pickles also help in breaking down the body's fats. Fermented food also contains fibre that allows a person to feel full longer- again aiding in weight loss.
What happens to your body when you eat pickles everyday? ›
Pickles are very high in sodium because it's an important part of the brining process. Consuming too much salt in your daily diet can contribute to high blood pressure. Anyone who is on blood pressure medication or looking to reduce their sodium intake should eat pickles in moderation or look for low sodium options.
What are the benefits of eating pickles? ›
Supports bone health: Pickles are a good source of vitamin K, which is essential for maintaining strong bones and preventing osteoporosis. Lowers blood sugar levels: Some studies have suggested that consuming vinegar-based pickles can help regulate blood sugar levels, benefiting those with diabetes.
How long does it take to lose water weight from pickles? ›
If you've had a few too many pickles, drink water and you'll notice your weight going back to normal within a day. But if it's linked to hormones, it might take a while.” If you're feeling out of sorts or very uncomfortable about your fluid retention, talk to your healthcare provider.
How many pickles can I eat per day? ›
It could be healthy to eat pickles daily, as long as they're eaten in moderation—one or two spears or a few pickle chips might be OK. The sodium content is another way to determine how many pickles to eat.
Are pickles healthy yes or no? ›
When consumed in moderation, pickles are generally a safe and healthy food for most people — but they can be risky depending on a person's underlying health. "The main issue is the sodium content, which adds up quickly.
Do pickles help your stomach? ›
Not only are pickles good for gut bacteria, but the fermentation process unlocks more nutrients by partially digesting the pickle – this allows your body to absorb more nutrition with less physical effort on your part, allowing the gut to get some much-needed rest.
Do pickles help your skin? ›
Help to Clear Up Your Skin
Pickle juice contains acetic acid, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Acetic acid makes it an effective treatment for acne and other skin conditions.
How to lose 4 pounds of water weight overnight? ›
4 ways to lose water weight immediately
- Drink more water. It might be a little difficult to believe but drinking more water can actually help you shed water weight. ...
- Reduce intake of salt. Too much salt or sodium in your diet may be contributing to water retention. ...
- Consume fewer carbs. ...
- Exercise.
Here's how to whittle down where it matters most.
- Try curbing carbs instead of fats. ...
- Think eating plan, not diet. ...
- Keep moving. ...
- Lift weights. ...
- Become a label reader. ...
- Move away from processed foods. ...
- Focus on the way your clothes fit more than reading a scale. ...
- Hang out with health-focused friends.
Sports drinks might provide better support in preventing muscle cramps, because they typically contain less sodium than pickle juice, plus additional electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium and a much higher content of water.
When should I drink pickle juice to lose weight? ›
Pickle juice can also help you lose weight. One study found that drinking pickle juice before meals helped people eat fewer calories and feel full. Another study revealed that drinking pickle juice could help boost metabolism and burn fat. Pickle juice is also good for your gut health.
Are pickles good for your belly? ›
Pickles are also high in particular types of fibre that feed beneficial gut bacteria, acting as prebiotics – food for the probiotic gut bacteria. Studies have shown that adding fermented vegetables to your diet may help with digestion and manage symptoms of constipation and diarrhoea3.
Is it good to eat pickles before bed? ›
Pickles. Pickles won't technically help you fall asleep, but the probiotics in naturally-fermented pickles (my favorite is the Bubbies brand) can help to increase your levels of good gut bugs, thus improving your digestion.
How do pickles have no calories but cucumbers do? ›
According to that data, pickles are even lower in calories than the cucumbers from which they're made (15 calories per 100 grams!). How can that be? Well, here's how: Pickles absorb liquid from the brine they're packed in. So, on a weight basis, the calories actually are lower.
