The salty taste of pickled vegetables — most commonly cucumbers, though there are other options — is popular among even picky eaters. The practice of fermented foods for preservation has been around for thousands of years, and many pickled vegetables benefits for health are still relevant today.
No, pickling vegetables doesn’t remove nutrients, though it does add sodium. The practice helps preserve fresh, nutritious vegetables for times when they otherwise wouldn’t be available.
When fruits and vegetables are pickled, they are soaked in a vinegar or brine solution, which adds flavor and preserves their nutrients. Not only are pickled fruits and vegetables tasty, but they are also a great way to incorporate more vitamins and minerals into your diet.
All About Pickling Vegetables
The next time you pop open a jar of pickles, stop to think about the fact that the practice of pickling has been around for about 4,000 years, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (Mass DAR).
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This was how ancient people preserved fresh produce, back before options like canning and freezing were available. Pickled vegetables had benefits such as a long shelf life through the winter or during long journeys when food would be apt to spoil.
Pickling remains a popular practice today, and people are opting to consume pickled vegetables for benefits above and beyond their long shelf life.
Yes, its nice that they make out-of-season vegetables easy to store and available all year long — Harvard Medical School gives the example of cabbage, which would spoil pretty quickly if left out on a shelf in its natural form, but when its pickled in the form of sauerkraut, it will last for months.
Whats more, Mass DAR explains, pickling does not require vegetables to be completely sterile, such as the way canning does, before the vegetables are preserved.
Thanks to recent regulations by the Food and Drug Administration, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there is a decreased risk of bacterial contamination in commercially distributed pickled vegetables. In fact, there have not been any cases of illness from food-borne pickle contamination in 50 years.
Pickled Vegetables Have Benefits
If you take a look at the nutritional profile of the most popularly pickled vegetable — the cucumber — you see it stays mostly the same in fresh and pickled form.
A cup of sliced cucumber has 16 calories, mostly from 3.8 grams of carbohydrates, including a half-gram of fiber and 1.7 grams of sugar. It even a small source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin K.
On the other hand, a cup of dill pickles has 19 calories with only 3.7 grams of carbohydrates, 1.7 of which is sugar and 1.6 of which is fiber.
The pickle has the same calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin K as a cucumber, but it has 1,254 milligrams of sodium, whereas the cucumber has essentially none. This sodium comes from the salt that is commonly added, as Mass DAR points out, when vegetables are pickled in brine or vinegar.
Vegetables not only retain their vitamins and minerals when they are pickled but also gain a few extra benefits. In addition to increased shelf life, pickled foods deliver a punch of probiotics, live microorganisms that are good for your digestion.
As Harvard Medical School explains, having these beneficial bacteria in your gut will help your immune system and prevent inflammation. Fermented vegetables also have vitamin B12, which isnt otherwise found in plant foods.
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FAQ
Are pickled vegetables as healthy as fresh?
How does vinegar affect vegetables?
Do vegetables pickled in vinegar have probiotics?
What is it called when you put vegetables in vinegar?
Is vinegar good for You?
Vinegar certainly can be good for you—provided you know what it can and cannot do. “Vinegar is absolutely a great tool in cooking ,” says Whitney Linsenmeyer, PhD, RD, LD, an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at St. Louis University and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Is it safe to drink vinegar daily?
Consuming 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of vinegar diluted in water in the morning or before meals favors the digestion of food due to the presence of acetic acid. Consuming it as a salad dressing will also bring the same benefit.
Are vinegar pickled vegetables good for You?
Vinegar pickled vegetables from the store are generally high in sodium and do not have the probiotics necessary to make them good for you, if you are consuming them in large quantities. Although, this will be different if you are using homemade vinegar that did not go through a sterilization process.
How to preserve vegetables with vinegar?
Preserving with vinegar is reliant on good ingredients and methods wherein fruit or vegetables are immersed in water, salt, and vinegar that have been heated. The combination of vegetables and vinegar not only preserves the food but imparts a crispness and tang. Read on to learn how to preserve vegetables with vinegar.