Pickle Juice

Before we get started, you should know that drinking pickle juice should by no means replace consumption of water. Our body needs water to function properly, so do not deprive yourself.

Pickle juice can lessen the effects of muscle cramps, and it can replenish electrolytes (like sodium) that you need to perform throughout the day (but particularly during exercise). Beyond helping with recovery it also provides vitamins C and E, which are antioxidants meaning they fight against free radicals (molecules that steal electrons, creating cellular damage, and in turn high levels of inflammation and increased sympathetic activity). When pickle juice is fermented it can also provide a boost of probiotics which are essential for maintaining a healthy gut. (Healthline)

BUT pickle juice will not be for everyone!!! It is very high in sodium, and having too much sodium in your diet can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. If you already have a diet high in sodium, a heart condition, high blood pressure, are pregnant or are under the age of 14 (the recommended levels of sodium for them are lower), then you should probably skip the pickle juice. (OSU; Harvard School of Public Health) One dietician recommends having 1.5 to 3 ounces (44-88 ml) of pickle juice which would be about 345 to 690 mg of sodium. (Women’s Health Mag)

Pickle juice is particularly helpful for people that workout intensely and lose a lot of electrolytes during activity. If you don’t exercise with high intensity, the risk of increasing sodium intake, from what I have researched, would seem to not be worth the risk. You can get your probiotics, and antioxidants from other sources.

If you do want to add pickle juice to your recovery routine do your best to find it fermented so you can get the benefit of the probiotics as well!