I feel bad throwing out pickle brine, but I never know what to do with it when I eat the last pickle. My friend saves the juice for her Bloody Mary mix but I'm not a big fan of the brunchy cocktail. But apparently pickle brine has another use — as a sports drink!
You lose electrolytes whenever you have an intense workout or sweat intensely. Even though it sounds weird that pickle juice makes a good electrolyte replacement, it totally makes sense when you consider how much salt is in the juice. Sodium is an essential component in helping the body retain fluids, which is extremely important for long workouts, marathons, or any other endurance activity. Not having enough fluids in your muscles can result in some serious cramping and dehydration.
It's definitely an acquired taste, but if you feel like you want a natural alternative to Gatorade, try adding some pickle juice to water, or make some pickle juice popsicles. I might give it a shot the next time I'm out on a major bike ride or an all-day climb in hot weather.
Source: Flickr User nonelvis
Pied A Terre
Few love pickles more than I, but this idea nevertheless makes me go yarrrgh. Like a pirate.
Is this better than, say, drinking saltwater? I guess it's vinegar-y too, but I'm not sure how great that'll be on the stomach after a lot of cardio...
1It's funny b/c I used to do this when I was little just because I loved pickles so much! I play sand vball regularly and was shocked when I discovered a bunch of players drinking pickle juice or carrying it around with them. It made me smile!
2The Eagles started this trend/made it popular
3pickle juice is good to add to marinades for meat.
4*Shudder* Not happening.
5Ewwwwwwwww, and I love pickles.
6Ewww (I hate pickles!)
7Ugh, I love pickles but I would never drink the pickle juice! Wouldn't you get just as much of a benefit by eating an actual pickle?
8Pickles are great for hangovers.
9mmmmm :smacks lips: pickle juice. yum!
10Oh my gosh I always buy Claussen pickels and drink the juice it's delicious!
11I used to work in a nutritional science department, and while training for a half marathon I had some late night charlie horse issues. My boss told me that eating a pickle was more likely to reduce leg cramps than eating a banana. He was definitely right!
12I personally would throw up if I tried to drink this during or after a hard workout. But it sounds like a great idea for pickle fans! I would love to find an all-natural alternative to gatorade, but alas, I don't think this will be it for me.
13chloe, why an all natural alternative?
14I had never heard about this until now, but I actually secretly like drinking the leftover liquid in a pickle/gherkin jar... It's tangy, vinegary, salty, and yum! Never knew it was good for me...
15i always drink some of the juice, yay!
16sunsmuckers - awwww, my boxer pup looked so much like your profile picture. mine's a year old now and i miss that puppy phase.
my husband works outside daily and he swears by pickle juice for rehydrating. we started canning our own this summer, and the homemade juice is so much better! but i could be biased.
17I used to drink a cup of pickle juice before races to prevent cramps. I didn't mind.
18My ex-boyfriend and his ultimate frisbee team used to drink a lot of pickle juice. I thought it was a great idea because I love the taste.
19Nice article, i just posted a tweet on twitter. We are delighted more people are coming out of the closet and telling the world about the benefits of pickle juice. Our pickle juice pops lower blood sugar levels up to 42% after a meal. You can find us on google easily.
20I did a bike ride this weekend and had severe leg cramps toward the end. At the last rest stop there was a rep for a pickle juice sport drink that gave me several bottles. It did work. I was able to finish the last 10 miles and only needed to stop 5 miles in to drink another bottle. Before that, I was stopping every 2-3 miles with cramps and wouldn't have been able to finish the last 10 miles. It's called pickle juice sport drink, but it didn't taste as strong as straight pickle juice. Plus I didn't care about the taste because I was in major pain. It does work!
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