Love them or hate them, pickles are having a moment. The salty, crunchy snack is a refrigerator staple, and it seems like everyone is making their own at home and sharing the results on social media.
“Pickles” usually refers to pickled cucumbers, though many other vegetables and fruits can be pickled. A cucumber becomes a pickle after it has been preserved in a solution of vinegar, or salt and water. This technique gives the pickle its signature salty, sour, tangy bite.
Are pickles good for you? And is it healthy to eat pickles every day? We spoke to experts to find out.
Pickles nutrition overview
The nutritional content of pickles will vary depending on the type, shape, flavor and brand. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one serving of the of the standard, store-bought dill or kosher dill cucumber pickles provides:
- 5 calories
- 1 gram of carbohydrates
- 0 grams of protein
- 0 grams of fat
- 0.3 grams of fiber
- 325 milligrams of sodium
- 0.5 grams of sugar
One serving of pickles is about 1 ounce, which is equivalent to one spear or one-third of a large, whole dill pickle, registered dietitian nutritionist Frances Largeman-Roth tells TODAY.com.
The serving size of pickles may vary depending on the size or cut of the pickle, but generally it ranges around 28 grams to 40 grams. If the pickles are in sliced or chip form, that’s about five slices.
Sweet pickles, often called “bread and butter pickles,” contain higher amounts of sugar and more calories than the standard dill variety, Largeman-Roth adds.
Pickles generally fall into two categories depending on how they are made.
Vinegar pickles
Most commercially sold dill pickles you find at the grocery store have been pickled in a vinegar brine, says Largeman-Roth. The brine also contains water, salt, sugar and spices, but it’s the acidic vinegar that makes the difference.
“They are then pasteurized to kill off any harmful bacteria, which also kills any probiotic bacteria,” Largeman-Roth adds. (Probiotics are microorganisms…
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