Fermented Pickles | Our Easiest Fermented Dill Pickle Recipe - Cultures For Health (2024)

FAQs

Are fermented dill pickles healthy? ›

Fermented pickles are a good source of probiotics. Probiotics protect your gut microbiome, or the bacteria in your gut, Peart says. “Having healthy gut bacteria can minimize symptoms of an irritable bowel. And it can help us digest food and absorb nutrients.”

An easy way to remember the difference between the two despite their overlap is that pickling involves putting food into an acidic brine to produce a sour flavor, whereas fermenting gives food a sour flavor without any added acid. Pickling is often the least healthy choice in terms of these two foods.

Fermented dill pickles are made with salt and not vinegar, so by comparison they are milder than vinegar pickles which contain acetic acid. These are the gut healthy, microbiome-boosting superfood pickles that you should be consuming everyday, three times a day.

Probiotic Yogurt: 1 cup containing 2.5 billion CFU = about 1/10th of a capsule. Lacto-Fermented Pickles: Each pickle contains 1.3 billion CFU = about 0.05 of a capsule.

For those that are used to fermented or probiotic foods and consume a good amount of fiber, the right amount is three times a day. The amount you consume doesn't have to be a lot. Serving sizes are quite reasonable, for example, a half a pickle, or a quarter cup of sauerkraut.

Fermented pickles are full of good bacteria called probiotics, which are important for gut health. Fight diseases. Cucumbers are high in an antioxidant called beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A.

“The pickles that are beneficial for your gut health are the fermented ones, made by brining them in salt rather than vinegar,” says Dr. Oppezzo. “While vinegar pickling is a common method, true fermentation in brine enriches them with beneficial probiotics for your gut.

While pickle juice offers some health benefits, it may also pose some risks. Most of these risks are tied to the extremely high levels of sodium that pickle juice contains. Those who have or are at risk for hypertension (high blood pressure) should avoid drinking pickle juice.

Fermented foods contain high amounts of beneficial bacteria – the same kinds of bacteria that live and thrive in the human gut. Kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh and the humble pickle are all packed full of these good gut microbes.

Do pickles clean your gut? ›

Fermented pickles are considered a probiotic food, which means they contain beneficial strains of bacteria that, if consumed often, can contribute to the population and diversity of our gut microbiome.

Cabbage or sauerkraut brine contained the most LAB count of anything we tested. Next highest was pickle brine, then the sauerkraut itself, then the cucumber pickles.

But sauerkraut has two further advantages: 1) One study found that a single batch contains up to 28 different bacterial strains. That's many more than you'll find in a standard probiotic supplement. 2) Because they're in food form, these probiotics may be more likely to reach your intestines intact.

To power your digestive tract, ferment those vegetables. Pickles made by fermentation for probiotic benefits. Combine water and salt, stirring to dissolve. Place garlic, dill seed, peppercorns, fresh dill and chilies into the jar.

Fermented foods like pickles are basically probiotic superfoods, packed full of good bacteria that can support the health of your gastrointestinal microbiome and are good for your gut bacteria. Be sure to go for fermented pickles rather than vinegar-pickled.

A spoiled ferment will smell rancid, like rotting broccoli. A good ferment will have a pleasant sour smell. Note: If there's Kahm Yeast present it may have a strong smell, but once scraped away it should have a pleasant sour smell if it's not spoiled. A spoiled ferment may be slimy in texture.

Yeast develops and settles to the bottom of the jar. It may be a normal reaction during fermentation caused by bacteria. If the pickles are soft, they are spoiled from the yeast fermentation. Don't use them.