Not for us, thanks.
There are plenty of things we tend to consume after a particularly intense workout in the gym.
Water is one of them. A smoothie is another. A giant double cheeseburger with twisty fries and onion rings on the side is another.
All acceptable post work-out foods. All necessary.
Apparently though, there’s one drink that we should all be downing when we’re finished up in the gym that’ll keep us hydrated, give us a load of nutrients, and provide us with those sweet, sweet antioxidants needed to survive.
Pickle juice.
We know what you’re thinking – not a chance, right?
We would have been slightly inclined to agree alright.
Nothing screams health, gym, and #fitspo less than cracking open a literal jar of pickles and drinking the juice within.
Bit grim, to be honest actually.
That being said though, we are pretty big fans of pickles so maybe we could get on board with this fad after all.
According to Insider, there are a lot of benefits to drinking pickle juice after a work-out that we never would have considered in a million years.
Health expert, Caleb Backe, said:
“In fact, the brine solution is actually loaded with antioxidants and nutrients. Although it may sound odd, drinking the flavorful green juice may be one of the best post-workout snacks.”
Interesting.
Backe also said that the juice’s nutrients can be transported around the body super quickly and, for that reason, it’s less about what’s in the pickle juice and more about how fast its contents can get around your body.
It’s also apparently a great way to get your potassium and sodium levels back up after a gym session so, you know, pretty decent.
There’s even a product called ‘Pickle Juice’ in existence so you don’t even have to rinse out your own jar of the stuff.
So handy.
A study conducted in 2010 showed that consuming small volumes of pickle brine was linked to decreased muscle cramping.
The conclusion of the study read:
“Pickle juice, and not deionized water, inhibits electrically induced muscle cramps in hypohydrated humans.
“We suspect that the rapid inhibition of the electrically induced cramps reflects a neurally mediated reflex that originates in the oropharyngeal region and acts to inhibit the firing of alpha motor neurons of the cramping muscle.”
Makes sense to us.
Kinda.
