Pickles Health Benefits: Treat Vitamin B12 Deficiency Naturally And Improve Digestion By Eating Them Every Day

Pickles benefits: Eating pickles with your food can provide healthy bacteria to your gut

Pickles benefits: Pickles and chutneys are the delightful addition to your meals. A bland meal can turn into a fantastic one in a jiffy, if you have a homemade pickle or chutney on the side. Pickling is the traditional art and science of preserving vegetables and fruits to that can be used throughout the year. Eating pickle with your food is in fact the natural way to meet deficiency of Vitamin B12 and provide good bacteria to the gut.

"Our dadis and nanis used everything naturally available around them - salt, spices and sunlight to ensure that not just the seasonal produce not go waste but also that their nutritional value is enhanced. So they used trial and error, patience and perseverance and gave us this priceless gift called pickle that are now valued by modern nutrition science as valuable sources of - Vitamin K (co factor in absorbing Vitamin D), Vitamin A (eyesight and immunity), probiotic bacteria (live organisms that confer health benefits to the host)," writes nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar in her latest post on social media.

Also read: Debunking Some Popular Myths About Pickles 

Pickles health benefits that are surely going to leave you surprised

As part of the latest guideline of her ongoing fitness project, Diwekar talks about why it is important that we make the most of homemade pickles. Not only do pickles enhance the taste and flavour of the food, they also help in improve digestion.

1. One can rely on pickles for getting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
2. Eating pickles provides healthy bacteria to the gut. They also make it easy for the body to meet deficiency of Vitamin B12.
3. Pickles ensure that the gut is not over-occupied with bad bacteria.

Eating pickles can keep indigestion issues at bay
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: Chutneys And Pickles: Super Healthy But Criticised For Causing Health Issues; Know The Real Reason

How to make pickles at home?

Ideally, you should follow the recipe of your dadis and nanis. A tiny bit of traditionally made pickles with each of your meal is enough to provide you with sufficient health benefits. Nonetheless, there are a few points that you must keep in mind before preparing pickles.

1. The right time to start making pickles and even papads is post Shivratri, as that is the time when sunlight is optimal for these processes, informs Diwekar.

2. The salt and oil need to be in the right proportion. Otherwise, the pickle is going to ruin because of growth of wrong kind of bacteria.

3. Healthy bacteria in pickles is beneficial for diabetes and heart disease patients. People with high blood pressure too can have pickles, informs Diwekar while adding that instead of worrying about pickles, they should avoid eating biscuits, cookies, not exercising and food from outside.

Pickles are safe for diabetes and heart patients
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: The Goodness Of Pickles: Why You Need To Have Your Meals Pickles On The Side

Important note:

Pickle is beneficial only when it's eaten like a pickle in the appropriate proportion (a very small part of your meal). It is not right to eat pickle in amounts you eat your sabzis. "A little pickle with dal rice or dahi rice provides your body with the right combo of pre and probiotics," Diwekar writes.

So, have your meals with nearly half a tsp of pickles to enjoy the amazing health benefits they offer.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.