Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved pickles. Whether I ate them whole with a pastrami sandwich or in slices on a delicious burger, pickles added a very welcome burst of crunchy tartness and flavour. Heck, I even enjoyed just eating plain ol’ pickles on their own and no, I wasn’t pregnant. But for whatever reason, I always had it in my head that they weren’t very healthy. Maybe I thought it was a case of “too good to be true.”
Apparently, and very thankfully, I was wrong… I was so very wrong. Pickles are that special kind of healthy and delicious all wrapped up in a neat little package. As it turns out, pickles and other fermented foods are rich in probiotics. Yipee, more pickles for me! But wait… what do probiotics do exactly?
Many people are aware that probiotics help with your digestive system but a study found that a healthier stomach leads to a healthier brain, with reduced shyness and anxiety-filled thoughts. This study, co-authored by Matthew Hilimire from the College of William and Mary, demonstrated that these fermented foods had an “anxiolytic effect,” helping people with social anxiety and neuroticism. Furthermore, a healthy balance of gut bacteria is important to maintain normal brain and cognition health. Amazing! If you’re feeling down, perhaps a pickle a day might help put a big smile back on your face!
If you feel like making your own pickles, check out the video below.So delicious and so healthy! Personally, I like making my own pickles because I feel like they come out crunchier than the ones I buy at the supermarket.
