Pickles - good or bad for health???

Pickling is a process of preserving vegetables or fruits by soaking it in brine ( saturated salt water) which produces natural preservatives which increases the shelf life of food.

If the food is having enough moisture, coating it with salt will lead to produce brine by itself.
This process leads to fermentation which gives the pickle it's tangy taste and increased shelf life.
Non fermentation method uses vinegar as a preservative. Vinegar itself is fermented liquid.
Pickeling process reduces the Ph of food to about 4.6 or even lower which kills the bacteria.

In India, other spices like clove, cinnamon, asafoetida, mustard etc are used to improve taste and flavour.
Commercially available pickles have added preservatives and lots of oil which may have some side effects, so they should be avoided.

**food to be pickled in India **

There are thousands of varieties of pickle in India. Common food included are-

Raw mango
Carrrot
Lemon
Fenugric
Dates
Garlic
Green chili
Cheekpea
Onion
Amla
Beetroot
Meat
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Red chili and many more.

Nutritional facts

Pickle are very high in sodium level and other minerals.
Apart from this they have antioxidants, fibres,Carbohydrates, sugar, fat, protein etc.

Health benefits

• Pickles are rich in antioxidants.
• During the process of Pickeling, some probiotic bacterias are produced which improves digestion.
• Pickles are rich in vitamins and minerals which builds immunity.
• Vinegar based pickles help in reducing blood sugar level so helpful in diabetic person.
• The tangy taste of pickles helps in morning sickness and nausea during pregnancy.
• Relieves muscle cramps.

**Side effects **

If consumption of pickle is not kept in moderate amount, it may lead to some side effects like -

• Increased risk of hypertension and heart disease
• Too much oil in pickle can Increase cholesterol level
• Too much consumption may increase risk of esophagial Cancer and peptic ulcer.

So enjoy pickles and don't forget to try Indian ones.