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Few things are more polarizing thanpickles.
Either you love them with passion, or you vehemently detest them.
Were referring to pickles made with and without vinegar.
Why does this matter?
According to the gastroenterologist, vinegar-based pickles dont offer as many gut-promoting benefits as those made through fermentation.
These are the pickles that have the most gut-boosting live active cultures.
South Carolina-based gastroenterologist and author ofFiber Fueled
That said, the vast majority of pickle products on grocery shelves do contain vinegar.
After all, Dr. Bulsiewicz says vinegar-based pickles have benefits, too.Phew.
I have nothing against vinegar-based pickles; I think theyre delicious.
I also think theyre healthy.
After all, theyre basically just cucumbers with vinegar and spices, Dr. Bulsiewicz says.
These pickles are also a product of fermentation, produced by microbes.
That said, although vinegar-based pickles are good for the gut, fermented ones might be even better.
Lacto-fermentation is a slightly different approach to pickle production.
Naturally existing on the surface of the cucumber will beliving microbeslikeLactobacillus plantarumorLeuconostoc mesenteroides,which represent the cucumbers microbiome.
South Carolina-based gastroenterologist and author ofFiber Fueled
These microbes naturally create vinegar with vitamins andexopolysaccharides(extracellular macromolecules with potential antibiotic properties) as they grow.
Additionally, microbes likeLactobacillus plantarumare probiotic.
Still, Dr. Bulsiewicz isnt buying into it.
If I were a pickle CEO, Id be splashing that vinegar too!
You get so much more when you opt for lacto-fermented pickles, Dr. Bulsiewicz adds.
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