by Do you also love the tangy taste of ‘aam ka achar’ prepared by your mother? Well, we Indians know the taste of this mixed bowl of spices and vegetables or fruits. Mango, lemon, amla, cabbage, carrot, radish and bitter gourd – you name it and you get an amazing tasting pickle. It is often found as a complement to the plate to help give a little flavor to dishes that sometimes seem a little too bland. Although we all love the tangy taste, it is the need to take care of our health that convinces our mind to focus on healthier eating. Additionally, the habit of eating too many pickles can get you into trouble. Yes, you need to know some side effects of pickles.
Side Effects of Pickles You Need to Know About
1. Low nutritional value
The process of making pickles mainly involves cutting fruits or vegetables and letting them dry in the sun. No amount of water should remain in fruits or vegetables. Drying in the sun destroys most nutrients. A layer of salt is also applied to them during the drying process, which only makes things worse. In short, the process of making pickles reduces their nutritional value.
2. May increase blood pressure
Excess salt is applied at the time of sun drying and more salt is also added during the manufacturing process. Excess salt in pickles increases their sodium content, making them extremely harmful to your health. The sodium in these salty foods like pickles can raise your blood pressure, which can also lead to heart problems. Although eating a pickle every now and then is not harmful, regular consumption of extra sodium can lead to several health problems.
Our intestines absorb sodium during digestion, causing an increase in sodium electrolytes. This causes fluid to migrate into the bloodstream to dilute it. Excess fluid exerts more force on the walls of blood vessels, raising your blood pressure. When potassium intake exceeds sodium intake, the body maintains electrolyte balance. In this ratio, potassium acts to soften the activity of sodium. If the body receives more sodium than potassium, the sodium system becomes dysregulated, which can lead to problems.
Read also: 6 foods high in sodium that raise your blood pressure
3. Harmful to your kidneys
Did you know that a medium-sized regular mango pickle contains 569 mg of sodium? Our body’s daily requirement is 2,300 mg, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration. Excessive salt intake in pickles can increase the amount of sodium in our diet, which can lead to serious health problems like water retention, bloating, high blood pressure, and an increased workload on the kidneys. . A diet high in salt also leads to fluid overload and can be toxic to the heart, vascular system and kidneys, according to a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
4. Leads to high cholesterol levels
The pickle-making process also includes soaking the vegetables in oil, which acts as a moisture barrier and preserves them. This oil also increases cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of developing or worsening heart disease. Studies have also shown that high cholesterol levels can cause liver damage in the long term.
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Additionally, the oil used in making pickles contains trans fats, due to hydrogenation. Trans fats increase the shelf life of pickles, but increase LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and reduce HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). These also increase the level of triglycerides.
