Are All Rehydrating Drinks Created Equal?

Sports drinks artificially infused with electrolytes can go ahead and step aside. As can the old classics: coconut water and cranberry juice.

There’s a new post-workout drink in town that teams up with your body to fight the evil forces of PMS, hangovers, heartburn, and hiccups everywhere.

Pickle juice is stepping into the limelight (pun intended) as one of the new go-to rehydrating drinks.

The choice for endurance athletes, football players, and even party-goers; this salty, vinegar substance is packed with the kind of goods your body needs to rehydrate quickly and effectively.

One of the gravest dangers experienced by muscles is dehydration. Pickle juice rehydrates fast, stopping cramps in their tracks and prevents other ailments stemming from dehydration.

While each person is different, pickle juice has some remarkable benefits to offer. For example, did you know that pickle juice is the ultimate two-for-one? Sodium + fluid = a happier body. According to an article from boston.com, the average pickle spear contains 220 milligrams of sodium versus the 110 milligrams in an 8-ounce bottle of the leading brand’s sports drink.

That’s not to say that chugging a jar of bread & butter pickle juice will solve all of your problems; nutritionists still advise that you supplement the stuff with other healthful liquids.

Maybe someone should tell former Boise State player Jay Ajayi that…

Either way, research shows that some natural food options (enter pickle juice) can be more nutritionally effective even than well packaged, “engineered” performance foods. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not get conned into slurping down some expensive, over-marketed liquid when I can grab a jar of pickle juice out of the fridge.

An article from active.com quotes Nancy Clark, sports nutritionist, on the subject: “There’s nothing magic about the engineered foods,’’ Clark says. She has counseled members of the Red Sox and Celtics as well as Olympians and college athletes. “There’s nothing you can’t get through real food. Inside the box, tends to be the engineered foods. I encourage my clients to think outside the box.’’

So there you have it: pickle juice gets the job done. And please don’t think the only option for refueling with pickle juice is to stick a straw in the jar. Here are some fun, funky, slightly off-the-wall suggestions for jazzing up your pickle juice:

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