Why homemade pickle should be a part of your diet

Do you enjoy having pickles? (Source: File Photo)

Craving for something tangy? Then what better than some homemade pickle with your meals, which will not only satiate your craving but will also ensure holistic health. Besides lending that spicy, tangy flavour to your food and enhancing its taste, pickles have several other health benefits.

Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar took to Instagram to share why homemade pickle should be part of your daily diet.

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Week 10 guideline – Make and eat homemade pickle daily Pickle is the traditional art and science of preserving vegetables and fruits so they could be used throughout the year. Our dadis and nanis used everything naturally available around them – salt, spices and sunlight to ensure that not just the seasonal produce not go waste but also that their nutritional value is enhanced. So they used trial and error, patience and perseverance and gave us this priceless gift called pickle that are now valued by modern nutrition science as valuable sources of – Vit K (co factor in absorbing Vit D), Vit A (eyesight and immunity), probiotic bacteria (live organisms that confer health benefits to the host). Well there are many more benefits too – • They enhance the taste and flavour of food • They help in digestive processes of the body • They are a reliable source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants • They provide the body with healthy bacteria which makes it easy for the body to produce vitamins like B12 • They ensure that your gut is not colonised by pathogens or the bad bacteria However, to make the most of pickle and its benefits, they should be homemade using the traditional recipes, just like dahi. The right time to start making pickles and even papads is post Shivratri as that’s the time that the sun light is optimal for these processes. Important notes – 1. Remember without salt and oil in the right amount, the pickles are spoiled as the wrong kind of bacteria will grow. And if you are worried about BP – avoid biscuits & cookies, eating outside and not exercising, and not pickles. The healthy bacteria from pickle is especially useful in Diabetes and heart diseases too. 2. But you need to eat pickle like a pickle. Which you now know is as a small part of your meal, not the main thing. A little pickle with dal rice or dahi rice provides your body with the right combo of pre and pro-biotic. So what are you waiting for? Practice and pass on the unbroken chain of pickle making to the next generation. Have it daily in your meals to spice up your life. Happy eating. Video in story. Week 9 form – link in bio. #12week2020

A post shared by Rujuta Diwekar (@rujuta.diwekar) on Mar 11, 2020 at 4:08am PDT

“Our dadis and nanis used everything naturally available around them – salt, spices and sunlight to ensure that not just the seasonal produce not go waste but also that their nutritional value is enhanced. So they used trial and error, patience and perseverance and gave us this priceless gift called pickle that are now valued by modern nutrition science as valuable sources of – Vit K (co factor in absorbing Vit D), Vit A (eyesight and immunity), probiotic bacteria (live organisms that confer health benefits to the host),” mentioned Diwekar.

As per Diwekar, here’s why pickle should be part of your diet.

*They enhance the taste and flavour of food.
*They help in digestive processes of the body.
*They are a reliable source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
*They provide the body with healthy bacteria which makes it easy for the body to produce vitamins like B12.
*They ensure that your gut is not colonised by pathogens or the bad bacteria.

If you are all set to make homemade pickle, keep these tips in mind.

When is a good time to start making pickles?

The right time to start making pickles and even papads is post Shivratri as that’s when the sunlight is optimal for these processes, said Diwekar.

What do you need to take care of?

*Without salt and oil in the right amount, pickles get spoiled as the wrong kind of bacteria grows. And if you are worried about BP — avoid biscuits and cookies, eating outside and not exercising, says Diwekar. The healthy bacteria from pickle is especially useful in diabetes and heart diseases too.
*However, remember that you need to eat pickle like a pickle —- a small part of your meal — not the main thing.

What should it be eaten with?

A little pickle with dal, rice and dahi rice provides your body with the right combo of pre and pro-biotic, mentioned the nutritionist.