After England’s Kieran Trippier went down with an injury in the opening match of Euro 2024, the defender stretched his legs and downed a packet of pickle juice.
The latest health trend “may sound unpleasant”, reports the BBC, but Gareth Southgate’s England team are not alone, having used it to “tackle player cramps” this summer.
What is Pickle Juice?
The “unpalatable” drink, said The Times, “resembles the liquid found in jars of pickled onions or cucumbers.” The paper described it as a “salty” and “sour liquor” that offered many benefits “if you can stick with it.”
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One person who tried the pickles for The Sun said they were absolutely inedible – she described the pickle juice as “really salty” and “gross” and made her “feel like she’d swallowed a McDonald’s burger”, but her colleague said they were “delicious”.
How does it work?
The biggest benefit for athletes is that pickle juice has been shown to stop cramps 40% faster than drinking water.
Interestingly, while the juice contains sodium, potassium and vinegar which can help replace salt lost by athletes, “it’s something else that really makes a difference,” reports the BBC.
Drinking pickle juice “triggers a reflex in your mouth that sends a signal to stop muscle spasms,” so while the “salty drink” may “sound a bit crazy,” the Daily Mail says, “there’s a method to the madness.”
It’s also low in calories and packed with vitamin C and potassium — “you’re getting probiotics – healthy bacteria that can improve your gut health,” sports dietitian Rob Hobson told The Times — all of which makes it popular in the world of sport and beyond.
Who uses it?
The drink has been used in tennis before: Wimbledon men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz drank it during his five-set win over Novak Djokovic last summer, and the BBC reported in 2019 that athletes were “turning to unusual drinks” to “enhance their performance.”
How do I drink pickle juice?
Florence Shell-Otis, founder of “hip” brand The Pickle House, said pickle juice is more than “leftover brine.” Her signature pickle juice is brewed over 18 weeks using sliced cucumbers and spices and billed as “sweet and savory.”
Due to its high salt content, it’s recommended to only drink around 80ml, or about a third of a cup, according to the Daily Mail, but its “strong flavour” makes it a “great option” to mix with fruit juice and bitters in a mocktail, or with soda instead of spirits.
But if pickle juice just isn’t your thing or you can’t stomach it, try other trendy drinks like blackcurrant extract, tart cherry juice, or apple cider vinegar, which may offer a range of health benefits, from improving sleep to lowering blood pressure.
