Pickles and sodium.. what do yah think?

Snikkee
Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have decided to cut back on sodium, a lot. Which is pretty hard considering I looked at the content of sodium in one.. small...pickle... 30% or more of your daily intake in one freaking pickle!!! I love pickles... so this makes me sad. But the pickles I eat have no calories.. so good or bad? no calories.. a butt ton of sodium...
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Replies

  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    No calories? Really? I find that dang near impossible to believe. >.>
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    bump
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    Valasic brand pickles have zero calories... no joke
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    So I have decided to cut back on sodium, a lot. Which is pretty hard considering I looked at the content of sodium in one.. small...pickle... 30% or more of your daily intake in one freaking pickle!!! I love pickles... so this makes me sad. But the pickles I eat have no calories.. so good or bad? no calories.. a butt ton of sodium...

    Do you suffer from hypertension or does it run in the family? If the answer is no, don't worry about it
  • cnelson1974
    cnelson1974 Posts: 235 Member
    I would avoid pickles. There has to be something else you like as much. I would think it's the salt in the pickles you like so much more then the pickle itself.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Not according to their website =/
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    I love pickles with or without the salt.. I think too much of a salt taste is nasty.

    I do not have hypertension.
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    The jar of pickles in my fridge from walmart says zero calories..
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    I have to restrict my store-bought pickle consumption. Instead, I make my own zucchini pickles. I got a canning kit and came up with my own recipe. I wish I could share, but it's made with a lemon dill rub seasoning put out by a chain of stores local to my area. If you do want to go the DIY route, find a recipe online that uses fresh dill and just cut way back on the salt. If I get cravey and wipe out a whole jar of the ones I make, I've done 700mg of damage, tops.
  • cnelson1974
    cnelson1974 Posts: 235 Member
    700mg is still a lot. :(
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    Some pickles say 0 calories, and some say 5 for a pickle. But I dont really understand that because cucumbers have calories, and I dont think that pickling removes that. I love pickles, but do limit my intake because of the sodium content. I usually reserve them now for snacks at the movies, where they are probably the best choice there.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    are you eating air? Its impossible for them to have no calories.

    Why are you cutting sodium drastically? Is there a medical concern? if not just eat the damn air pickle.
  • alladream
    alladream Posts: 261 Member
    My concern is that so much sodium really makes people retain water and stay bloated, hypertension aside. If you superlove them, I might soak them in clean water before I ate them to see if that takes some of it out, or cut them up into thin slices and suck on them, so they last forever without the high salt consumption of eating many whole ones. *shrug* Good luck figuring out what works for you!
  • DisneyAddictRW
    DisneyAddictRW Posts: 800 Member
    I buy low sodium pickles at Hyvee. I love pickles but don't pig out. A couple once in awhile. The ones I buy show zero calories on the jar with 100 sodium. I'm assuming there are some calories but the jar says no. I figure one or two won't kill me.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    No calories? Really? I find that dang near impossible to believe. >.>

    Pickles have very few to no calories. Cuz they are just cucumbers soaked in vinegar and salt. Not sure if ^^ this guy^^ is putting you on or not.

    In either case, if cutting down your sodium is important to you, cut down the pickles. Either work them into a day with lower sodium or set them aside for while. As a lover of pickles myself, I get that it's not the most fun, but if that's your goal, your options are to plan around the pickles or avoid them. Whichever works for you.
  • FierceFox81
    FierceFox81 Posts: 89
    I 'd go off what the web says. Better to count a couple calories that could possibly be there then to miss them.
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
    The pickles I eat are 5 calories/ounce. Just saying but if it's under a certain number of calories they can claim 0 when it's not which really is detrimental to our diets. Jerks! I eat them on rare occasions because I know that I'm going to retain the same amount of water weight or more than I lost in fat. I don't feel free to complain that I'm not "losing weight" if I'm retaining water like a sponge. Your mileage may vary.
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    Vlasic Kosher dill baby wholes

    o calories per serving
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Sort of depends on the serving size. But everything has SOME calories to it (food anyway).

    If you make the serving size small enough, you can say 0 calories (if it has 0.5 calories, they can round down), but it is then sort of deceiving because if you eat 100 of them, you think 0 calories, but really would be 50.

    This is also done with fats (its how many companies can say 0 trans fats while containing trans fats).

    Overall, calories in pickles won't be ruining weight loss (well, if you eat enough of them I am sure it can lol).

    As for the sodium, so long as you do not have issues relating to sodium, you should be fine. Drink extra water.
  • elizabethis
    elizabethis Posts: 155 Member
    So I have decided to cut back on sodium, a lot. Which is pretty hard considering I looked at the content of sodium in one.. small...pickle... 30% or more of your daily intake in one freaking pickle!!! I love pickles... so this makes me sad. But the pickles I eat have no calories.. so good or bad? no calories.. a butt ton of sodium...

    I've thought about the whole sodium question off and on for awhile now. I hope I'm willing to cut way down on it if I develop high blood pressure (and if am sodium sensitive - so lowering sodium would help lower my B/P). Right now my B/P is low and I also love dill pickles and salt with many foods. I drink LOTS of water to help counteract my sodium intake. You have to be willing to potentially see some (temporary) weight gains or stalls due to sodium retention, but the flavor salt adds to my food is worth it at this point. If my B/P starts to rise, I will have to rethink. That's a pretty long answer to say........If your B/P is normal, I'd eat the pickles and savor every one!
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    My guess is the zero calorie thing comes from the fact that they can put 0 calories if it falls under a certain percent. Same as "Diet" sodas do. However the company typically gets a small fine, or fee they have to pay. It's really dumb and a total lie to the consumer. When I drink diet soda I still count it as 100 calories. I'd go off from what the website for the pickles say.

    Huh I had no idea
  • white_horse
    white_horse Posts: 36 Member
    Some pickles say 0 calories, and some say 5 for a pickle. But I dont really understand that because cucumbers have calories, and I dont think that pickling removes that. I love pickles, but do limit my intake because of the sodium content. I usually reserve them now for snacks at the movies, where they are probably the best choice there.

    The theaters in your area sell pickles?? I wish they did around here. I love some good crunky dills.

    Someone else mentions about it being a salt craving...for me it's not a salt craving..it's a vinegar craving.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    Some pickles say 0 calories, and some say 5 for a pickle. But I dont really understand that because cucumbers have calories, and I dont think that pickling removes that. I love pickles, but do limit my intake because of the sodium content. I usually reserve them now for snacks at the movies, where they are probably the best choice there.

    The theaters in your area sell pickles?? I wish they did around here. I love some good crunky dills.

    Someone else mentions about it being a salt craving...for me it's not a salt craving..it's a vinegar craving.

    We live in a small town, and the theatre food choices are not great, but they do sell FANTASTIC giant pickles!!! They make me happy. And Whitehorse, your dogs (I think they are Akitas?) are gorgeous!
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    No calories? Really? I find that dang near impossible to believe. >.>

    Pickles have very few to no calories. Cuz they are just cucumbers soaked in vinegar and salt. Not sure if ^^ this guy^^ is putting you on or not.

    In either case, if cutting down your sodium is important to you, cut down the pickles. Either work them into a day with lower sodium or set them aside for while. As a lover of pickles myself, I get that it's not the most fun, but if that's your goal, your options are to plan around the pickles or avoid them. Whichever works for you.


    thank you
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    Thank you all. :) good advice!!
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
    I'm with you on this one, I LOVE pickles, regular pickles, picked jalapenos, pickled okra, pickled green beans, lol. Most of the pickled stuff I eat I have made myself, so I'm not sure how the sodium compares to store bought. I just track them as generic pickled (name of veggie). I don't eat a ton of them so I don't really worry about the sodium, although I do go over when I do eat them.

    My guess however is that homemade would have less sodium. I know when I make my own I just use like a tsp of canning salt in the whole jar and the rest is just vinegar, water, garlic and dill and sometimes hot peppers. You could try making your own; they're easy, just google a recipe.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    sodium will cause water retention, so just balance it out by drinking a *kitten* ton of water, or increase potassium intake to restore balance to the potassium/sodium in your body.
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    are you eating air? Its impossible for them to have no calories.

    Why are you cutting sodium drastically? Is there a medical concern? if not just eat the damn air pickle.


    well thats a super nice answer.

    There is no medical concern, except my weight. I am at a stand still over the last two weeks, I have had a lot of sodium in my diet, so I am trying to cut a majority of it out. which is hard to do.

    I was wondering whats better, zero calories and a lot of sodium, or some calories a low sodium.
  • Snikkee
    Snikkee Posts: 295 Member
    sodium will cause water retention, so just balance it out by drinking a *kitten* ton of water, or increase potassium intake to restore balance to the potassium/sodium in your body.

    thank you. :)
  • raeleek
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
    Sweat it out with a good workout. Sweating will remove some salt from you system. Then hydrate!

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