Pickle Juice: Drink of the gods

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Meet The New Sports Drink: Pickle Juice

When it comes to folk remedies, professional athletes are miles ahead of the game. Whether putting butter on a burn or rubbing dirt on a cut, they'll do just about anything if they think it'll help them get through a game.

Including drinking pickle juice.

The practice of downing cucumber brine isn't a new one. It's been used for decades and got media attention back in 2000 when Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder credited pickle juice as the secret weapon that helped his team stomp the Cowboys in Texas Stadium. On that day, temperatures on the field soared above 110 degrees -- the perfect conditions for a cramp-fest.
But the Philadelphia players, dosed with the neon elixir, avoided the crippling injury and won running away, 41-14.

As it turns out, this is one of those rare occasions where the science caught up to the practice.

A study done last year at BYU proved the efficacy of the folksy curative. Subjects exercised to the point of mild dehydration and had cramps induced. Those who drank pickle juice felt relief within 85 seconds, almost twice as fast as water or other sports drinks.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/chompions/201112/meet-new-energy-drink-pickle-juice

pickle-juice.jpg
 
I used to do the same thing for riding my bike on hot days. Except I drank apple cider vinegar diluted with some lemon juice water and a little sugar and salt. It's not the pickle juice per se but the acetic acid in the vinegar and the sodium chloride forms sodium acetate and due to the polar nature of the acetate molecule and osmotic pressure it creates it can pass through the semi-permeable phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane carrying water with it and at a faster rate than either plain water or a saline solution and thus will stop cramps faster. Pickle juice works too but tastes like shit.

Having said that, this is a last ditch effort for when you are dehydrated to the point of getting cramps. If you keep yourself adequately hydrated using any commercially available sports drink you won't have to worry about it. As the saying goes in cycling, eat before you're hungry and drink before you're thirsty.

BTW, this is also something to keep in mind if someone around you is suffering from heat stress/stroke emergency. If you can, get them to drink some pickle juice or coconut juice (not milk) and then focus on bringing there core body temp down. (ice pack, cold shower, etc).
 
Last edited:
Eye said:
Meet The New Sports Drink: Pickle Juice

When it comes to folk remedies, professional athletes are miles ahead of the game. Whether putting butter on a burn or rubbing dirt on a cut, they'll do just about anything if they think it'll help them get through a game.

Including drinking pickle juice.

The practice of downing cucumber brine isn't a new one. It's been used for decades and got media attention back in 2000 when Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder credited pickle juice as the secret weapon that helped his team stomp the Cowboys in Texas Stadium. On that day, temperatures on the field soared above 110 degrees -- the perfect conditions for a cramp-fest.
But the Philadelphia players, dosed with the neon elixir, avoided the crippling injury and won running away, 41-14.

As it turns out, this is one of those rare occasions where the science caught up to the practice.

A study done last year at BYU proved the efficacy of the folksy curative. Subjects exercised to the point of mild dehydration and had cramps induced. Those who drank pickle juice felt relief within 85 seconds, almost twice as fast as water or other sports drinks.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/chompions/201112/meet-new-energy-drink-pickle-juice

pickle-juice.jpg
Click to expand...

My niece's entire softball team has been drinking this stuff for years...and eating popsicles made out of the juice too.

I always thought they were just strange little girls.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
I used to do the same thing for riding my bike on hot days. Except I drank apple cider vinegar diluted with some lemon juice water and a little sugar and salt. It's not the pickle juice per se but the acetic acid in the vinegar and the sodium chloride forms sodium acetate and due to the polar nature of the acetate molecule and osmotic pressure it creates it can pass through the semi-permeable phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane carrying water with it and at a faster rate than either plain water or a saline solution and thus will stop cramps faster. Pickle juice works too but tastes like shit.

Having said that, this is a last ditch effort for when you are dehydrated to the point of getting cramps. If you keep yourself adequately hydrated using any commercially available sports drink you won't have to worry about it. As the saying goes in cycling, eat before you're hungry and drink before you're thirsty.

BTW, this is also something to keep in mind if someone around you is suffering from heat stress/stroke emergency. If you can, get them to drink some pickle juice or coconut juice (not milk) and then focus on bringing there core body temp down. (ice pack, cold shower, etc).
Click to expand...

:palm:
 
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