Pickles can be a wonderful salty snack that packs in a lot of flavor, whether eaten on their own or part of another dish. And the best part?

You get all that flavor for very little carbohydrates.

In fact, an entire cup of dill pickles will only cost you about 17 calories and 2 grams of net carbs (3.7 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber) (1).

If you experience sugar cravings on keto, which can happen occasionally, eating pickles is a strategy that may help you. Many successful keto zone dieters sweat by pickles.

Instead of fighting cravings with other sweet (low-carb) foods, you can use salty food to retrain your food preferences and systematically reduce sugar cravings.

Believe it or not, pickles are bursting with vitamins and minerals. Each serving has (1):

• 23% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin K, with supports bone and blood health
• 21%-24% of the daily value of vitamin A, a potent antioxidant
• 7% of the calcium recommendations for strong bones, teeth, muscle contractions, and nerves
• 5% of your daily requirement of potassium, which supports electrolyte balance, nerves, and more
• 3%-4% of your daily requirement of vitamin C, another strong antioxidant that supports cellular health

4. Source of Beta-Carotene

The cucumbers used to make pickles are high in an antioxidant called beta-carotene, which is a carotenoid that turns into vitamin A in the body. Carotene is a powerful compound that’s been shown to support brain health, eye health and reduced inflammation in the body (2).

5. Relief for Muscle Cramps

The vinegar used to pickle pickles has been found to relieve muscle cramps in athletes during exertion, overnight food and calf cramps, and those in pregnancy. While there are few studies that show efficacy, many people report anecdotal relief from pickles and pickle juice vinegar.

6. Healthy Blood Sugars

Pickle juice vinegar may also support healthy blood sugars. One meta-analysis found that people who regularly consume vinegar had reduced post-meal blood sugar than those who don’t (3).

7. Healthy Source of Sodium While on Keto

As glycogen is decreased in the body in ketosis, electrolyte levels, and sodium specifically, also fall. In fact, low sodium and electrolytes are often the cause of the keto flu and dehydration in keto.

It’s important to consume extra sodium when in ketosis, and pickles can help. In fact, each cup of pickles contains 1251 milligrams of sodium (1).

As long as you don’t suffer from high blood pressure, adding high sodium foods, or using  Instant Ketones  (which contains sodium) can help you feel great!