err... pickle juice?
 

Okay... was at my friends yesterday, and after we ate the last three pickles in the jar, he proceeded to pour out the pickle juice into a cup and drink it... I was like "wtf are you doing?!?!" and he's saying its all healthy and good for you. Now, I like my pickles, but the thought of drinking the juice just disturbs me. I can't possibly see how the pickle juice would have any real benefit, but I wanted to see if anyone out there knew anything more about this than I did.

Lots of sodium and possibly preservatives, depending on what brand of pickles.

For athletes, it help to keep you hydrated and prevents cramps on hot days.

There is no reason to drink it unless you are an athlete seeking an extreme measure to get rehydrated. There is a shitload of salt in it, but from what I hear the vinegar does something to counteract the salt absorbtion in your body. I dunno.. im not a nutritionist, but I would stay clear of drinking it ;)

Like Plan9 said, there's so much sodium in pickle juice, that any sort of benefit that it could possibly give you would be overwhelmed by how bad that much sodium you just took in would be for you (espcially if they were storebought pickles, not that homemade pickle juice is good for you.)
The vinegar may or may not counteract the salt. I'm a bit of a nutritionist (took a couple of college courses), but I'm no chemist, I still don't think there's any way that something that salty and acidic could be good for you.

Lets look at it this way. The day I see pickle jars on the sidelines of pro sporting events then I might change my opinion, until then I will think that drinking that stuff is horrible.

hehe i acualy like the taste of pickle juice, i dont drink that much that often but some times i do about a shot of the juice.

Actually plan9, pickle juice was used by pro and college sport teams quite commonly. It was eventually replaced by gatorade and powerade etc...that stuff tastes a lot better :)

Neat info :) I never knew that.

Last year the trainer for the Philadelphia Eagles divulged his secret to avoid dehydration and cramps during training camp and on game day -pickle juice!

...then again, I geuss it must have something in it to prevent playing in the super bowl...

good lord, I would have never guessed that pickle juice could do that!!!

On another note, if you drink lots of pickle juice, and run a marathon, your breath will be enough to clear the runners in your way!!!

I happen to love pickles and pickle juice I don't think its to healthy but its good:)

...and plus, if you layer it carefully, it makes for wicked looking shooters! ;)

Well, good stuff to know! Thanks a lot guys. Now I can't make fun of him for it though :p