Chutneys And Pickles: Super Healthy But Criticised For Causing Health Issues; Know The Real Reason

There is something about chutneys and pickles in India which makes them a favourite of many. Different kinds of chutneys and pickles are innate to different states of India. And now leading health experts are recommending including pickles and chutneys in diet for their amazing health benefits. Health coach Luke Coutinho, in one of his recent live videos on Facebook, talks about health benefits of chutneys and pickles. According to Luke, when chutneys or pickles are made in the right way and eaten in the right proportion, they can be extremely good for health. Apart from satisfying taste buds, chutneys and pickles act as natural probiotics as well.

Why you must include pickles in your diet

Pickles are made using salt, vinegar, some fruit or vegetable and lots of spices which may differ from culture to culture and tradition to tradition. Pickles are basically a way of preserving food, a process which involves fermentation of food.

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Fermented foods are considered to be good for health for their probiotic benefits. Pickles can act natural source of probiotics if they are prepared and consumed in the right way. Pickles are just one of the many instances of traditional wisdom in food and the combinations which were used years ago.

Chutneys and pickles can act as natural probiotics
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What makes pickles unhealthy?

It is usually the quality of salt which can make pickle or chutney unhealthy. Traditionally, the salt used for preparing pickles was rock salt or pink Himayalan salt, in small quantities. It was unlike the refined versions of iodised salts which are flooding the market in the present times. Also, the oil which was used for preparing was organic and natural wood churned oil or cold pressed oil - and not refined oil.

More salt is needed for preparing pickles when you are preparing them with refined salt. This is done in order to increase shelf life of pickle. Also added to pickles are preservatives and chemicals. These are primarily the reasons which make pickles unhealthy for the body.

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How to prepare healthy pickle?

Pickles and chutneys are going to be healthy when they are prepared in the way your grandmothers used to prepare it - using natural salts like rock salt or pink Himalayan salt and organic wood churned oil. This pickle is going to serve as the probiotic which can eat with your meal. Eating pickles (in the right quantity) with your food stimulates digestive enzymes, thus improving digestion. Eating excess of unhealthy version of pickle can cause problems with digestion.

Chutneys and pickles can help in improving digestion
Photo Credit: iStock

Chutneys

Speaking of chutneys, Luke Coutinho says that well-prepared chutney can be called a superfood. This is because a very small quantity of chutney is filled with goodness and health benefits.

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Health benefits of chutneys

Chutneys are essentially raw in nature. Eating raw foods is beneficial for health as it provides digestive enzymes and reduces inflammation. Common ingredients in chutneys include coriander, mint, tamarind, garlic, onion, coconut, chilly, mustard seeds and curry leaves to name a few. All of these ingredients are super healthy and full of micronutrients.

However, chutneys can be unhealthy too if you cook them with the wrong oil, salt or when you make it too spicy or eat too much of it. Chutneys are rich in digestive enzymes and need to be eaten in small quantities only.

So include these natural probiotics for their health benefits, but make sure you cook them in the way they were cooked traditionally and eat them in the right proportions.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.