Pickles and olives are often enjoyed as snacks or added to dishes like sandwiches, cheeseboards, and salads. Both foods can contain probiotics. However, because pickles and olives are usually eaten in small amounts, they’re unlikely to serve as a primary source of probiotics. Still, if you want them as a source of probiotics, based on their overall nutritional profiles, olives could be the better option.
Pickles and olives can both be a good source of probiotics when the foods are made through fermentation. Fermentation is a process that allows probiotics to thrive. Probiotics are living microorganisms that can benefit health, like gut health, when ingested in specific amounts.
“When placed head-to-head, fermented pickles and olives are both solid options that support gut health, so the choice often comes down to an individual’s taste,” Steph Greunke, MS, RD, told Health.
Greunke noted that since fermented olives offer additional health benefits, such as healthy fat, vitamin E, fiber, and polyphenols, they have a slight advantage over pickles.
However, since pickles and olives are usually eaten in small amounts, they’re unlikely to provide significant levels of any nutrient or serve as a primary source of probiotics.
Traditionally, pickles are made by lacto-fermenting cucumbers. Cucumbers that are lacto-fermented are a good source of probiotics, such as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, a LAB that has gut-health-promoting and anticancer properties.
However, not all pickles are good sources of probiotics.
Most shelf-stable pickles aren’t fermented and are made by preserving cucumbers in a vinegar solution. These pickles are pasteurized, a process that kills all bacteria, including friendly probiotic bacteria.
If you’re looking for a pickle to support gut health, it’s best to choose refrigerated pickles that contain live and active cultures.
In addition to probiotics, pickles offer a small boost of gut-friendly fiber. One large 135-gram pickle delivers about 1.6 grams, or 5.7% of the Daily Value (DV).
It’s also worth noting that pickles are typically very high in sodium. A single large pickle can contain over 1,500 milligrams of sodium, or 65% of the DV. Too much sodium may disrupt gut health by altering the composition and diversity of gut bacteria, a condition known as gut dysbiosis.
Like pickles, olives can be a good source of probiotics, depending on how they’re made. “Fermented olives provide probiotic bacteria such as LAB like Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus pentosus,” explained Greunke.
However, like pickles, shelf-stable olives, which are pasteurized, aren’t a good source of probiotics.
Olives offer more nutritional benefits than pickles due to their high levels of healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamins.
A cup of olives covers 34.3% of your daily needs for vitamin E. Olives are also high in monounsaturated fats, which support heart health, and cellular-protective polyphenols.
Olives are higher in fiber than pickles, with a 135-gram serving (around 1 cup) providing 4.46 grams of fiber, or 15.9% of the DV. “Olives contain some dietary fiber, but they aren’t a reliable source for meeting daily fiber needs, especially given their typically high sodium content,” Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, told Health.
Similar to pickles, olives can be very high in sodium, with the same serving packing 2,100 milligrams, or 91% of the DV.
For the most gut health benefits, you’ll want to purchase fermented pickles and olives, which can be found in the refrigerator section.
“Look for labels that say ‘naturally fermented,’ ‘lacto-fermented,’ or ‘contains live and active cultures,’” said Routhenstein. “Avoid options that are pasteurized or made with vinegar or sodium hydroxide, as these processes destroy the beneficial bacteria.”
For high-quality fermented options, Greunke suggests brands like Bubbies, Wildbrine, and Olive My Pickle, all of which use traditional lacto-fermentation methods.
No matter which you choose, it’s best to enjoy these high-sodium fermented foods in small portions. Try adding some pickles to your sandwich, and use olives as a nutritious bite on cheese plates and in salads and pasta dishes.
