With the rise in popularity of fermented foods and probiotics to promote gut health, anything pickled has been back in fashion again. But unfortunately, not all pickled foods are good for you and some caution does need to be taken. Though the research is relatively new, studies are linking pickled foods to stomach cancer.
The main concern when it comes to pickles and other pickled foods is whatever it has been pickled in. If you pickle your own foods, you should be in the clear. But most mass-produced product has normally been pickled in a liquid containing salt and nitrate. It's the combination of these two ingredients that is thought to be a cause of stomach cancer. Basically, before you chow down on a bowl of sauerkraut, check the ingredients and make sure they're natural.