Food and health challenges on TikTok have provided some of the quintessential recipes and food combinations. Some of them aren’t directly harmful, and many are questionable for their alleged healthy effects on the body. One of TikTok’s recent food trends went viral, involving eating Van Holten’s spicy hot pickles straight from the packet.
In TikTok‘s Hot Pickle challenge, people of all ages are seen eating a hand-sized pickle drenched with spicy hot juice. The trend has received mixed reactions; some enjoy the crunchy spicy flavor, while others can’t get past its icky smell.
What is TikTok’s viral Hot Pickle challenge?
The viral Hot Pickle trend on TikTok challenges its participants to eat Van Holten’s Hot Pickle, which is a preserved spicy pickle, the size of a hand, straight out of its packet. The trend #hotpicklechallenge has overtaken the video-sharing platform with over 95 million views, and #Pickleit has over 30 million views.
Many shops across the United States and the United Kingdom are stocking the giant Van Holten’s pickles. It is a bestseller on Amazon and quickly sold out following its success on the internet. People are trying various other flavors and companies, including zesty garlic, sour dill, and tangy.
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- After the TikTok trend went viral, many enthusiastic influencers played with salty, sweet, and sour flavors to formate new recipes involving the giant hot pickle. Some have tried incorporating it into pasta and rolled it in spicy chips and ranch dressing, while some took a bold step by adding its juice to their whiskey.
- To add fun (and laughs), netizens provide trendy and fun names for the cartoon on Van Holten’s pickle packet. Hot Mama, Big Papa, and Sour Sis are some of the popularly coined terms so far, each describing its flavor and size.
Is the viral TikTok’s Hot Pickle from Van Holten healthy?
Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a specialist dietitian, said that incorporating very spicy food into your diet can harm the stomach and gut. She shared that she wouldn’t advise her patients to try this trend, although it’s rich in fiber due to being plant base.
- “For some people, it can cause heartburn, reflux, and it can worsen the symptoms for those suffering from stomach ulcers,” Raine shared with Daily Mail.
A reputable dietary researcher, Dr. Duane Mellor, warns netizens about the pickle’s high sodium content. Each 1oz (28g) serving may contain a quarter of the daily salt requirement. On the contrary, Mellor adds that fermented food like pickles can aid digestion.
Van Holten’s Hot Pickle lists zero calories, carbohydrates, and fat. However, it contains 410mg of sodium (approx 1g salt). Its main ingredients are cucumber, water, vinegar, salt, calcium chloride (stabilizer), and preservatives sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.
- The pickle also includes oleoresin capsicum for spice and Yellow 5, which is a synthetic dye. The US Food and Drug Administration states thatĀ the color additive may trigger allergic reactions, such as itching and hives, in rare cases.
Pickles have been a trend among the health and food challenges in past years. One of the past challenges involved pregnant women trying pickles dipped in ice cream as their taste buds attract them to new and weird flavors during their trimesters.
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