Why You Should Add Apple Cider Vinegar to Your Diet

It seems that everyone is seeking a magic substance that will confer vitality, youth, and beauty. Often products with rare components and expensive price tags are purchased in this pursuit. However, a common household staple can boost your health, your looks, and the comfort of your home more than you might have realized. Apple cider vinegar, something many people have in a cupboard, is a homey staple that ought to move to center stage.

Vinegars have been used since ancient times. While vinegars can be made from nearly any fruit or vegetable, apple cider vinegar has long been prized for its special beneficial properties. Ancient Babylonians used it as a preservative and a beauty treatment. Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, touted many medicinal properties of the vinegar. Even so, it was not widely used in modern times until the 1950s, when D.C. Jarvis, a Vermont country doctor, wrote a book on folk medicine in which he extolled the virtues of the lowly vinegar. Since then, cider vinegar has enjoyed renewed popularity, and with good reason.

Apple cider vinegar is produced by a process of double fermentation. First apple mash is fermented, breaking the fruit’s sugar down and producing hard cider. The alcohol is then further fermented resulting in cider vinegar. Many kinds of vinegar are then purified, pasteurized, and filtered. You can easily recognize these because they are completely clear. Do not choose this type of vinegar. Look for unfiltered, raw cider vinegar. Its appearance is cloudy, even murky, with sediment floating or settling at the bottom. It is this murky substance, known as “mother”, which provides so much of the nutritional goodness.

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits

So what are the nutritional benefits of apple cider vinegar? According to folklore and a long history of anecdotal evidence, it is said to be a cure for many common ailments, from acne to warts, and from diabetes to stomach trouble.

Apple cider vinegar is a proven remedy for acid reflux. This may seem odd, as a key component of the vinegar is acetic acid. While it had long been thought that acid reflux is caused by an excess of stomach acid, new research suggests that too little acid may actually be the cause. That’s why using cider vinegar helps balance your stomach acid. Taking two teaspoons of vinegar mixed into a glass of water is said to quickly provide relief from reflux symptoms. Use apple cider vinegar for relief from any intestinal discomfort, including diarrhea and stomach cramps.

Apple cider vinegar is also said to detoxify the liver, to fight bacterial infections, and to balance your entire system by regulating pH levels. A healthy pH level boosts your energy and vitality. Additionally, it is said to stimulate circulation, supporting enhanced cardiovascular health.

Apple cider vinegar helps to break up mucus and soothe a sore throat. This makes it a powerful cold remedy. Its mucus busting capability also makes it a useful tool to combat seasonal allergies.

Apple cider vinegar also offers many beauty benefits. Used as a rinse after shampooing, it imparts luster and body to your hair. Its pH balancing effect contributes to the health and beauty of your skin too. Dab it onto blemishes to help heal them. Used as a toner, it brightens your complexion. It relieves dry skin and helps to heal psoriasis and eczema. It has also been found to promote moderate weight loss.

While many of the numerous claims about apple cider vinegar have not yet been studied or proven by science, there is a growing body of research that supports the inclusion of apple cider vinegar to your daily diet. Studies have found links between apple cider vinegar and improvements in digestive health, a lower incidence of bacterial infections, improvements in regulating diabetes, lowered cholesterol levels, liver detoxification, and cancer prevention.

Apple cider vinegar is naturally rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains potassium, beneficial amino acids and enzymes, pectin, complex carbohydrates, and fiber too. It also contains phytochemicals such as beta-carotene. Phytochemicals are compounds produced by plants which are thought to provide a potent defense against cancer. Cider vinegar also contains acetic acid, which helps your body absorb minerals. That means drinking a teaspoon mixed with water can help you absorb more nutrients from the food you eat.

How to use Apple Cider Vinegar

There are many ways to use apple cider vinegar around your house too. Dilute it in water and spray your pet’s coat thoroughly to help get rid of fleas. Use vinegar as an antibacterial cleaner throughout your house. Use it on floors, windows, counters, and dishes too. It cleans, shines and leaves a fresh scent, with no toxic residue. Likewise, use diluted vinegar to wash fruits and vegetables. Dab cider vinegar onto bug bites to relieve the itch instantly. It is even said to get rid of warts. Soak a cotton ball, cover the wart with it, and bandage it overnight. In the morning, it is said, the wart will be gone.

Do be careful when consuming apple cider vinegar. Always dilute it in a glassful of water. One to two tablespoons per 8-ounce glass is fine. You should not drink it straight. Because it is an acid, taking undiluted vinegar could harm your teeth or esophagus.

So while scientists conduct studies on apple cider vinegar to discover why it delivers so many health benefits, don’t wait. Include it now as part of your regular diet Whether sipping it as a health tonic, drizzling it over your salad or vegetables, or using it in a dipping sauce for french fries, apple cider vinegar adds a tangy, tart flavor with a definite note of apple. Enjoy its flavor, and the improved health and vitality it will provide.

 

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