Meet Your Friend: Apple Cider Vinegar

In the world of staying healthy you need all the help you can get. And if what you use or do is as close to being natural, all the more better! Natural is healthier. This is the reason why so many are seeking alternative ways when it comes to their well being. 

Searching the internet will yield thousands of results—a lot of which are based on practices that date all the way back to early civilizations. The origins of Apple Cider Vinegar (APV) is said to be from at least 10,000 years ago.

You may be scratching your head wondering what benefits does APV have aside from being used for cooking and cleaning. Then it would surprise you to learn that there’s a list of health benefits when you take it.

Before proceeding further, you need to understand that APV is different from your regular white vinegar. Both are products of fermentation, but with APV, apples are used instead of vegetables, grains and other fruits.

It is recommended that the ACV you take is unpasteurized or organic, which means this still has the ‘mother’ in it that can usually be seen at the bottom of the bottle—it looks like congealed sediments. The significance of this is that the vinegar still contains all the natural-occurring enzymes and friendly bacteria, along with vitamins and minerals.

The list of health benefits of ACV is long—from beauty down to minor physical discomfort, so we’ll just list down the most significant ones.

Cancer/Infection – it is believed that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline environment. ACV promotes alkalinity in the body when taken. Likewise, when the body’s pH levels are down it leads to lack of energy and higher incidences of infection. This can be balanced with ACV. Furthermore, this will aid in detoxifying the body due to the unique acids of ACV. This will bind the toxins and help in elimination better, as well as stimulate circulation and detoxify the liver.

Lymphatic System – ACV helps to breakdown mucous and cleans the lymph nodes, which in turn aid in lowering allergy breakouts, as well as help prevent sinus infections and related symptoms like sore throat.

Weight Loss – the acetic acid of the vinegar is considered to block the body from digesting starch, and as a result less is broken down into calories, which in turn has an effect of weight loss, however subtle. Also, drinking 2 tablespoons mixed in a glass of water before each meal helps curb your appetite because of the pectin from the apples. Even more, ACV aids in stimulating faster digestion, which reduces that amount of time fats remains in the digestive tract.

Candida – this causes thrush and yeast infections, even poor memory and fatigue. The enzymes found in ACV regulate candida presence, and encourage the growth of good bacteria to fight off Candida.

Diabetes – studies have shown that ACV helps in lowering glucose levels. Taking 2 tbsps before bedtime is found to lower the levels by morning.

High Cholesterol – some claim that taking ACV helps in lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels significantly.

These are just some of the many wonderful benefits to taking Apple Cider Vinegar. It is an all-natural way to add to the list of ways to staying healthy. It is a friend worth making. Taking 2 tablespoons with a glass of water before each meal is commonly the recommended dosage. In whatever form, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away!’