Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

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Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

Sure, apple cider vinegar is great as tangy salad dressing, but it's more than just a kitchen condiment. There are many health benefits associated with apple cider vinegar. Sometimes touted as a "wonder drug," apple cider vinegar can aid digestion and even help control acne.

Most people recoil at the idea of drinking apple cider vinegar, and for good reason... it has a pungent taste and burns if you drink it straight. Fortunately, there are ways to make it more palatable.

Read on to learn more about apple cider vinegar, the benefits, and how to drink it without burning your throat.

Quick Disclaimer 

I'm not a doctor or a health professional. What you're about to read here is a result of my own research. This is only meant to be a "stepping stone" toward doing your own research. If you decide to use apple cider vinegar for health reasons, you should get advice from your doctor first.

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits 

Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar


  • Control acne: Drinking apple cider vinegar and applying it to your acne can help clear up your face.

  • Prevent bladder infections (UTI): There's something about the acidity of vinegar that makes the urinary tract inhospitable to bacteria. Drinking apple cider vinegar can apparently help clear up a urinary tract infection.

  • Sore Throat Relief: Gargling and drinking apple cider vinegar every few hours can help relieve a sore throat.

  • Lose weight: There's no scientific evidence to back this up, but people have claimed that drinking apple cider vinegar helped them lose weight.

  • Improve digestion: Vinegar helps the body absorb more minerals from the food we eat.

  • Control blood sugar levels: People with type 2 diabetes can benefit from apple cider vinegar, since it can increase the body's sensitivity to insulin.

  • Repel mosquitoes: Something about apple cider vinegar absolutely disgusts pests like mosquitoes--kind of like how cats recoil at the smell of citrus. Drinking it make you unappetizing to mosquitoes.

The Healing Powers of Vinegar 

The Healing Powers of Vinegar, Revised and Updated

The Healing Powers of Vinegar, Revised and Updated

by: Cal Orey

Amazon Price: $10.98 (as of 07/10/2009)Buy Now

This book talks about how vinegar can help boost the immune system, reduce your risk for heart disease, and treat arthritis--among many other things.

How to Drink Apple Cider Vinegar 

Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Straight
Some people drink their apple cider vinegar straight, but I don't recommend it. Trust me, I've tried it. Good gravy, does that stuff burn! Supposedly it's a reaction to the vinegar dissolving some nasty phlegm in your throat. Which is good, I suppose, except drinking apple cider vinegar straight really, really stings. Blech.

Oh, yeah, and since raw apple cider vinegar is acidic, it will dissolve tooth enamel. So if you do decide to drink it straight, you should rinse your mouth out with water afterwards.

Apple Cider Vinegar "Tea"
The best way to drink apple cider vinegar is to mix it with warm water and honey. This gives you a kind of vinegar tea mellowed with the sweetness of honey. It takes a little getting used to, but it's not bad.

Apple Cider Vinegar "Tea" Mixture:
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 8oz glass of warm to hot water

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed with Juice
You could also use the vinegar to spike a glass of juice. A teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar gives an interesting undertone to a glass of orange juice.

Organic Raw Apple Cider 

Apple Cider Vinegar Organic Raw Unflavored 16 Ounces

Apple Cider Vinegar Organic Raw Unflavored 16 Ounces

Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)Buy Now

Most people who use apple cider vinegar for health purposes recommend buying organic apple cider vinegar that contains "the mother." In other words, it hasn't had all the good stuff distilled from it like most apple cider vinegars sold in grocery stores.

Criticism of Apple Cider Vinegar 

Although proponents admit that apple cider vinegar won't cure everything, there's usually a staggering list of ailments that they say can be cured with just a little vinegar. Many doctors are skeptical about the unproven health benefits of apple cider vinegar.

One of the problems with apple cider vinegar is that it contains very little nutrients, even when you use the cloudy, organic apple cider vinegar. It contains no fiber, no vitamins, and no amino acids. There are only small traces of potassium, iron, and magnesium. Nutritionally speaking, there's very little to recommend it.

That said, apple cider vinegar can be beneficial. There have been studies to show that vinegar does indeed help with digestion and can even help lower glucose levels. Studies have also revealed that people who consume a lot of vinegar-based salad dressings tend to have a lower rate of heart disease.

Despite all these caveats, the anecdotal evidence is compelling. Many people have described how apple cider vinegar cleared up their acne, helped repel mosquitoes, and cleared up their urinary tract infections. The only way to confirm any of this is to try the apple cider remedies for yourself.

As with most things like this, you should get your doctor's advice before you start using apple cider vinegar for medicinal purposes. A doctor can at least advise you of any risks.

Apple Cider Vinegar Side Effects 

Are there any negative side effects associated with apple cider vinegar? Well, here are just a few...

  • It can dissolve tooth enamel. That's why you want to dilute it with water or juice first, or practically inhale it.

  • Constipation is a possibility.

  • Occasionally apple cider vinegar has been known to cause acne breakouts, although some claim that this is just your body releasing toxins.

  • Heartburn is another possible side effect.

Pictures Came From Flickr 

Martlet cider vinegar by Andyrob

Green Apple on Books by Darren Hester

Green apple on stack of red books.

Apple Core Duo by P/\UL

Nevena Uzurov - Apple by venkane

Reflecting Apple by The Artifex

www.artnow.ch

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