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Apple Cider Vinegar Isn’t Just For Weight Loss

Apple cider vinegar never goes out of style. On the contrary. One finds more and more areas of application for its sour freshness. Apple cider vinegar is an indispensable aid in diabetes. Apple cider vinegar also has a regulating effect on high cholesterol levels. It also activates digestion, and losing weight without apple cider vinegar would be almost unthinkable these days.

Apple cider vinegar for breakfast?

Apple cider vinegar as a morning drink? You might be wondering who would be crazy enough to drink vinegar in the morning – and then on an empty stomach. However, the apple cider vinegar drink in the morning is popular – of course not pure, but diluted with water and – for those who like it sweet – refined with a spoonful of honey. If, after reading this article, you also become one of the big fans of apple cider vinegar, you will soon be able to tell about the amazing effects of the refreshing apple cider vinegar drink on your well-being and your slim figure!

Apple cider vinegar is made from apple cider

Apple cider vinegar is made from apple cider. Apple wine, on the other hand, is produced when freshly pressed apple juice is allowed to ferment. In the process, yeasts convert the sugar in the apples into alcohol in the absence of air. If this cider is now stored warm and open so that acetic acid bacteria can thrive in it, they ferment the alcohol to acetic acid with the help of oxygen – a process that takes several weeks. But then it’s ready: the apple cider vinegar – naturally cloudy and lively.

Apple cider vinegar and its healthy secrets

Apple cider vinegar works, no question. But why does it work? Of course, it contains the vitamins and minerals of the apple, namely beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamins B and vitamin C as well as potassium, magnesium, iron, and trace elements. But to enjoy them, you could eat an apple or drink the freshly squeezed juice from it.

So is it possible the acetic acid that gives apple cider vinegar has so many different effects? Or another acid in apple cider vinegar? An enzyme? its liveliness? Unfortunately, one does not know. This means that although you know THAT apple cider vinegar works, you don’t exactly know how and why it does it. The physiologically active substances in apple cider vinegar have not yet been researched. How good it is that we don’t have to wait for science to use apple cider vinegar, but can enjoy it in the here and now.

Apple cider vinegar activates digestion

First and foremost, apple cider vinegar helps with digestion by stimulating the production of digestive juices and in this way alone improves digestion. For example, if you marinate some dishes – whether meat or vegetables – with apple cider vinegar, oil, and herb marinade, then the dish will be more tender and much more digestible.

Heartburn often improves and there is no longer a long way to go to the toilet if you are constipated. Apple cider vinegar in particular optimizes the digestion of fats and carbohydrates – which is why apple cider vinegar is said to lead to the rapid melting away of excess pounds in numerous slimming diets and detoxification cures as a so-called fat burner.

Apple Cider Vinegar – A Fat Burner?

However, the term “fat burner” is always a bit misleading and usually fuels the hope of being able to show up with a crisp bikini figure after 30 days at the latest and of course without any change in diet. The apple cider vinegar can do that too – at least with mice. If they got 0.51 ml of apple cider vinegar per kilogram of body weight, then not only their appetite was reduced, but also the weight gain was significantly reduced.

It is possible that this highly desirable result is due to the digestive effects of apple cider vinegar. After all, better digestion is the prerequisite for the nutrients being optimally utilized and, as a result, one naturally also feels fuller for a longer period of time.

Apple cider vinegar for food cravings

On the other hand, apple cider vinegar regulates the blood sugar level (see point “Apple cider vinegar for diabetes”), thus preventing blood sugar fluctuations and consequently also hypoglycemia phases, which usually manifest themselves in the form of cravings. In turn, food cravings are often responsible for 1. eating too quickly, 2. eating the wrong thing, and 3. eating far too much. But all three points lead to obesity. So if apple cider vinegar can fight the cause of food cravings – then bring on the apple cider vinegar drink!

Apple cider vinegar supports fat loss

Frequently high blood sugar levels also all too often lead to a chronic insulin high. A high insulin level, however, actually inhibits the breakdown of fat tissue – you stay fit and don’t lose a gram (despite a supposedly iron diet). As soon as an insulin level that is too high returns to normal, the love handles can finally melt away again.

Apple cider vinegar fills you up

The theses mentioned (better saturation and lower blood sugar and insulin levels through apple cider vinegar) are supported by numerous studies, e.g. also a Swedish study from 2005. The researchers concerned showed that a meal – if it contained apple cider vinegar as an ingredient – not only made you feel fuller but also raised both blood sugar and insulin levels significantly less than meals without apple cider vinegar.

Conclusion: A diet or detox cure is significantly enriched by the component apple cider vinegar and its success is more likely.

Apple cider vinegar lowers blood sugar levels

With diabetes, the blood sugar level is of course the focus of everyday life. As mentioned above, apple cider vinegar has a positive effect on blood sugar levels and can therefore be used sensibly if there are problems. In a study with type 2 diabetics or with people who suffered from insulin resistance (the initial stage of diabetes), the effect of apple cider vinegar on the blood sugar level was tested very specifically.

In January 2004, the results of this study were published in the journal Diabetes Care. Interestingly, while the vinegar helped reduce postprandial** blood glucose levels after high-glycemic meals (e.g., mashed potatoes), there was no change after meals with a low glycemic index (e.g., whole-wheat bread and salad). The effect of vinegar in diabetes or insulin resistance is therefore not a general blood sugar lowering, but clearly, a gentle regulating one.

High glycemic means that these foods (foods with a high glycemic index) cause the blood sugar level to rise particularly quickly and severely. This includes in particular foods that contain a lot of sugar and starch.

Postprandial = after eating

Tip – Cold instead of hot potato dishes

Now you might be surprised to learn that mashed potatoes — a normally alkaline meal (when made without milk) — don’t seem to be all that great for blood sugar levels. Of course, the effect of mashed potatoes on the blood sugar level improves when a vegetable dish is eaten with it or a large salad has been eaten beforehand.

If you want to further reduce the blood sugar-raising potential of potatoes, you should eat potato salad with apple cider vinegar and fewer hot potato dishes. In the potato salad, the apple cider vinegar reduces the blood sugar level on the one hand, but also the so-called resistant starch in the cold potatoes on the other. When it cools down, part of the potato starch – which is normally metabolized into sugar – turns into a starch that the organism can no longer break down into sugar: the resistant starch. It is classified by the body more like roughage, i.e. excreted undigested. It does not increase blood sugar levels or weight.

Apple cider vinegar lowers long-term blood sugar

Apple cider vinegar has another goodie in store for diabetics: it can also lower the HbA1c value. This value is a measure of the so-called long-term blood sugar and indicates the percentage of saccharified hemoglobin molecules in the blood (hemoglobin = blood pigment). While the conventional blood sugar measurement only reflects the current blood glucose level, the HbA1c value shows the average blood sugar value for the last eight weeks.

Here it is of no use to put in two diet days before the doctor’s blood sugar control since the HbA1c value shows the nutritional sins of the last two months. At best, the HbA1c value should be between 4 and 6 percent, depending on the determination method. In diabetics, however, it is usually well over 7 or 8 percent, so one of the usual goals of diabetics is to reduce the HbA1c value.

Apple cider vinegar reduces the risk of complications from diabetes

A study from 2007 showed that apple cider vinegar can play an active role in achieving this goal. Although the fasting blood sugar level did not change particularly noticeably in this study (which was carried out with rats), the HbA1c values ​​in the diabetic group dropped quite significantly after taking apple cider vinegar for four weeks. In addition, apple cider vinegar was able to lower the triglyceride level (blood fat level) and at the same time increase the HDL cholesterol level (good cholesterol) in the relevant test series. The researchers concluded from their results that apple cider vinegar is most likely of great value in getting the typical side effects of diabetes under control or in preventing them in good time.

Apple cider vinegar lowers cholesterol

In the study above, we have already seen that apple cider vinegar can have a positive effect on the blood lipid level of diabetics. But non-diabetics also benefit from the anti-cholesterol effect of apple cider vinegar. In the test series mentioned, the diabetes-free test persons under the influence of apple cider vinegar not only experienced an increase in the HDL cholesterol level – like the diabetic group – but also a drop in the LDL cholesterol level (bad cholesterol).

So if you are struggling with high cholesterol or triglyceride levels, you should take advantage of the benefits of apple cider vinegar, especially since the application is extremely easy to do and does not cost much. But never forget that a diet rich in vital substances without conventional finished products is generally recommended and possibly creates the healthy basis for the apple cider vinegar to work even better – on all levels.

Apple cider vinegar for cancer

Apple cider vinegar also contains a substance that has a cancer-fighting effect. It is the so-called “medium-sized alpha-glycan” (NMalphaG), which belongs to the homoglycans and thus in turn to the polysaccharides (multiple sugars). A Japanese study from September 2007 found that NMalphaG is only produced during the fermentation of apples, but not during alcoholic fermentation. Apple cider vinegar has a clear health advantage over apple wine.

After laboratory experiments with mice, the researchers involved reported:

We studied the biological functions of apple cider vinegar and found that NMalphaG, found in apples, acts as a tumor-fighting agent against canker sores.

Apple cider vinegar makes alkaline

Unpasteurized, naturally cloudy organic apple cider vinegar tastes sour, that’s for sure. But how is he supposed to be able to make it basic? First of all, the properties of apple cider vinegar mentioned above ensure that the organism can find its balance again in many nooks and crannies – whether this concerns the regulation of the blood sugar level, the activation of digestion, or the harmonization of the blood fat level. If all of these functions are in balance, it is almost impossible to suffer from a disturbed acid-base balance.

In addition, apple cider vinegar provides us with basic minerals such as potassium in particular, but also some magnesium. The decisive factor, however, is that the organic acids in apple cider vinegar – similar to the lemon – can be metabolized by the body and used to generate energy. This produces water and carbon dioxide, which is exhaled. Only the basic minerals remain in the body. The apple cider vinegar can, therefore – just like the lemon – help the body to level off again in the alkaline range, despite the acidic taste.

Apple cider vinegar against fungi and bacteria

It is well known that apple cider vinegar can be used to preserve vegetables. The result is pickles, pickled onions, or other culinary delicacies. The acids in apple cider vinegar — malic acid, acetic acid, citric acid — are what keep the vegetables from spoiling. They have antifungal and antimicrobial properties.

However, apple cider vinegar not only protects the vegetables from spoilage but also those who drink it. And so apple cider vinegar should not only be able to prevent food poisoning and parasite infestation but even have a resounding effect on bladder infections.

In this case, folk medicine recommends taking a spoonful of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water three times a day – as described below under “Apple Vinegar Drink – The Recipe”. It’s just better to omit the honey if you have a bladder infection.

So it is clearly worthwhile not only to integrate apple cider vinegar as a diligent helper into the next detoxification cure but to enjoy it daily as an activating morning drink, in salad dressing, in a dip, with legumes, or as a refreshing and healthy summer drink on hot days. Now the only question that remains is: Which apple cider vinegar is really good?

Apple cider vinegar – naturally cloudy and unpasteurized

Apple cider vinegar should be used in its natural and unheated form. It is then an enzymatically highly active and living product with the numerous health benefits mentioned. If, on the other hand, the apple cider vinegar is filtered – which already robs it of a large number of its valuable ingredients – and then pasteurized, i.e. heated, then its enormous potential has long been lost – even if “apple cider vinegar” is on the label. Therefore, when buying apple cider vinegar, make sure it is of the right quality!

Apple Cider Vinegar – The Quality

  • Of course, your apple cider vinegar should never consist of a mixture of juice concentrate and cheap vinegar.
  • Your apple cider vinegar should be made from whole apples—not just the skins and cores.
  • Your apple cider vinegar should come from organic, locally grown apples.
  • Your apple cider vinegar should actually come from apples and not from a fruit mixture, which would then be called FRUIT vinegar.
  • Your apple cider vinegar should be unheated, i.e. unpasteurized. Only unpasteurized apple cider vinegar will give you the active enzymes you want.
  • Your apple cider vinegar should not be filtered, i.e. naturally cloudy. The sometimes somewhat unaesthetic-looking sediments or floating threads in the naturally cloudy apple cider vinegar come from e.g. the mother of vinegar. This is a collection of acetic acid bacteria, minerals, vital substances, and enzymes. The remains of the mother of vinegar may not always appeal to our eyes, but they do represent a sign of quality.

So if you have bought a naturally cloudy unpasteurized apple cider vinegar from a health food store or health food store, you can start with:

Apple Cider Vinegar Cure – The Recipe

Take a glass of good spring water or filtered tap water (approx. 250 ml) and add one or two teaspoons of naturally cloudy unpasteurized organic apple cider vinegar. Drink the whole thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Breakfast follows after 15 minutes. People who prefer it a little sweeter traditionally add half a teaspoon of honey to their apple cider vinegar drink.

Of course, you can also serve this apple cider vinegar drink 15 minutes before all other main meals of the day or chilled as a refreshing summer drink.

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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