Health benefits and uses of Apple Cider Vinegar

I have had a few people recently asking me about the health benefits as well as uses of apple cider vinegar so I thought I would cover that topic in today’s newsletter.

Apple cider vinegar is a ‘must’ in my kitchen and you can always find a bottle or two in my fridge. I use the raw, unfiltered, unpasteurised and with ‘the mother’ variety.

Originally vinegar was used as a food preservative, but since its discovery around 5000 BC, other uses have been practised. Since vinegar is made through a long fermentation process, it is rich in many health benefiting bioactive components, giving it potent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, amongst others. Unprocessed and unfiltered vinegar that contains a cobweb-like amino-acid-based substance known as ‘the mother’, is the best, especially for consumption.

What are health benefits of raw apple cider vinegar?

It is thought to have a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels through slowing down the conversion of complex carbohydrate into sugar from a meal into your bloodstream, preventing your sugar levels from spiking. Research suggests that raw apple cider vinegar may improve insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. 1
Heart health support – thanks to polyphenols it contains, it could inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol and potentially help prevent cardiovascular diseases. 2
It may help you loose weight as it is thought to increase satiety and hence reduce the total amount of food consumed. 3
It may improve your digestion by simply taking one tablespoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a glass of water daily.
Thanks to potassium and enzymes it contains, it may help boost your energy and prevent fatigue (more research needs to be done to support this claim though).
Gargling the mixture of water and apple cider vinegar may help with sore throat.
Thanks to its high level content of acetic acid, topical application may help remove warts and head lice. 4

Raw apple cider vinegar has many uses apart form cooking:

It is an excellent natural cleaning agent thanks largely to its antimicrobial properties.
It has also been found to be effective to control weeds.
As an excellent washing aid for removing some pesticides and bacteria from fresh produce, like fruit and vegetables. Submerge your fruit and veggies in a solution of 10% vinegar to 90% water, swish them around and rinse thoroughly (be careful with berries though as they could be damaged in the process).
Placing some apple cider vinegar in a bowl may help neutralize odours indoors.
It can be used as hair rinse and to help with dandruff.
Since it helps to kill odour-causing bacteria it may serve as a deodorant for your armpits or your feet.
Diluted apple cider vinegar may be useful for oral health as well as a facial toner.

When it comes to using raw apple cider vinegar for consumption you can be really creative. Here are some of my uses and I hope they will inspire you:

In making bone broth, which I wrote about in my last newsletter.
In making marinades for meat and fish, as it helps to tenderise it.
In salad dressings (please find the recipe idea below)
As a drizzle over vegetables – I like to drizzle it over cooked beetroot.
In pickling your own vegetables.
In sauces and soups.
In baking.
In drinks, mixed with water or coconut water and some honey or molasses or maple syrup (as a sports drink).

AVOID – transparent, clear varieties that are commonly stocked in grocery stores. These distilled white vinegars may be useful for cleaning and laundry, but they lack the health properties I described above of the organic, raw, unfiltered, unprocessed with the ‘mother’ varieties.