Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a natural drink made from crushing apples and allowing them to mature and ferment. When it’s completely fermented, it contains a web-like substance, called “mother” that becomes visible when the rich brownish liquid is held to the light.
Apple Cider Vinegar has amazing life changing benefits. I’ll get to those in just a hot second.
But first a word of caution!
Before you start guzzling lots of ACV, make sure it’s diluted with water. Apple cider vinegar in its pure form is acidic and may erode tooth enamel or even burn your mouth and throat. Yikes!
Trust me on this one. When I first started drinking Apple Cider Vinegar I didn’t follow the dilution recommendations on the bottle (I never follow directions, honestly it’s a very big problem for me in life), and I burned my throat. No fun!
I did finally find a way to drink it with out gagging. Want to know how I do it? Read my article – How to Drink Apple Cider Vinegar and Actually Like It.
Despite my trauma I pushed on and tried drinking it again because there is a huge body of research to suggest amazing life changing benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar.
The Life Changing Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
We’ve all heard the cliché, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and there just may be some truth as to why that may very well be true.
Apples are one of the oldest, most nutritious foods on earth.
As I mentioned earlier, Apple Cider Vinegar is made from fermented crushed apples. What what are the life changing benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar? Let’s explore!
Promotes a Youthful Body
ACV is rich in potassium, a mineral many of us are lacking due to a busy lifestyle, overly processed food and other factors. It’s a deficiency that causes old age to creep upon us sooner than we may expect. Calcium maintains our hard tissues such as our bones, and potassium is the equivalent to the body’s soft tissues, keeping the body’s flesh and arteries soft and resilient.
I personally take Apple Cider Vinegar and what I like to call my “liquid gold” every day to maintain a healthy youthful body inside and out.
Supports a Healthy Immune System
It’s easy to get run down, especially being a busy mom. Apple Cider Vinegar is an easy way to give your immune system a boost every day. I drink it 1-3 times daily depending on how I am feeling.
For those of us with Fibromyalgia it’s just one of the ways we can help alleviate the daily pain and struggle. As the elixir naturally helps our body balance and reduce inflammation, we notice pain diminish. It’s just one of the ways we can Reduce the Pain of Fibromyalgia Naturally.
Boosts Energy
Seriously what mom could use more energy!?
An energy boost is the main reason why I started drinking Apple Cider Vinegar. Because let’s face it, there is only so much coffee one mom can drink in a day.
Just two tablespoons of this golden liquid mixed with at least 8 ounces of water can give you that burst of energy you very badly need. I have to say too that the energy I get from Apple Cider Vinegar is different than from coffee or caffeine.
Balances Your Body’s pH Levels
One way to keep the body functioning normally is by keeping its pH balance,.. well.. in balance. Apple Cider Vinegar helps the body maintain a healthy and alkaline pH level.
Helps Treat Candida
Candida is a sugar fermenting yeast. This is kind of gross, but a little bit of it is always present in our bodies because it’s job is to overgrow and take over once we die, and help break down and decompose our bodies. See, I told you it was gross!
The problem is that candida is out of control in most people. When we get stressed out, make poor food choices, eat sugar, then we get what is called a candida overgrowth.
As I mentioned previously, apple cider vinegar restores the pH balance in the body. It creates an alkalizing environment and promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria. This healthy bacteria helps cure candida.
Cures Cold
I just mentioned how Apple Cider Vinegar can alkalize your body. This alkaline environment also kills the microbes that cause the common cold.
The drawbacks to Apple Cider Vinegar
The only drawback I can see to Apple Cider Vinegar is that there are no clear limits as to how much you can consume in one day. I always like to say “everything in moderation.” You can get too much of anything – even a good thing.
Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar is the brand I trust the most. Bragg’s recommends drinking Apple Cider Vinegar drink 3 times daily – upon arising, mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
To make the drink, stir 1 to 2 tsps Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar in 8 oz. glass of purified water. You can add in sweeteners or other ingredients to your liking. Read my post How to Drink Apple Cider Vinegar and Actually Enjoy It, to read about how I like to drink my ACV every day.
How to decide on an Apple Cider Vinegar
Look for the Mother
If you’ve ever had a bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar and looked at the bottom you can see the “mother.” This is the brownish rather foggy material that settles at the bottom of the bottle. It is highly nutritious.
If you can’t see the mother at the bottom of a bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar then don’t buy it. Without a mother it means the ACV was lacking something in the fermentation process or it was heated up at some point along the way which means all of the life-changing benefits are gone from the liquid.
The “mother” is a cluster of proteins, enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
Liquid is best
Apple Cider Vinegar comes in liquid or pill form. Liquid is more bioavailable which means your body can more readily absorb and use the nutrients, enzymes and benefits from it.
Trust in a Trusted Brand
I only drink Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. Certified Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized and 5% acidity. Contains the amazing Mother. Plus the company has been around for generations.
Buy Raw Unfiltered
For most apple cider vinegar uses, you’ll also want to go for unfiltered raw apple cider vinegar. When apple cider vinegar is filtered, it removes the mother as well as any sediment, stripping out most benefits and leaving behind a clear, amber vinegar.
Sources
Bragg. (n.d.). Apple cider vinegar FAQs.
bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar-FAQ.html
