How Apple Cider Vinegar Helps Your Body

I know it sounds disgusting, but a few teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar can really be helpful to you and your body!  Patricia Bragg suggests 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar diluted with 8 ounces of water with each meal.

Here are 10 reasons given by LiveFit Revolution for adding Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to your diet.

1. It is enormously helpful to your digestive system. The enzymes in the ACV help your body to break down the food you eat, which helps you get more nutrients out of it;

2. It helps your body eliminate, so if you’ve had problems with constipation, or even just a “slow system”, the ACV will help you have bowel movements more frequently and easily;

3. Full and frequent bowel movements also help our body detoxify, and the more we detox, the more weight our bodies will allow us to lose, and they’ll do it more quickly! We store toxins in our body fat, and our ability to burn fat will slow down if the body can’t eliminate the toxins quickly enough to keep a healthy balance. So ACV aids in weight loss;

4. ACV kills sugar cravings. If your body (or your brain!) is screaming for something sugary, an ACV drink will usually kill that craving;

5. It helps keep your blood sugars balanced, which means an increased ability to lose weight AND less simple-carb cravings. WebMD.com mentions studies that support the claim that ACV can help in this way with Diabetes;

6. One study found that obese people who consumed acetic acid (ACV) daily for 12 weeks experienced significant decreases in body weight, abdominal fat, waist circumference, and triglycerides;*

7. Triglycerides are a mechanism for storing unused calories, and their high concentration in blood correlates with the consumption of starchy and other high carbohydrate foods (Wikipedia). As ACV is said to reduce triglycerides, this means a reduction in our ability to store unused calories;

8. ACV is an acidic substance (more on this below), but when you ingest it, it becomes an alkalizer, which means it balances body pH by making you more alkaline. Research has shown that an alkaline diet fights cancer;

9. It supports healthy regeneration in your body. The evidence of this comes after a few months, when you’ll notice your hair and nails are both longer and a lot stronger. You’ll notice your skin looks even better too;

10. ACV is also said to reduce our “bad” (LDL) cholesterol.

“BUT I DON’T LIKE THE TASTE”

Some of us like ACV right away. Some of us find the flavor a challenge. As children, most of us didn’t like certain vegetables when we first tried them either, but sometimes it’s worth persevering for the sake of our health.

You can add a few drops of Stevia to your ACV; diluting it with more water can make it more palatable too. If you have a strong reaction to it (like an overly-active digestive system, too-soft stools, or nausea – especially when you drink it first thing in the morning), you might try cutting it down to one or two TEAspoons of ACV in 8oz water, and build up your tolerance. You can also add ground flax to your drink; the nuttiness of the flax goes well with the sharp apple flavor of the ACV.

Most people find that in a short time, they feel so good that they start to look forward to their ACV drinks, and develop a taste for it!

ACIDITY

ACV has a pH of 4.25 to 5.0 when it is undiluted. Since tap water usually has a pH of approximately 7.6, when you put a couple of tablespoons of ACV into 8oz water, it will be MUCH less acidic. It’s interesting to note that the ph of Coca Cola is 2.5, and 7-Up is 3.2, and since soda is consumed undiluted, it is FAR worse for your teeth than ACV could ever be.**

CAUTIONS

If you have sensitive teeth or are concerned about your enamel, you should consult your dentist. Some people choose to swish their mouth with a sip of plain water after drinking their ACV.

Also, ACV is high in Potassium, so if you take drugs such as Coumadin/Warfarin (for preventing blood clots) you should not take ACV.

And finally, people with some forms of inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn’s disease) should not take ACV. So if you do have health issues, you should consult your Doctor before adding ACV to your personal nutrition plan.

*  Published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry in 2009; full article here

**Softpedia.com – read their article on the acidity of soft drinks here

Better Red Than Dead - Or how to soothe a sunburn!!

I have been very lucky so far this summer … I haven’t had a sunburn yet … of course I live in Oregon, and the sun hasn’t really found us this year.

Though I have been lucky so far, I know that once the sun does come out, I will turn a shade of red that even roses would be envious of!!!  I wouldn’t mind if that lush red turned into a golden tan … but no such luck!!

Just in case you find yourself half-baked and in pain this summer … here are some sunburn remedies you might like to try.

Aloe Vera Gel is generally recommended.  Not only does it heal the skin, I find it also takes the heat out of the burn.  You can find Aloe Vera Gel in nearly any store, but why not try it directly from the source: the Aloe Vera plant.  Just slice the leaf open, and smear the gooey stuff that is inside the leaf on your skin.  Don’t wipe it off.  You will feel the cooling healing starting almost immediately.

Another time tested remedy for sunburn is bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).  Just put four or five tablespoons of baking soda in a small bowl of cool water.  Soak cotton balls or a clean cloth in the bowl and lightly dab it onto your burned skin

This next method is not one I have tried myself, but a friend swears that mixing a cup of skim milk with four cups of cold water, and then taking a clean cloth soaked in the mixture and pressing it against your skin will bring relief.  You need to repeat the process for a half hour on the hour for four hours (or until the pain is relieved).

 
My husband is a nut for natural Vitamin E gel.  We were skin diving in the Caribbean once and he got the worst sunburn I have ever seen on the back of his legs.  We didn’t have anything for a sunburn and so he poked little holes in his vitamin E gel capsules and smeared the gel over the burned areas on the back of his legs.  I was impressed.  He didn’t blister or peel. If you try this, make sure you use natural vitamin E, not a synthetic version.

My grandma told me one time that if you have a bad sunburn, you should fill an old sock with uncooked oatmeal and then swish the sock in warm bath water until the water turns milky, then jump into the tub and soak.  You may find it as relaxing as it is refreshing.

 

If you like soaking in a bath tub, you might try putting 6 or 7 green tea teabags into warm bath water.  Let the water cool a little, then get in and soak.  The green tea will relieve the sunburn and boost healing.  You can also put the wet teabags on the most sunburned areas on your skin

The last idea was my mom’s favorite sunburn remedy. Apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized and unfiltered).  Any time my brother or I would come in the house with a rosy glow, she would slather us with apple cider vinegar.  I swear I smelled like a pickle most of the summer.  But it did relieve the pain and sped up the healing (after you overcome the initial sting of the application!!)  This method can be used even if the sunburn is blistering or beginning to peel.

Well … I hope this article helps you in case you do get burnt this summer.  In Oregon, I fear, we are more likely to rust than sunburn this year though.