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From regulating blood pressure and sugar levels to cleansing the system and preventing bone loss, the health benefits of apple cider vinegar seem endless.
Most of us have at least one bottle of apple cider vinegar in our kitchen cabinets. We drizzle a little over our salads or add a dash of it to give our recipes that delicious tang.
It may have an overwhelming aroma, but you’d be surprised by what that tablespoon of vinegar every day can do for you. Besides adding a piquant flavor to the dish, we also benefit from the therapeutic properties of apple cider vinegar.
Before you start chugging apple cider vinegar for its health benefits, it’s important to first understand how much you can consume safely.
How Much Apple Cider Vinegar Can You Consume Safely?
This is one of those natural remedies that should be consumed in moderation.
Never drink apple cider vinegar straight out of the bottle. It needs to be diluted before consuming.
Undiluted apple cider vinegar is highly acidic and will weaken and damage tooth enamel. Generally, mixing 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with about 100ml of water should be enough to dilute it for consumption.
When you’re just starting out, try to limit your intake to one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in a cup of water daily.
After a week or so, you may increase this to 1 tablespoon of ACV in one cup of water.
About a month of this and you may go up to 2 tablespoons a day.
There’s really no need to go above 2 tablespoons and it’s not recommended either.
The type of apple cider vinegar you consume is just as important as how much you consume. Always buy the highest quality you can find and make sure it has the ‘mother’ in it. Vinegar without the mother does not have the healing properties.
This particular brand is the best of all I’ve tried.
Now let’s look at the health benefits of this miraculous ‘potion’…
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Apple cider vinegar helps to improve insulin insensitivity and has long been used to manage Type 2 diabetics. It works because apple cider vinegar is a major source of acetic acid. This facilitates the digestion of starch and breaks down sugar into something more useful to your body. Coupled with a low-carb diet, it can also help to reverse diabetes.
Having apple cider vinegar before you go to bed prevents sugar spikes in the morning. This makes it a vital tool in keeping Type 2 diabetes at bay.
Cautionary note 1: This should not be used as a long term strategy for diabetes management.
Cautionary note 2: You must speak to your doctor first before you try this remedy for diabetes. It is safe but you should get professional medical advice.
Boosts Weight Loss
Want to lose weight? Apple cider vinegar will give you that edge you need. It’ll curb your appetite and since it keeps your insulin levels stable, you’ll eat less and your body will not store fat so easily. This will go a long way to knocking off those extra pounds.
That doesn’t necessarily mean apple cider vinegar will help you lose weight by itself. Oh No! However, it does give you a powerful tool that will help you boost your weight loss efforts with great results.
Improves Heart Health
Studies show that regular consumption of apple cider vinegar helps to keep your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels low. This will help to prevent strokes and cardiovascular disease.
Lowers Blood Pressure
In addition to altering your sugar breakdown and reducing your need for insulin, acetic acid is also extremely helpful for clearing clogged blood vessels. This is because apple cider vinegar breaks down the cholesterol buildup and slowly dissolves it. This prevents the cholesterol from sticking to the sides of the blood vessels so there is no thickening of the walls that would otherwise narrow the blood vessels. Clearer blood vessels mean the blood flows more freely, keeping your blood pressure at healthy levels.
Aids Digestion
Apple cider vinegar contains probiotics which will help with the digestive process. Not only will it regulate your stomach acids, but will improve your gut health too.
Cleans Out Your System
Ah yes, one of the tried and true forms of ensuring health is the good old-fashioned detox. A detox is exactly what it sounds like: you are removing the toxins that your body doesn’t need so that you can start afresh.
Apple cider vinegar is enzyme-rich, which helps stimulate your liver and promote lymphatic drainage. It also helps promote the growth of healthy bacteria, which would otherwise be damaged during your detox. Gut flora is vital for keeping the weight off and digesting foods properly.
Stops Candida in Its Tracks
In addition to promoting the growth of healthy gut flora, apple cider vinegar also prevents the growth of the bad gut flora.
Candida is a type of fungus that is found in the digestive tract. While it is mostly harmless, too much of it can result in disease. This usually happens when your immune system is compromised.
Apple cider vinegar kills off excess candida while promoting the growth of the good bacteria, reducing your risk of infection.
Combats the Common Cold
The common cold is not exactly a curable condition, but apple cider vinegar can help reduce those annoying symptoms. The secret lies in apple cider vinegar’s ability to thin out mucus. Your sinuses will feel a lot freer, and after a while of your nose running, you will find yourself feeling a lot less like someone took a brick to your face. Apple cider vinegar is also capable of relieving allergy symptoms using the same method.
Helps Your Neurotransmitters
Your neurotransmitters are the part of your system that sends messages like “hey, you just got stung by a bee.” Their whole purpose is to send messages to and from your brain and the rest of your body. They are also responsible for regulating your mood, your awareness, and even your appetite.
Drinking apple cider vinegar on a regular basis will help you keep your neurotransmitters well maintained, which has a lot of benefits. It improves your mood, helps you wake up more easily in the morning and helps you stay focused through the day.
If you drink apple cider vinegar and exercise on a regular basis, you’ll find that you are much happier and a lot more prepared for taking on the day ahead of you, and that’s a reward all on its own!
Cosmetic Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Besides these ‘internal’ health benefits of apple cider vinegar, it can be used for treating several other maladies too.
Suffering from acne? Apply some diluted apple cider vinegar to your face and wash away after a few minutes.
Apply it on your hair to strengthen the follicles.
If you have a wart, apply some undiluted apple vinegar on it for a few days and the wart will shrink and die off.
This is a highly versatile ‘supplement’ that can be used to treat migraines, sinuses, bug bites, nausea, gout, hypertension, and much more. Do your research and discover how you can use it in your daily life to improve your health.
A bottle of apple cider vinegar is one of those holistic health remedies that should always be a part of your medicine cabinet.
The benefits do outweigh the risks, so go ahead and try it out!
While searching on Amazon, I found this fantastic little book with quick, easy and delicious recipes using apple cider vinegar. Check it out here. Scroll to the bottom of the page to read what other readers have to say about this book.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to serve as medical advice. Please consult your doctor before using any natural medication or if you experience any unusual symptoms. See Full Disclaimer here.
