Yes, I Drink Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Daily! -- WHY?

Yes, I Drink Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Daily!

WHY???????

For years, I've heard the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), particularly Raw Organic ACV because it still has the "mother", the cloudy sediment at the bottom.  This sediment contains a lot of beneficial enzymes, pectin, and trace minerals.  Just shake it up good before you use it.  Besides all of the health benefits of ACV, substances like malic acid are formed in the creation of apple cider vinegar, giving it antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties.  I read a good article on 12 Reasons Why Apple Cider Vinegar Will Revolutionize Your Health.  Click on the title to read the whole article.  Here are some excerpts:

12 KNOWN BENEFITS OF ACV

1. Improved Digestion

. . . When you drink apple cider vinegar regularly, ideally before each main meal, your digestion improves and you naturally begin assimilating more from your food. . .

2. Heartburn, Intestinal Problems and Constipation

Regular apple cider vinegar in water is believed to help correct low stomach acid conditions that leads to heartburn. Importantly, straight ACV is very strong and likely to be too powerful for heartburn sufferers, and especially those with ulcers, so make sure you dilute it well.

Apple pectin fiber, found in the mother of raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar, soothes the entire gastrointestinal tract, helping to prevent stomach cramps, bloating and gas.

Apple cider vinegar can also be useful as a mild laxative to stimulate peristalsis in cases of occasional constipation. It should not have this effect if your bowel movements are already regular.

3. Prevent Candida and Normalize Intestinal Bacteria

ACV is full of beneficial acids which are believed to help improve the make up of your intestinal flora . . . and can help control the spread of the candida fungus in your intestines, a common debilitating problem with many people’s high sugar diets.

4. Strengthen Your Immune System

Your intestinal flora are a big part of your body’s immune system. It makes sense then that improving the conditions for the growth of friendly bacteria with apple cider vinegar can help improve your overall immunity. . . Additionally, raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar is said to benefit your lymphatic system by helping to cleanse lymph nodes and break up mucus in the body. Over time this can relieve sinus congestion, reduce colds and alleviate allergies.

5. Regulate Blood Sugar and Aid in Diabetes

Apple cider vinegar is full of acetic acid which appears to slow down the digestion of simple carbohydrates, thus regulating blood sugar levels from the brief highs and longer lows of a high carb diet.

The anti-glycemic effect of ACV has been proven in several studies, including this one that concluded, “vinegar can significantly improve post-prandial insulin and sensitivity in insulin resistant subjects…thus, vinegar may possess physiological effects similar to acarbose or metformin (anti-diabetic drugs). Further investigations to examine the efficacy of vinegar as an antidiabetic therapy are warranted.”

6. High Blood Pressure

Some animal studies have shown that apple cider vinegar may lower high blood pressure and there are many reports in online forums of using it for this purpose. . .

7. Detoxification

Apple cider vinegar is a popular ingredient in detoxification protocols with good reason. Aside from all the other body cleansing benefits already listed, drinking diluted raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar is believed to help detoxify and cleanse your liver. . .

8. Weight Loss

Apple cider vinegar’s acetic acid has been shown in studies to suppress the accumulation of body fat and liver lipids. Its pectin content is also thought to slightly reduce your body’s ability to absorb fat.

When you have an apple cider vinegar drink before a meal, as well as improving digestion, it will usually reduce your hunger levels as well, . . . (Note: I found this to be true.)

9. Bad Breath

The natural acids in real apple cider vinegar, like acetic and malic acid, can reduce the bacteria in your mouth that cause bad breath. . .

10. Skin Benefits

Apple cider vinegar balances your skin’s pH levels and has long been recommended as a skin tonic. It can also help treat dermatological conditions like acne, especially when used both internally and externally regularly.

11. Leg Cramps and Restless Leg Syndrome

Sipping on an apple cider vinegar drink can increase low potassium levels in your body, a suspect in nighttime leg cramps and restless leg syndrome.

12. Stamina and Energy

Improved stamina and energy are harder to measure subjectively, but raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar has long been considered a general health tonic and more energy and greater stamina are commonly reported when drinking it.

Despite being acidic outside the body, ACV, like lemon water, is recognized as a premier alkalizing drink, which reduces acidosis in the body and has been reported to aid in recovering from a wide range of health conditions and diseases.

OTHER USES FOR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Acne

Athlete’s Foot

Heart Health

Kidney Stones

Nails

Rosacea

Sunburn

Vaginal Irritation

Animal Care

Arthritis

Blood Pressure

Gout

Hair Loss

Sore Throat

Menopause

Acid Re-flux

Salad Dressings

Toner

Weight loss

Moles/Scars/Lesions

Cleaning

Energy!

ACV DAILY DRINKING TIPS:

1.  Start with 1 tablespoon in a big glass of water and you can slowly increase the dosage, a teaspoon at a time over several weeks, to 2 or even 3 tablespoons, if you find the increased dosage beneficial to your health.

2.  Yes it tastes sour, but that’s a good thing. It’s important to train your taste buds to not expect everything to be sweet.

3. Sweeten it with stevia, not sugar or commercial honey.  They will only feed the intestinal problems that ACV is used to treat.

I found it hard to maintain a consistent daily routine of drinking some daily, as it is sour and I got tired of it. As I started my new eating plan outlined in the Trim Healthy Mama book and discovered their recipe for Good Girl Moonshine (GGMS) - no alcohol :O) but just good Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Stevia and water.  That was the ticket! Sweeten it up!  

A little stevia made all the difference and I look forward to drinking every day!  I even made my own version of GGMS with my Thrive Lemonade and added an addition "kick" with a little cayenne and call it my "Feel the Burn" Lemonade.  

Get creative and try it with other flavorings or herbal teas and see what good flavors you can create and add healthy ACV to your daily routine!

Do you have a good way or getting your daily ACV?  Share with us in the comments!