What comes from apples and can kill E.Coli? Apple cider vinegar! Nature is full of healthy ingredients that can help us with a variety of health problems. As part of a healthy diet, many foods can even stave off diseases and help maintain proper body weight. One such gift of nature is apple cider vinegar. It’s made by fermenting apple juice which gives it healthy probiotics and turns it to about 5% acetic acid. Come along as we check out 5 proven benefits of apple cider vinegar!
1. Acid Reflux and Digestion
It may seem counterintuitive to treat a problem called acid reflux with more acid, but apple cider vinegar (ACV) may help. Symptoms of acid reflux include:
- Incessant hiccuping
- Heartburn
- Feeling like something is stuck in your throat
- Bloating
- Nausea
If it is a recurring problem, it can even cause weight loss! Although there are far healthier and less uncomfortable ways to lose weight. In some cases, the cause of acid reflux can actually be too little stomach acid. Without enough acid in the stomach to break down your food, your body can’t properly digest it, leading to discomfort after eating like bloating and heartburn. Taking a bit of diluted ACV may relieve your symptoms.
2. Blood Sugar Levels
Do you have a family history of diabetes? Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with the disease, taking precautions can help you put off or avoid this unpleasant event altogether. High blood sugar levels may also be complicit in various other chronic illnesses and even aging, so anyone can benefit from them under control. This study found that drinking ACV before bed, i.e. when you’ll be fasting for a bit, can help lower your blood sugar levels. This can be very helpful for people who have difficulty regulating their blood sugar levels. Combined with a healthy diet and proper exercise, you may be able to stave off developing diabetes. It can be helpful too if you already have the disease. However, use caution as ACV is not a substitute for medication. Keep your doctor in the loop and follow their recommendations. Your potassium levels can drop too much when taking ACV so you need to be monitored.
3. Antimicrobial
Get out the scrub brush and start cleaning with apple cider vinegar. The smell might be a bit potent, but it’s an excellent cleaning agent, particularly when you’re concerned about killing bacteria. Check out this study to see how ACV did in the war against nasty bacteria like E. coli. Its antimicrobial properties also make it an effective food preservation agent. Its presence inhibits the ability of bacteria to grow even over long periods of time. Looking for a natural way to treat an ear infection without having to take antibiotics? Try a little ACV. You can also use it for treating lice, nail fungus, and warts.
4. Weight Loss
It seems like everything these days will help with weight loss. If all the natural methods were as effective as we think, it doesn’t seem like we’d have such an obesity epidemic in the U.S. …or maybe people just aren’t taking advantage of them properly. How should you use ACV? Well, this study put participants on a restricted-calorie diet and gave ACV to only some of them. At the end of the 12-week study, those taking ACV had lost more weight. Additionally, it seemed that ACV helped target the stubborn belly fat deposits that so many people struggle with. Other studies have found that ACV tends to contribute to a feeling of fullness, helping to prevent overeating. The bottom line is that taking ACV is not a magic pill to start shedding the pounds. But combining it with a healthy diet and proper exercise can give your weight loss goals a boost.
5. Cardiovascular Health
Hearth disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming 647,457 lives in 2017 alone. With that in mind, doing whatever you can to care for your heart is certainly a good idea. And ACV can help! Because of its natural antioxidants, ACV appears to help lower the levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol and raise HDL or “good” cholesterol. Additionally, ACV interacts with and controls renin, a hormone produced by your kidneys. This hormone can cause your blood vessels to constrict, thereby raising your blood pressure. By controlling renin, you can help keep your blood pressure down where it should be.
Taking Apple Cider Vinegar
How should you take ACV? A simple method is to buy straight ACV at the grocery store and drink it. However, ACV is vinegar and has a strong taste to it. Not everyone will enjoy taking a shot of apple cider vinegar every day. You can try adding it to foods (hint: you can make a great salad dressing out of ACV) or take an ACV supplement. Taking a supplement is handy because you don’t have to worry about trying to work it into your food. You can even get them in gummy vitamins for a delicious way to get your dose. Check out more information about supplements at www.advancedliving.com.
More Proven Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
We’ve taken a look at a short list of only 5 proven benefits of apple cider vinegar, but there are many more! ACV may also help improve skin health, ease the symptoms of PCOS (Polycistic Ovarian Syndrome), and reduce the pain of varicose veins. Who knew that fermented apples could be so good for you? To learn more about how to live a healthier life, feel free to browse our blog and check out more great posts. We’re adding new and interesting content all the time!