Apple Cider Vinegar health benefits?

[Celtaur]

I have a bottle of apple cider vinegar in my fridge, which has been there for at least a year. I read it can last about 5 years, and contains alive ingredients.

Adding about a tablespoon to a cup of water is a common way of taking it. It doesn't taste bad. As a vinegar obviously it has that distinct acidic flavor, but quite delicious once you get used to it.

I've read there are many health benefits and that it's full of nutrients, but is it? On the bottle all the major vitamins/minerals says zero percent. Wouldn't you have to consume quite a bit to get the proposed mineral/vitamin health benefits some tout it has?

I've also read the fiber helps to eliminate toxins from the system, but there really isn't that high a level of fiber in it at all. I think eating an apple would give abundantly more fiber than many bottles of the vinegar.

It appears many of the health claims take a small bit of information and enhances it. Like if it has micro amounts of calcium, the claim that it helps strengthen teeth and bones is stated, they leave out the fact that the amount is so small, it's not going to be that significant. This type of over-stretching the facts seems to be stated for a lot of the nutrients.

According to some, it's good for hair as well from condition of the hair itself to assisting in scalp hair loss regrowth.

There's also the stated benefit of apple cider vinegar balancing the acids in the stomach for people who have over acidity leading to acid reflux.

Are these statements fiction or reality?

[nventr]

The benefits are in the acidity. When a person eats too much sugar and starches the body chemistry gets alkaline. The vinegar returns the body back to a more neutral chemical make up.

This can help hair growth and the elimination of toxins, amongst many other things.

Apple cider vinegar is also a natural anti-inflamitory, both internal and external. Native americans used this vinegar to dampen clothes and wrapped it around swollen or deeply bruised areas.

When apple cider vinegar is combined with comfry root powder as an external poultice, the reduction of swelling is increased by 3 times. It heals twisted ankles and pulled muscles in 2-3 days as compared to 2-3 weeks with traditional oral medications.

[bsbray]

I think the "alive ingredients" are bacteria that eat alcohol and poop out vinegar, in so many words.

I love vinegar. I dump it on fish, steaks, chicken, spinach, whatever it works with. And it works with a lot for me because I like the way it tastes.


I'm paranoid of vinegar in plastic bottles though. If plastic leeches off into water, then I can only imagine what an acidic substance like vinegar is doing to the plastic over time. So I opt for glass bottles.

[Celtaur]

I'm paranoid of vinegar in plastic bottles though. If plastic leeches off into water, then I can only imagine what an acidic substance like vinegar is doing to the plastic over time. So I opt for glass bottles.

That is a really good point. Maybe it should be sold in glass more often.

Does it affect the teeth with erosion if you have it too frequently? I know coffee and wine can cause tooth sensitivity due to affects on the enamel.

[celtic mystic]

Vinegar is wonderful!

Apple cider vinegar is great on foods. try it on your salad. it is delicious. dip your apple pieces into it, and it tastes great too!

There are a lot of stories on the wonders of vinegar. the apple cider vinegar is a great help for those with diabetes. If you can consume 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar each day, you can lower your glucose levels by as much as 6percent!

Its also possibly a great way to lower your cholesterol.

if you eat it on salads every day, you significantly decrease your chances of heart disease.

consuming vinegar will also help you to lose weight.

now, while all this sounds delightful, like with anything else, there are also risks involved, so you have to be sure not to abuse using apple cider vinegar. You should dilute it in water or juice before consuming it. vinegar is harsh and can cause damage to the body, if care is not taken. some of the risks are burns on your skin, damage to your esophagus, and it can also cause lower bone density with long term use. So, you should always speak to your doctor before consuming it on a regular basis for any of the above.

Now, there are also other fantastic vinegar uses too. My house will never be w/o vinegar--esp. the distilled white vinegar.

I clean with distilled white vinegar. It is a great rinse aid. you can put it into your dishwasher rather then buying the "jet blue" or other rinse aids for dishwashers. Also, after you clean your oven, (whether it is a self clean or you clean it yourself), rinse the inside out with a solution of white vinegar diluted in water.

after cleaning your tub, pour some white distilled vinegar into a tub full of water, to make sure you have rinsed away all the soap scum and cleaning solution. your tub will be sparkling clean, if you let it sit like this for a few hours and then drain it and rinse again with plain water.

foul odor in the house? pour a 1/4 cup of vinegar into a bowl and let it sit and it will absorb the odor quickly. soon the vinegar smell will also fade.

have a bad bruise? forget the raw steak. dissolve 1 tsp of salt in a 1/2 cup of warm apple cider vinegar for a compress.

dandruff or dry scalp? mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to 3/4 cup warm water, and after you shampoo & rinse your hair, pour the solution over your head as a conditioner. let it sit for a few minutes, and then rinse it out. trust me, the smell dissipates as soon as your hair is dry, and you won't be scratching either! plus, you have nice, shiny hair.

adding vinegar to your rinse cycle in the wash also makes sure that all germs are washed out in the laundry. it's especially good if you use cloth diapers.

I pour 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar in a gallon of water to wash my pergo floors with. You should really try a small corner of the floor first, to be sure it is not damaging the floor before washing the full floor, but it doesn't seem to hurt mine. I've been doing this for years. I do have to dry it immediately with a towel, though, so the water solution does not damage the floors--and the floors are sparkling clean!

pour some white vinegar into the toilet bowl at night, swish it around and scrub with it and let it sit all night in the bowl. in the morning, flush and see how clean your toilet bowl is!

Yeast infection? add one cup of apple cider vinegar to a bath and sit in it for relief. it really helps!

Need to clean that microwave? put a 1/4 cup of white vinegar mixed with a 1 cup of water in a bowl and put it in the microwave. boil the solution and then remove the solution and wipe clean.

it's also great to remove skunk smells from your pet, if they get sprayed! just wash them in a solution of vinegar and water and the smell fades away instantly! don't rinse it off the dog after bathing, just allow him to dry naturally.

do some googling to find some other fantastic uses of vinegar. it is an amazing thing!

[Celtaur]

One thing vinegar is not good for is getting the scent of cat urine out of material, like towels or clothes. I tried it a few times thinking vinegar gets rid of anything, but it actually exacerbates it. I would pour it on then launder it and it wouldn't help. Would end up smelling more like a chemical perm at the salon.

I've figured out how to get rid of the smell of cat urine naturally though, a strong green cleaning all purpose spray with a lot of tea tree, hand wash in hot water, then launder with detergent and more tea tree. As a relevant note, keep the laundry room door closed and don't leave clothes on the floor or the cat may make it his or her temporary, random litter box!

[celtic mystic]

hmmm...my mother has an unruly dog who likes to use the bathroom on her rug often. mom has a wall to wall rug in her combination living room and dining room, which had numerous yellowing spots as a result of the *%#@ dog who used it as her potty many times. the carpet, as described by my mother was a white carpet with yellow spots through out. (true--but what you get for having a white carpet with an animal). She did hire a carpet cleaning company, who came out to give her an estimate and they told her there was no way they could get them out. So, mom set to work with a distilled vinegar and baking soda mix, and was able to get the spots out. it was quite a bit of work for her, that she was not really looking forward to, but she did it and all of them did come out. She still had the carpet cleaners out too, just so they could clean the whole carpet- moving furniture and doing the complete job. They were so amazed when they saw that the yellow pee spots were gone, that they had her write down the 'recipe' for the spot removal and told her they were going to start using the same for animal stains.

but, I guess I would advise trying an inconspicuous spot first, just to be sure, in case it doesn't work.

[nventr]

Yes, this is a very potent recipe. It will take the color out of anything. This could only work on a white carpet. You have to use a white towel or white paper towel with no print to dab up the extra moisture, otherwise you imprint the color of the towel on the carpet.

This is also used to clean porcelain. That gross potty in the basement. Nasty tub left by the previous renter. Even the glass cooktop. Sparkling clean with this stuff.

It is very corrosive, so wear gloves when you work with it.

It is also the two main ingredients for the all-time favorite elementary school science project. . . The Volcano!

[bsbray]

I'm not sure about tooth sensitivity. I don't really eat THAT much vinegar. When my adult teeth came in, they were already sensitive compared to my baby teeth, and I remember them hurting when I first tried to eat ice cream with them. I think this had more to do with me being poisoned with fluoride throughout my childhood. I also believe tooth sensitivity is completely reversible, and that's what I'm going on.

[RachaelRay]

Your absolutely right. It's ironic that the reason so many Americans have acid reflux or chronic indigestion is due to a lack of acidity in their stomach from high carbohydrate diets. Their stomachs are too alkaline just like nventr says and the reaction felt from the stomach is a burning feeling so people associate with over acidity (including drug companies). By actually adding acid following a meal (such as apple cider vinegar) it help in reducing that burning feeling by increasing the acidity of the stomach.