Benefits of apple cider vinegar in health

Benefits of apple cider vinegar in health

For the past 50 years or more, any serious study involving the benefits of an acid diet based on apple cider vinegar (ACV) required an obliged quotation of Dr. Jarvis's work.

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In 1959 Deforrest Clinton Jarvis, medical doctor, published "Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health". In this book, Dr. D.C. Jarvis states that colds and infections, as well as other common affections like rheumatism and arthritis, may be relieved partial or even totally with one of the most ordinary cooking ingredients found on virtually any kitchen.

His conclusions caused a sensation as he also included weight loss, lower blood sugar levels and improved symptoms of diabetes among the extraordinary benefits of apple cider vinegar. This was a revolutionary statement then and now, as it may sound too simple to be true.


Benefits of apple cider vinegar in health

The apple cider vinegar weight loss method treatment recommended by Dr. Jarvis included 1 or 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar dissolved in a glass of water and taken several times per day, as needed.

As a plus, the apple cider vinegar diet combined with honey gets a boost of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Mix a small batch at a time, blending equal parts honey to vinegar, and take 4-6 tablespoons a day mixed in water.

D. C. Jarvis was probably the first medical doctor that promoted a massive adoption of an alkaline diet based on daily portions of ACV, as an antidote to the high sugar diets (acid-producing).

However, the general benefits of vinegar have been considered in ancient medicine, and its antibacterial properties were noticed as back as 400 B.C.


Vinegar in history

Dr. Jarvis method might have been inspired by a popular drink in ancient Rome and Greece, called "Posca". This drink was made by mixing sour wine or vinegar with water and flavoring herbs. It was made by reusing wine, often spoiled by faulty storage. The acidity of the vinegar killed harmful bacteria and the flavoring herbs helped mask the flavor/odor of the most offensive tasting water.

Unfortunately, no recipes for Posca are known to have survived. An approximate recreation of the beverage can be made by combining 1½ cups of vinegar with ½ cup of honey, 1 tablespoon of crushed coriander seed and 4 cups of water. The mixture should be boiled in a saucepan to dissolve the honey. Allow to cool to room temperature, strain out the coriander seeds, and serve.

The origin of the Posca has been traced to ancient Greece, where it was a medicinal mixture but became an everyday drink for the Roman army and the lower classes. Considering the poor diet, the lack of fresh fruit providing vitamin C and the health issues due to water problems, such a beverage became not only a source of liquid but an antiscorbutic medicine.


Vinegar types

The transformation of wine or fruit juice to vinegar is a chemical process. The vinegar we use to spice our salads is a liquid produced by the fermentation of ethanol, traditionally after grapes or apple cider.

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Besides the vegetal source, there are two types of vinegar if we consider the processing method; the natural and the industrial vinegar.

Historically, the natural process is quite slow. During a period of several months, vats of cider remain opened at room temperature so the fruit juices ferment into ethyl alcohol and then oxidize into the formation of acetaldehyde, to finally become acetic acid.

Nowadays, the market industry requires tons of vinegar, as its use is required for salad dressing, pickling, and several cleaning products, among other uses. Time is money and modern commercial production of vinegar accelerates the process by infusing oxygen into the alcohol product.


Advantages of natural apple cider vinegar

It is a fact that the inclusion of apple cider vinegar on a daily basis leads to gradual weight loss, but the extraordinary benefits of an apple cider vinegar diet go further than just assisting on the loss of extra pounds.

Raw, unpasteurized kinds of vinegar are low in calories and carbohydrates, but rich in calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus. The industrial production of commercial distilled vinegar gets all the health value out of them. There are not organic traces left, that's what makes the natural apple cider vinegar so special.

Natural ACV contains powerful enzymes and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, natural organic sodium, magnesium and other. A cup of ACV is mainly composed of water (almost 99%), has 34 calories, a trace of protein, and no fat. The acetic acid contained releases the energy from fats and carbohydrates during the digestion.

Some studies also show that apple cider vinegar may increase satiety, reducing intake, giving, as a result, a reduction of up to 275 calories over the course of the day. When its fat processing properties are combined with this satiety tendency and a healthy, balanced diet, the results are around the corner.

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