Apple Cider Vinegar: A Superfood with Many Health Benefits

Apple cider vinegar, obtained from the fermentation of apples, is one of the most popular natural health products. With its rich nutritional content, it has gained popularity and is associated with various positive effects, from regulating blood sugar levels to weight loss.

What is apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is a natural food seasoning made by crushing and fermenting fresh and ripe apples. During this process, firstly, the yeast naturally present in the apple converts the sugar into alcohol. Subsequently, the bacteria Mycoderma aceti or vinegar bacteria convert the alcohol into acetic acid, the main compound in vinegar.

It is malic acid that gives vinegar its strong aroma and taste. The resulting product, which has a characteristic brownish color, is rich in nutrients such as acids (especially malic and niacin), flavonoids, B vitamins, beta-carotenes, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, copper and iron.

Properties of apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar, obtained by fermenting apples, is not only a versatile culinary seasoning, but also has a number of health benefits.

• Digestive Properties: Its outstanding ability to regulate intestinal flora not only relieves digestive discomfort, but also has a significant impact on maintaining a more balanced and efficient digestive system. This regulation of intestinal flora helps maintain a healthy gastrointestinal environment, promoting smoother and more optimal digestion of food overall.
• Regulate Blood Pressure: It is believed that apple cider vinegar can help regulate blood pressure when it is high or low. Apple cider vinegar not only helps reduce high cholesterol and triglycerides, but also actively promotes cardiovascular health.
• Cleansing Properties: Another theory states that apple cider vinegar may help remove toxins and other impurities from the body.
• Fat burning properties. Some nutritionists also talk about the properties of vinegar for getting rid of belly fat. This effect is due to the activation of AMP kinase, a process that stimulates the use of fat cells as an energy source.

Apple cider vinegar is also an excellent antimicrobial and acts as an effective cleanser to sanitize surfaces and objects. Its low pH makes it an excellent option for tackling alkaline stains, with degreasing and scale-removing properties. Over the years, it has also been used as a food dressing and preservative.

Benefits of consuming apple cider vinegar

First of all, it is important to distinguish pasteurized vinegar from unpasteurized, environmentally friendly, containing “mother”, the latter brings great health benefits. Let's be clear: apple cider vinegar contains a “mother” consisting of a mixture of bacteria, amino acids and enzymes. All these compounds give vinegar its cloudy appearance, but at the same time provide great benefits to our health:

• Speeds up digestion. The acid contained in apple cider vinegar acts as a stimulant of stomach enzymes, promoting the breakdown of proteins and speeding up the digestion process in the stomach.
• Helps absorb minerals and vitamins. The presence of acid in vinegar plays a crucial role in facilitating the absorption of various minerals and vitamins essential for health. These nutrients include calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin K and even vitamin B12.
• Reduces gas, bloating and indigestion. Apple cider vinegar speeds up the breakdown of food, allowing for more complete digestion.
• Regulates blood sugar levels. Apple cider vinegar may improve insulin sensitivity and help control blood sugar, especially after meals.
• Helps lower cholesterol levels. By reducing the secretion of insulin, vinegar not only has the potential to lower cholesterol levels, but is also considered a factor that helps control blood pressure and other aspects associated with increased insulin levels in the body.
• Promotes weight loss. It has been suggested that apple cider vinegar may be beneficial for weight loss by increasing feelings of fullness and improving metabolism under certain circumstances.
• Improvement of SIBO (Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome). Inside our intestines, millions of beneficial bacteria coexist, which perform various functions, forming the so-called microbiota. However, sometimes various factors, both external and internal, can contribute to bacterial overgrowth. This phenomenon is known as SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and the condition requires treatment due to the discomfort and distress it can cause. In this case, taking apple cider vinegar can help create conditions where germs cannot multiply as easily.

What is the best time to drink apple cider vinegar?

It is recommended to take 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar orally, diluted in water. You can consume it before or after meals, such as around 6 pm.