Monday, April 16, 2012

What is up with Apple Cider Vinegar?

If you would have told me a couple of years ago that I would be spiking my water with ACV I would have never believed you. Nonetheless, here I am googling it and drinking it.  After using ACV during my spring cleanse I was surprised that my allergy symptoms seemed to go away.  I was not expecting this and had to know more about ACV. 
There is not a lot of official information ACV.  (There is a lot of info on drugs because there is a lot of money to be made on pharmaceuticals...not a lot of money in apple cider vinegar!)  There have been a couple university studies done to try to figure out what this simple tonic can do.  (It is important here to note that I am writing about raw and unfiltered ACV, the dirty looking bottle, not the pretty apple juice looking kind. ) There was promising results showing that that ACV does help in the battle against obesity and diabetes.  The remainder of the claims about ACV (including my accidental find of allergy relief) have just been passed down from great grandmothers and ancient medicine from around the world.  I think that my favorite research thoughts were from the National Arthritis Foundation which said (and this is my butchered paraphrase) “ACV is harmless, and unproven but what is it going to hurt to try it?  If it works, that’s great!” 
Remember how the mother on My Big Fat Greek Wedding thinks that Windex will cure everything?  As I started reading about ACV I began to have that same affinity for it!  The problems that raw, unfiltered ACV is credited to helping are endless!
·         Obesity
·         Diabetes
·         Warts
·         Lice
·         Acid Reflux
·         Sinus Infections
·         High Cholesterol
·         High Blood Pressure
·         Heart disease
·         Acne
·         Indigestion
·         Diarrhea
·         Constipation
·         PMS
·         Arthritis
·         Flu
·         Candida
·         Sore throats
·         Migraines
·         Chronic bad breath
·         Allergies
Now, I thankfully cannot give testimony to everything on this list, but the last one has me giddy.  I am taking 2 teaspoons of ACV (diluted in water) twice a day and no allergy meds.  I have been using my NettiPot before bed.  I am not sure that I need to, but I still cannot believe that the ACV is working.  I was telling my mom about my experience with ACV this weekend, and she agreed that my skin looked better too.  I fell like singing after I drink it because my throat is so clear.  I wish I would have known about this back when I was in solo competitions and performances!  It is said that ACV works because it regulates blood sugar, suppresses appetite, decreases inflammation, reduces mucus, kills bacteria, kills fungus, balances the body's ph, detoxes and aids digestion.
The recommendation is to dilute 2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water.  ACV is very acidic.  Drinking it straight can erode the enamel off teeth and/or burn the esophagus.  I double the amount of water and drink it through a straw to keep it off my teeth.   There were reports of problems with drinking excessive amounts of ACV for an extended amount of time.  (Excessive amounts being 2 cups a day!  That is a lot of ACV!) 
I plan on continuing taking the ACV.  It is like the National Arthritis Foundation said “ACV is harmless, and unproven but what is it going to hurt to try it?  If it works, that’s great!” 


This post was linked to the Barn Hop at http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/ and http://www.nourishingtreasures.com/  and http://wearethatfamily.com/

4/19/12 NOTE:  I am getting a lot of questions about this post which is fun! I will try to do a follow up post soon, but really wanted to clarify that this post is about Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar.  (Braggs is a common brand.)  Locally I can get it at Fareway or Hy-Vee.  Don't buy the one that is "pretty" and looks like apple juice.  The one that you want is a little dirty looking.  The bottle often says that is "contains the mother."  I have no idea what "the mother" is but I know that the filtered ACV will not have the enzymes that raw does (making raw the effective ACV.)  It is also available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Bragg-Apple-Cider-Vinegar-liquid/dp/B001AIWAAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334839136&sr=8-1 

27 comments:

  1. ACV rocks!!! I had read where people recommended to dilute it with water/honey but somehow I ended up just doing mine as a quick "shot" in the morning, talk about getting my juices flowing!!

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    1. I am sure that does get you going in the morning. I am just afraid that undiluted would be too hard on my esophagus and teeth!

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  2. We use it faithfully for many reasons! I do add a touch of honey to ease the bite; it is wonderful.

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    1. I started with ACV in equal parts of water and apple juice, but it didn't take long for me to be able to just do water. I may need the honey for my kids if one of them gets sick!

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  3. I read on a natural wellness site to make "Super Water", you add 3 TBS of ACV to a gallon of filtered water, add 1 TBS of lemon juice and 2 oz of Aloe Vera juice (which I don't add). I keep that in the fridge and drink on it all day. I love it. It hasn't cured my candida but I figured it can't hurt it!!

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    1. That's a great idea Molly.
      There seems to be differing opinions on candida and ACV. From what I read it helps those fighting candida, but it alone can't cure.

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    2. Molly, I just tried it and I love it! Thanks for the suggestion!

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    3. Molly, I have heard conflicting on ACV and candida too. I did stop using ACV because my chiropractic physicians said it feeds the candida. But whose to say whats right for everyone... What did cure my 6 year battle with candida (and I mean CURE! Not just curb symptoms for a while) is the Paleo diet. I have been grain/sugar/dairy/gluten... free for 3ish months and it has made a HUGE difference in my life. I am finally free from that nasty candida and feel so much better about eating real foods, having more energy etc. If your interested I am blogging my paleo path. Just some food for thought ;-)

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  4. Let the test begin. I bought my miracle ACV last night. I'm probably skewing the results, though, as I am just doing 1 teaspoon in 8 oz of water. I told myself that with my smaller frame I could use less. The bottle DID say 1 - 2 teaspoons. :)

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  5. Way to go mom! Oh-and thanks for the blog love on facebook! :)

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  6. I love ACV for many things, but never drank it regularly. I will have to give it a try!

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    1. Let me know if you get any miracle cures Tome. Melissa said that she was going to try it after the baby!

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  7. ACV is acidic, but when taken internally it becomes alkaline in the body which is why it helps with acid reflux. One of nature's little quirks. ;)

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    1. And now we know! Thanks for the info.

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    2. ACV for acid reflux is a life saver!

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  8. I bought my first bottle of Braggs ACV about a week ago. I am giving this a try for sure!

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    1. Let us know if you notice any improvement to your health. I have heard that drinking it even works to keep mosquitoes away!

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  9. I really enjoyed this post and am a fan of ACV also. It has helped in my life as well. I was hoping that you could come over and see my post as well and give your testimony there. Thanks.

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  10. Great post! I'm just learning about ACV. Do you think it is okay for children to take daily? Do they need to take less than the amount you mentioned in your post?

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    1. I have given it to my son (age 3) for seasonal allergies. I give him about 1 1/2 tsp daily. I am NO expert, but my thought process is this. All citrus wears on teeth, yet we don't have warning stickers on oranges. Too many carrots can turn your skin orange as toxins build up. There are dangers in the over use/abuse of everything-even natural things. I don't have a problem giving it to my son WATERED down so that it doesn't burn the back of this throat. (We add local raw honey to help with allergies and to get the bitter stuff down!) 1 1/2 tsp during allergy season doesn't seem to be an over use to me. (From what I read those who were seeing negative side effects were taking up to 2 cups daily!)
      We have had issues with OTC allergy meds causing ear infections and sinus infections because the fluid just builds up in his head. For us the best option is ACV.

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  11. ACV is really great remedy. I'm using ACV for many reasons and because I'm very familiar with this great old remedy. In my family for decades ACV has been used daily. My grandpa made ACV from wild apples every year and we have consume it on regular basis. I myself writing the blog about ACV Apple Cider Vinegar Guide and I all I can say to you is tnx for publishing this article. You made great job and tnx for that.

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    1. That is so cool that your grandpa made it! My grandpa used to make unpasturized apple cider and I didn't realize what a treasure that was until now!

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  12. Yes that is true. When we are young we forgot and sometimes doesn't pay attention on really great life experience coming from elders. Today it's hard to find natural and so great product like that from my grandpa was. The only solution is on us, to try continue tradition and try to made it by ourself.

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  13. If you already have a bottle of ACV with the mother on-hand, you can simply and fairly quickly make a starter batch of your own ACV and never have to buy it again! I blogged about three different methods: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/make-raw-apple-cider-vinegar-acv-with.html

    I would love to have you link up with us at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
    http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/clever-chicks-blog-hop-5-happy-hen.html
    I hope to see you there!
    Cheers!
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick

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  14. Hello,
    Thanks for information.
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