By: Amanda Belo
Many of us know the household cleaning wonders of vinegar. This jack-of-all-trades liquid cleans, deodorizes, kills germs and gets rid of fabric stains among other things. You might even enjoy a little vinegar on your sandwich and as a flavor for your chips. But, what would you think about drinking it?
One of the latest trends in health drinks is drinking vinegar. Several brands have bottled it up for you in different flavors, like Suja, Blueprint Vinegar Tonic, Kevita, McClary Bros, and Bragg. You can even try your hand at making your own drinking vinegar concoction to better monitor your sugar intake.
Benefits of Drinking Vinegar
- Drinking vinegar contains prebiotics and probiotics, which are good for gut health.1
- The acid in vinegar may alleviate cold symptoms, like sore throats and stuffy noses.1
- May lower bad cholesterol1 and reduce blood sugar levels after eating carbohydrates.2
A few cautions before you start chugging down a bottle of apple cider vinegar…
- Look at the type of vinegar used. The most common type is apple cider vinegar, which has been shown to provide many health benefits. Other types of vinegar have less scientific research to back up the benefits, such as cane vinegar.3
- Note the serving size so that you are not taking in too many calories or carbohydrates, and especially too much sugar. Sometimes you can get more than one serving out of a bottle.3
- Drink in moderation. Low blood potassium and bone loss have been attributed to large doses of apple cider vinegar over a long period of time, as well as possibility of tooth enamel damage and throat burns or irritation from the acidity.4
- Read the label. Not every bottle of drinking vinegar is made the same. For example, some may need to be diluted due to being concentrated.3 Also, some may contain fruit juice, added sugar and sweeteners.3
Experiment at Home
Many drinking vinegar brands are loaded with sugar. Making your own vinegar beverage at home is another option so that you can control the ingredients. It’s simple with a base of two components: vinegar and honey for sweetening.
To make your homemade drinking vinegar, take two teaspoons of organic raw apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of organic honey, and swirl into a cup of warm water once a day. Optionally, fresh fruit can be added. Chill to drink cold.3
Reources:
- http://coveteur.com/2016/10/06/drinking-vinegars-new-health-trend/
- https://www.prevention.com/eatclean/trendy-vinegar-drinks
- http://www.health.com/nutrition/drinking-vinegar
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/apple-cider-vinegar-side-effects#section3
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