You know all that emails you get that such and such things are really good/bad for you, right? One of the emails I got in the past was about the multiple health benefits of apple cider vinegar. Among them: treating migraines and weight loss, to mention only two that were really interesting from my point of view.
So, here I am, rushing to the store to buy the organic variety, the one with the ‘mother’ in it. Then diligently, for over a month, I drank in the morning a full glass of water with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of honey.
No result. No weigh loss and the migraines were still hitting me as often and as furious as before. And don’t give me the lecture that honey was the one not helping with the weight loss because it was supposed to be in the mix.
Oh, well… I have tried it. Now I am giving you the claim and the real story of the apple cider vinegar.
Yeah, I know, some people swear by it, some would give example their grandfather who used to drink half a litter a day (I am kidding!!) and lived until he was so old he had to be shoot to die (I am kidding again!!). The truth is that vinegar probably is harmless when consumed in small quantities and that the long list of benefits should be considerably shortened.
The Claim
Apple cider vinegar is an old folk remedy that allegedly could cure arthritis, guard against osteoporosis, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent cancer, destroy infection, assist in digestion and weight control, maintain memory, and protect the mind from aging.
Here is the school of thoughts regarding the miraculous properties of apple cider vinegar:
– Abundance of nutrients
– Presence of trace minerals, bacteria and enzymes
– Presence of pectin, beta-carotene, potassium, amino acids
– Complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber
The Truth
There is no scientific evidence that apple cider vinegar has any medicinal properties.
A nutritional analysis of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar reveals that the liquid contains less than a gram of carbohydrate, minuscule amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium. copper, manganese, and phosphorus; and a mere 15 mg of potassium. The fiber, vitamin, and amino acid content is zero.
As for the presence of any beneficial enzymes in apple cider vinegar, food scientists doubt that any could thrive in the acid environment of the vinegar and more probable they would be destroyed in the acid of the stomach when consumed and be of no use to the body.