The more I think about it, the more I realize that back in the day the foods we ate played a big role in our overall health. From veggies to fruit to meats, everything was as close to fresh and natural as it could be.
Growing up in South Florida, our house set on a little more than a quarter of an acre. We had an oasis of fruit trees that we kids raided every day when they were in season.
We had three different types of mango trees (turpentine, peach, and banana), my favorite was turpentine. There was also a guava tree, a mulberry tree and a coconut palm which all beared fruit.
We also had a seagrape and an almond tree which for some strange reason died. Being that I was so young at the time, I didn’t question what happened. Maybe they needed to be fertilized or something and my father didn’t do it…I’ll never know.
You never heard of or even knew someone who had cancer or anything else for that matter. And being that this was only a little more than 50 years ago seems crazy to me that there are so many cases now.
Why is that?
I think, and this is my opinion, that it’s got a lot to do with all the preservatives they put into our food and the hormones they inject in the meats trying to plump it up or give it color. They are creating and adding more chemicals to our food under the disguise of supply and demand. Why? There has always been supply and demand and our food was as close to fresh and natural as you could get.
Now they package some foods as organic and ask you to pay more for it. It’s Ludacris how you’re being asked to pay more to get organic food. Why? Shouldn’t this be the way your food is grown anyway?
To them, it’s all about a dollar instead of being healthy and organic for consumption. What have we come to as a nation where we’ve gotten to the point of genocide? Not caring about our citizens being healthy and living a long life.
Thank goodness there’s something you can do to help strengthen you and your family’s bodies against these additives. The answer is a condiment that’s sitting in most people’s pantries right now. Including yours.
It’s just one of the many things we had at our fingertips back in the day that kept us healthy.
It’s vinegar! Whether it’s apple cider or white, you’ll be surprised at the health benefits that come with this condiment. This takes me back to my childhood. As kids, we’d pull half ripe mangoes (usually turpentine) off the tree, peel them, cut them up and let them soak for about 30 minutes in white or apple cider vinegar that we diluted with water to weaken the strong taste and some salt and black pepper.
That was a delicacy to us…who knew that it was a health benefit? Definitely not us. We only knew that half ripe mangoes tasted good drenched in it.
Although all vinegars have health benefits, apple cider has the most. Preferably the raw-unfiltered, unpasteurized and organic to be exact.
Here are 6 Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits…
1.) Regulates Blood Sugar Levels:
The ability of apple cider vinegar to help maintain normal blood sugar is one of the most well-studied apple cider vinegar benefits.
In one study, vinegar consumption was found to decrease blood sugar levels by an average of 31 percent after eating white bread. Similarly, an animal study showed that giving diabetic rats apple cider vinegar for four weeks was found to significantly reduce blood sugar levels.
Apple cider vinegar may also increase insulin sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone responsible for transporting sugar from the blood to the tissues where it can be used as fuel. Sustaining high levels of insulin can cause Insulin resistance, which reduces its effectiveness and leads to high blood sugar and diabetes.
A study in Diabetes Care showed that vinegar ingestion helped significantly improve insulin sensitivity by up to 34 percent in those with either type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance.
To keep blood sugar levels stable, try diluting one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 8 ounces of water and consuming before meals. Additionally, be sure to moderate carbohydrate intake, increase your consumption of fiber and protein foods and get in plenty of regular physical activity to drop blood sugar even more.
2.) Lowers Cholesterol:
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that can build up in the arteries, causing them to narrow and harden. High blood cholesterol puts a strain on your heart, forcing it to work harder to push blood throughout the body.
Apple cider vinegar can promote heart health by helping to keep cholesterol levels low. An animal study out of Iran showed that supplementing rats with apple cider vinegar was able to reduce bad LDL cholesterol while also increasing beneficial HDL cholesterol.
Besides including a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar in your diet each day, other ways to lower cholesterol fast include minimizing your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates, including a good variety of healthy fats in your diet and eating a few servings of fish per week.
3.) Enhances Weight Loss:
Apple cider vinegar has been in the limelight recently with fitness gurus and natural health experts alike recommending an apple cider vinegar diet to help drop unwanted pounds quickly. But is apple cider vinegar good for weight loss?
There is a plethora of research out there confirming the benefits of apple cider vinegar for weight loss. In one study, consuming just two tablespoons per day of apple cider vinegar over 12 weeks resulted in nearly 4 pounds of weight loss with no other modifications to diet or lifestyle.
Studies show that apple cider vinegar may also increase satiety, which can help reduce intake and amp up weight loss. In fact, one study showed that drinking apple cider vinegar actually decreased total caloric intake by up to 275 calories over the course of the day.
However, just because apple cider vinegar benefits weight loss doesn’t mean that it should be used as a quick fix all on its own. In fact, if just drinking it alone, the amount of apple cider vinegar weight loss will be minimal. To really see results, be sure to use it in combination with a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
4.) Improves Skin Health:
Apple cider vinegar doesn’t just affect your internal health; it has also been shown to treat acne and reduce scarring. Certain strains of bacteria often contribute to the development of acne. Vinegar is well-known for its antibacterial properties and has been shown to be effective against many strains of harmful bacteria.
Apple cider vinegar also contains specific components like acetic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid and citric acid, all of which have been shown to inhibit the growth of Propionibacterium acnes, the specific strain of bacteria responsible for causing acne.
These beneficial components may also reduce scarring. A study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology showed that treating acne scars with lactic acid for three months led to improvements in the texture, pigmentation, and appearance of treated skin as well as a lightening of scars.
Adding some probiotic foods into your diet, using healing masks and toners and keeping your skin well-moisturized are some other effective home remedies for acne.
5.) Reduces Blood Pressure:
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. It forces the heart to work harder, causing the heart muscle to weaken and deteriorate over time.
Apple cider vinegar benefits your blood pressure levels, helping to keep your heart healthy and strong. An animal study in Japan showed that giving rats acetic acid, the main component in vinegar, resulted in reduced levels of blood pressure. Another animal study had similar findings, demonstrating that vinegar effectively blocked the actions of a specific enzyme that raises blood sugar.
Other natural ways to lower blood pressure include increasing your intake of magnesium and potassium, upping your fiber intake and swapping the salt and processed foods for whole foods.
6.) Relieves Symptoms of Acid Reflux:
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD or acid reflux, is a condition characterized by acid backflow from the stomach up into the esophagus, causing symptoms like heartburn, belching and nausea.
Acid reflux is often a result of having low levels of stomach acid. If this is the case for you, drinking apple cider vinegar may help provide relief from acid reflux symptoms by introducing more acid into the digestive tract to prevent backflow.
For best results, dilute one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in an 8-ounce glass of water and drink just before eating. Additionally, remember to follow an acid reflux diet rich in vegetables, healthy fats and fermented foods to slash symptoms even more.
There are a few more ways vinegar can give your health a boost. With that in mind, we must not forget some of our past eating habits that played a significant role in our overall health. Food was more natural with fewer preservatives…period.
Hopefully we, as a nation, get back to putting the health of our citizens first and only sell natural and organic food that’s good for your health and don’t contribute to certain diseases.
