Apple Cider Vinegar..What's the deal?

Apple cider vinegar.  

That weird smelling brown liquid that you always saw in grandma and mom's pantry and now, although you don't know why, you have some that sits there, too.  

Well....

If you're vegan you can use it for its leavening properties along with other baking products, or with soy to enhance dairy-like flavors.  (This was one of my favorite baking hacks when I was vegan)

If you just want a non-toxic biodegradable way to clean your drains, then baking soda, apple cider vinegar and hot water is all you need.

Out of your astringent? No problem...dab some on a cotton ball and wipe away.

But you didn't open this blog to hear about that.  You wanted to read about why people like Dr. Oz continuously promote drinking it. Why every time you turn around some famous person like Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas or musician Katy Perry has commented on how it has been part of their daily routine for as long as they can remember. 

The answer is not what you think.  It's not weight loss.   But if it's not that and all the drinks are called detox or weight loss, what could all the hype be about?  

(Before we go further, please remember not all things are created equal.  For the sake of this writing all Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) references are towards Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar as it is the only one I have personally used for all applications.)

It's simple. Organ and gut health through therapeutic and holistic means.  Thus, in turn, potentially assisting in weight loss, as well as a whole string of other health benefits.  

Let's take acid reflux for example.  If you suffer from this, adding anywhere from a teaspoon up to a tablespoon of ACV to some water once a day may help balance the PH levels in your gut and voila! Less episodes and no extra toxins put in your body.  At least this has been true in our home.  

Now, we had to take this another step further as my son also suffers from GERD or Gastroesphageal reflux disease (which is not the same as acid reflux, but more on all of this later and we absolutely consult all our doctors before any new, holistic, natural-type remedy is incorporated into our daily health plan)

For this we use FDA approved pure food grade Peppermint Essential Oil from Young Living.  Mix the essential oil with organic coconut oil and mineral water, melt down the mixture and blend together for 2-3 minutes, then freeze into little cubes.  Silicone trays work best. These cubes are for GERD relief only.  

A lot of you probably already knew that weight loss and gut health went together but what about kidney health and weight loss?  If your kidneys are not functioning properly, your body will retain water and swell, causing edema.  Adding ACV to your diet can aid in flushing the water from your body and help correct the edema which will have the side effect of weight loss.  Crazy, right?  When I first heard of this from a pediatric nephrologist, I thought I was being spoofed, I wasn't. Complete truth bomb.  

So, as the mom of a male child who suffered from kidney issues, including stones, from a very young age, you can bet your booty we got on and stayed on the ACV bandwagon.  Guess what happened...we don't see that doctor anymore and that in itself says something big.  

Although, scientific research is yet to be 100% released on this matter, or aforementioned matters, sometimes the old wives tales of great-grandma's medicine cabinet have more clout than some medical book.  There's a reason certain things have been used for forever and our elders seemed to live longer.  Here's why.

Now we are at the fun part, how to take ACV, because let's be honest, it tastes about like it smells and 99% of the population will agree that it smells horrible.  

Luckily, there are other amazing things you can mix it with for a refreshing beverage with oh so many benefits.

Here is my personal, (in my opinion) perfected, daily drink recipe.  

The Super Quad Squad

Here are my favorite juices to use,Lakewood Pure Organic Cranberry Juice,  Lakewood Pure Organic Black Cherry Juice or the Cheribundi 100% Tart Cherry Juice.

Happy sipping!

I'll be back soon!

Courtney

*I am not a doctor and there are no full proof scientific studies completed, yet, to back the information in this blog.  The information is purely based on personal use over many years under physician approval.  As well as years of published holistic beliefs, study and trade. 

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