Vital Force Naturals

Vinegar, love it or hate it, it’s something of a miracle of nature! It was first mentioned for preservation and healing at least 7000 years ago in Babylon, the Romans and Greeks used it to treat scurvy and the Roman armies used it as an antiseptic for wounds and as a tonic to drink. In 1348 during the Black Death, cloth soaked in vinegar was used to cover the nose and mouth, both to disguise the smell of disease and to avoid the spread of the plague. Even during the 18th century when there was no sanitation sponges were soaked in vinegar and carried in small silver boxes to disguise the smell. 

It’s been thought of as a panacea throughout history – thought to cleanse the blood, cure insomnia, control weight and its anti-inflammatory properties can calm stings and bites and alleviate and arthritis. As well as being a useful mouthwash for ulcers and to strengthen the gums it’s also great to gargle for sore and ticklish throats. Drinking diluted apple cider vinegar can aid digestion and alleviate constipation and applied topically is a skin purifier and tonic. It’s also good for your hair, add a spoonful to your rinse water for strong shiny locks.

There are many types of vinegar, red wine, white wine, cider, balsamic, malt and white arguably being the most well known, but it can be made by fermenting any alcohol. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is the one particularly favoured by health practitioners like myself because it contains the mineral potassium which every cell in your body needs. Potassium and sodium work together in the body to help maintain homeostasis, but unfortunately with today’s modern diet of processed foods we are consuming way too much sodium and not enough potassium (think vegetables, lentils, fruits and leafy greens) This can lead to high blood pressure, stroke risk and cardiovascular disease. 

During the fermentation process beneficial acids form including acetic acid which is a natural prebiotic. It slows the rate at which we digest sugars and starches into glucose which results in lower blood sugar spikes. Once in the blood stream it penetrates muscles encouraging them to soak up glucose and store it and studies have shown it even tells DNA to reprogram mitochondria to burn more fat. Obviously this is great to help reduce and maintain weight, improves hip/waist measurements, reduces visceral fat and helps reduce inflammation, balance hormones, increase energy and slow down aging. Phew, what’s not to like??

One of the easiest ways to get your daily dose of ACV is to have it in a salad dressing with a good quality olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, lovely in the summer but I don’t eat as much salad in the winter. So I’ve taken to diluting a tablespoon of ACV in a litre of water and drinking it throughout the day. I’m not keen on vinegar (totally spoils a good portion of chips) and this makes it drinkable, I’ve even come to quite like it. And as I drink around 2 litres of water a day this helps me keep track of what I’ve had. You could just have a shot first thing in the morning if you can stand it, or incorporate it into a meal somewhere. Eating pickles as a side or making an ACV cocktail with your favourite fruits, juice and some sparkling water are other ways of getting it in. Experiment and find something that you enjoy and you’re more likely to keep it up.

Always buy a good quality ACV, preferably organic and one that still contains the ‘mother’, the starting point of the vinegar. Let me know how you get on and keep checking this page as I’ll be posting some recipes in the coming weeks 🙂