Social media is flooded with info on how good apple cider vinegar is almost making it the miracle drink. It is good, so doubt about that, but good for who and what. Lets answer that.
What is vinegar?
Vinegar is a water based solution of acetic acid and other trace substances. Acetic acid is an important organic compound used to digest carbohydrates and fats in our body. This point will figure later in this article.
Acetic acid is also used in industry for multiple purposes. It is created by a commonly available bacteria after beer or wine is exposed to air.
With so much advances in bio-chemistry, about 75% of production of acetic acid is done industrially, rest 25% is done biologically by bacterial fermentation, the way it was done in ancient times.
Many countries have laws which require production of vinegar by the old method for food purity. In other situations industrially produced acetic acid is used to make vinegar. More about this later.
What is apple cider vinegar?
Just like regular vinegar, this one too is 5% acetic acid as the main & active component and 94% water. Since it is made from apples, it is called apple cider vinegar.
It is made in a two step process of fermentation. Apples are cleaned, crushed and juice extracted. The first fermentation begins with exposure to oxygen and adding of bacteria and yeast. This is called alcoholic fermentation because it creates ethanol. Sugars present in the apple juice is converted to alcohol.
In the second step another bacteria (acetobacter) is added which converts ethanol to acetic acid.
The second step also leaves behind a culture called mother. This culture has to be filtered and distilled. More about this ‘mother’ later.
Let us list what apple cider vinegar does not do
Apple cider vinegar is made from apples. We all know that apples are the most healthiest fruits. But that does not make apple cider vinegar healthy or drinking tons of this will improve your health. Micro nutrients just like in apple are also there in apple cider vinegar but they are in traces.
Apple has nutrients, sugar, fibre and some antioxidants. Sugar is removed during the fermentation process. Fibre is not there because we are dealing with apple juice only. So if you are drinking any fruit juice, do not compare ACV to that. Both have a different composition and purpose.
What apple cider vinegar really does
Facilitates digestion of carbs and fats – This one is the most important part because after you have a meal and if that meal is carb heavy, drinking ACV with water will help consume the glucose in your blood which will help in regulating the blood sugar levels.
Acid decreases stomach PH – Digestion is faster and better when the stomach acid PH level is lowest. It also helps to absorb all the nutrients. ACV is a type of acid and consuming it after a meal will help digestion.
So here is the technical part. If ACV helps with consumption of glucose, that means lesser glucose in the blood. Excess glucose is recalled by the liver to be stored as glycogen. Once the liver is full, the fat starts getting stored in the body as visceral fat. This claim is heavily disputed in the medical community.
If you are fasting, then it is believed that ACV will take care of the gut bacteria by promoting the growth of good bacteria.
Important points to remember
Industrial grade apple cider vinegar will be clear, packed in a plastic bottle and might be marked organic. But the catch is, if it is cheap, then it cannot be organic. Fermentation with bacteria and yeast will take time and effort and that being a manual process will cost money. So no going cheap on your health.
Many manufacturers sell ACV unfiltered along with the mother. That is another way to saying that the vinegar has been manufactured organically by the traditional method. There is still a chance that some of them may sell industrial grade ACV and then add the mother. So again really important to buy the best quality from a reputed manufacturer and pay for it.
ACV is 94% water and just 5% acid, but even that percentage is dangerous. Always dilute with water and then drink.
The acid also helps maintain a healthy scalp. Apply diluted ACV to your hair before you go to sleep.
Use a steel straw to sip it because the acid can cause tooth enamel corrosion.
Know that ACV will cause some throat irritation for the first time users.
If your aim is to improve glucose consumption, then you can drink it any time of the day. But for digestion purpose you can have it after a meal. There is really no limit of the number of times you can drink. Just don’t overdo it.
Many people use it as a souring agent with food. You can also do that to add taste to some really bland and boring salads.
Warm water or cold water dose not really matter. If it is sold in a glass jar, it does help as plastic might react.