Whenever I suffered from bloating, fatigue or stress I dreamt of a miracle pill. You know the one where the doctor would say, "Oh Stace, sorry I missed this, here's your pill. Take 2 a day for 4 days and you'll be back to normal". The reality for me (and for so many of us) is that there isn't a ‘magic’ pill – there are simply lots of small changes that can be made that will result in great health.
One small change that I made helped to stop my bloating and improved my digestion. I added apple cider vinegar (ACV) to my diet, everyday.
Simple.
Now, here’s how they make it and why it’s so good:
- Apple Cider Vinegar can stop bloating – Raw ACV is a strong digestive aid. It promotes the growth of gut flora, helps ease constipation and stimulates the natural stomach acids. These all help your digestive system to work more freely.
- Apple Cider Vinegar can help you detox – Helpful in balancing the body's pH, ACV creates an overall detoxification of the body. Recent research shows that it can even help stimulate cardiovascular circulation and help detoxify the liver. Perfect.
- Apple Cider Vinegar supports your lymphatic system – Consumption of ACV helps to break up mucous in the body and cleanse the lymph nodes. Recent research suggests that when reducing mucous and sinus congestion, it can actually reduce the effects of allergies and all the nasty side effects that come with that, e.g. staving off sinus infections, easing a sore throat, reducing rashes and even easing headaches.
- Apple Cider Vinegar can stop sugar cravings – You can thank the vinegar’s strong taste in part for this one, along with it's properties that help to block the digestion of starch. Professor Carol Johnston, who's been studying the effects of ACV on blood sugar for over 10 years, suggests, “It doesn’t block the starch 100%, but it definitely prevents at least some of that starch from being digested and raising your blood sugar.”
- Apple Cider Vinegar is antibacterial – Perfect for boosting the immune system.
Wondering how this vinegar is made?
It's done a little different from the regular supermarket kind, Natural Apple Cider Vinegar is made from fresh, crushed, organically grown apples and allowed to mature in tanks, which boosts its natural fermentation qualities. When mature, it produces web-like brown strains, that become visible when you hold the bottle to the light.These brown strains are the best part of the liquid and I encourage you to enjoy them along with the rest of the liquid. If your bottle / brand doesn't have these than it's likely it been heat treated (pasteurised) and the full benefits of the ACV are no longer there.
Like chloropyll, ACV is purchased from your local health food store and many supermarkets. I purchase a raw and unfiltered variety, The Bragg brand is what I use. I drink it in a little warm water to start my day if I've woken sluggish, I add it to salad dressings (recipe for this is in my eBook) and I regularly cook with it. If I'm feeling especially sluggish, I'll drink one tablespoon in warm water 20 minutes before a meal.
I'd love to hear your experience with ACV in the 'comments' below. Have you tried it? How do you like to take it? Is there something else that has worked for you with any bloating you may get?
Stace x