25 Ways Apple Cider Vinegar Can Change Your Life

25 Ways Apple Cider Vinegar
Can Change Your Life
The use of apple cider vinegar dates back hundreds of years.
Because of its potent antibacterial properties, it was – is –
a favorite to use for numerous applications including wounds,
bruises, and even prophylactic cleansing.
Folk medicine credited apple cider vinegar as a remedy for
illnesses like the flu and there are numerous modern studies
that support the various health claims of consuming and using
apple cider vinegar and its potential for use as a natural and
healthier alternative to antibacterial products.
Health Benefits
1. Curing Mouth Sores: Mota, et. al. evaluated the antifungal
abilities of ACV, using it to kill Candida, a fungus that is
responsible for a condition called oral thrush. When you wear
dentures or practice poor oral hygiene, you have a higher risk
for getting mouth infections or sores. Instead of using a
typical commercial mouthwash that is laden with chemicals, try
a rinse made with apple cider vinegar! Dilute ACV in half a
glass of water and rinse out your mouth after brushing your
teeth to dry out those mouth sores.
[1]
2. Reducing Serum Lipid Levels: A 2014 study on ACV was
conducted on several groups of mice, testing the beneficial
effects of ACV on serum lipid levels. The mice were on highcholesterol diets and fed ACV. The study concluded that
including ACV in your diet could significantly lower total
cholesterol, suggestive of preventative action against heart
and metabolic health diseases.
[2]
3. Protecting Your Liver and Kidneys: The same study that
concluded that ACV lowers serum lipid levels also found out
that ACV could prevent oxidative stress which damages the
liver and kidneys. The protective effect of ACV was seen as
the levels of antioxidants and vitamins in the kidney and
liver were higher after ACV was included in the mice’s diets.
[2]
4. Reducing Serum Blood Glucose: ACV’s ability to decrease the
levels of triglycerides, HDLs, and LDLs can protect a person
from diabetes. This was seen in Shishehbor, et. al.’s study
that focused on ACV’s effects on the lipid profile of rats.
After feeding the rats with diets with ACV for four weeks, the
HbA1c levels of the diabetic rats were significantly
decreased. HbA1c is a test that measures plasma glucose levels
over a long period of time, which is more accurate for testing
for diabetes than testing blood sugar after fasting. The
results of the study were conclusive: ACV can help reduce
blood glucose levels in the body in the long-run and prevent
diabetes.
[3]
5. Improving Insulin Sensitivity: An older study published in
2004 also solidified ACV’s beneficial effects for diabetics.
Johnston, Kim, and Buller studied the effects of ACV on
insulin sensitivity after meals. Insulin produced by the
pancreas is responsible for promoting glucose uptake by the
cells – which is compromised in diabetics. When the cells
become less responsive to insulin, too much glucose remains in
the blood. After including ACV in their diets, the test
subjects had significantly better insulin sensitivity after
consuming high-glucose food.
[4]
6. Relieving a Sore Throat: A warm, apple cider vinegar gargle
can potentially help fight the symptoms of a sore throat
caused by bacteria. Mix equal parts water and vinegar
(depending on your tolerance for the ACV’s acidity and taste)
and gargle two to three times a day. The ACV gargle can help
reduce inflammation and cause faster alleviation of your sore
throat.
7. Fighting Athlete’s Foot: Not only can ACV be used to fight
foot odor, it can also be used to prevent athlete’s foot. Wipe
your feet a cloth dampened with ACV and wash after a few
minutes. The solution can be diluted or use pure ACV; pure ACV
has higher acetic acid concentration and has a higher chance
killing the microorganisms responsible for athlete’s foot.
8. Relieving Itchiness and Sunburn: Relieving itchiness is
another popular home remedy for ACV. If you’ve got a bug bite,
a scratch from poison ivy, or sunburn, ACV is your cure. For
small, affected areas, apply apple cider vinegar directly to
the area. If you’ve got a problem with sunburn, apple ACV to
your bathwater and soak in it for 10 to 15 minutes to ease the
pain.
Beauty Benefits
9. Toning the Face: Toners are marketed to even out the skin’s
complexion, give the skin a deeper clean, and prevent acne.A
popular – and cheap! – method for keeping your face toned and
clean is using apple cider vinegar. Beauty gurus all over the
internet are endorsing ACV as their go-to alternative to
commercial facial toners on the market. Remember to dilute the
ACV (half water, half ACV) to prevent damage to the delicate
skin of the face. If you start experiencing rashes or skin
sensitivity, dilute the ACV further or give your skin a break.
This will even out your skin tone and fade blemishes faster.
10. Preventing Body Odor: Similar to ACV’s effects on
athlete’s foot, you can also use diluted ACV to prevent body
odor. Body odor is caused by bacteria found on the skin not by
sweat, which means you need to target the bacteria in order to
fight body odor. Wipe ACV on your underarms before bed and
shower the morning after (to remove the smell) to kill the
odor-causing bacteria found in the area. You never have to
worry about body odor ever again!
11. Teeth Whitening: The critics are divided on this one,
because prolonged consumption or use of vinegar can damage
tooth enamel. However, the benefits of ACV’s bacteria-fighting
properties cannot be denied. Gargle a dilutedACV solution
occasionally or in moderation and prevent cavities and fight
bad breath or halitosis. With proper use, you can even see
your teeth whiten due to ACV use.
12. Clearing Out Dandruff: Using an ACV mixture as a hair
rinse is an effective way to clear out dandruff. When your
scalp flakes, it can be difficult to remove the dandruff with
just shampoo and water. The acid content of ACV can reduce
product build-up in your hair, which contributes to the
formation of dandruff, aside from clearing out the dandruff
itself. Spray a diluted ACV mixture into your hair, wrap a
towel around your head, and leave it on for as long as an hour
before rinsing it out.
13. Fading Bruises: Similar to the way ACV can fade blemishes,
ACV can also help fade bruises faster. The potential antiinflammatory effects of ACV can speed up the healing process
of broken blood vessels under the skin (which cause the
formation of bruises). If you’ve got any nasty bruises, try
gently rubbing the area with apple cider vinegar and watch
your bruises fade in a few days.
14. Removing Warts: While the exact science behind the ability
of ACV to remove warts is still unknown, its effectiveness is
unmetered. Soak a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and apply
it nightly to the wart until it is removed. The acidity of the
ACV can dry out the wart quicker which could be the reason why
it is so effective in wart removal.
15. Aiding Digestion: The antibacterial and antioxidant
properties of ACV can help settle your stomach. You can drink
a solution of ACV, water, and sugar when you have stomach flu
or ache to ease the cramps or pain. You can even store it in
the refrigerator as a digestive aid you can take if you’ve
eaten something that doesn’t agree with you.
Lifestyle Benefits
16. Detoxifying the Body: Detox diets are all the rage today,
with numerous people turning to “detoxifying” to keep the
extra weight off and be healthier. Apple cider vinegar is a
potent anti-oxidant that has been proven to clear the body of
free radicals and toxins. Include ACV in your drink in the
morning and start your detox diet today.
17. Post-exercise Energy Drink: Apple cider vinegar is also
rich in nutrients like amino acids which can counteract the
effects of lactic acid. Because lactic acid build up happens
after exercising, try including ACV in your post-exercise
drink to prevent any muscle pain.
Cleaning Benefits:
18. Cleaning Counters: The problem with commercial-grade
household cleaners is their inherent danger to humans.
Children and pets can ingest them which can cause severe
health problems, and in other cases, even simple exposure to a
commercial cleaning agent can damage the skin. Apple cider
vinegar is not only beneficial to the body, it is also a
potent household cleaner. You can use it pure to wipe down
kitchen and bathroom counters, followed by a rinse with a damp
cloth.
19. Killing Bad Odors: Apple cider vinegar is a great choice
for killing bad odors in your home. When you use ACV to clean
your counters, you’ll notice that it also keeps them odor
free! If you are experiencing any bad smells from your
bathroom, kitchen or your pets, try keeping ACV in a dish and
placing it that area. It will neutralize any unwanted odors.
20. Tending Your Garden: One of the worst battles to fight if
you keep a garden is the weeds. They feed off of the nutrients
that would’ve otherwise nurtured your plants and change the
composition of the soil in which they grow. If you have
problems with pests or weeds, try a spray made with apple
cider vinegar, salt, and dish soap.But be careful when you use
this ACV spray! It will also kill any plant you use it on so
spray with caution.
Cooking Benefits
21. Salad Dressing: The most obvious use for apple cider
vinegar is in cooking, primarily in salads. It is a healthier
option to regular vinegar. Mix ACV with your preferred oil —
such as olive oil – and other ingredients like garlic and
mustard, and use it as a dressing for your salad greens.
22. Juice: As previously mentioned, ACV’s numerous nutritional
benefits make it an excellent addition to juices as well.
Because drinking pure ACV can damage your teeth and throat,
the best way to have it is through a juice. It can also add a
tangy zest to your water or drink aside from being nutritious.
23. Soups: Despite the sour flavor of ACV, it is a perfect
addition to soups. It won’t really taste like vinegar! It will
be an interesting taste to add to your run-of-the-mill soups.
24. Baking: Vinegar is used in baking
fluffiness or baked goods like breads
switch up regular vinegar to ACV in your
only add more airiness to the finished
improve its nutritional content.
25. Sauce: The
is apple cider
sauces in the
with your own
to help improve the
and cakes. You can
baking recipe to not
product but also to
secret ingredient to the perfect barbeque sauce
vinegar! Instead of buying commercial barbeque
supermarket, try making your own from scratch
personal blend of flavors. ACV will add that
needed kick to your sauce and make it healthier to eat too.
References
[1] Mota, A., et. al. (2014). Antifungal Activity of Apple
Cider Vinegar on Candida Species Involved in Denture
Stomatitis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25219289
[2] Naziroglu, M., et. al. (2014). Apple cider vinegar
modulates serum lipid profile, erythrocyte, kidney, and liver
membrane oxidative stress in ovariectomized mice fed high
cholesterol. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24894721
[3] Shishehbor, F., et. al. (2008). Apple cider vinegar
attenuates lipid profile in normal and diabetic rats.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19630216
[4] Johnston, C., Kim, C., & Buller, A. (2004). Vinegar
Improves Insulin Sensitivity to a High-Carbohydrate Meal in
Subjects With Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes.
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full
Source:
http://www.herbs-info.com/blog/25-ways-apple-cider-vinegar-can
-change-your-life/