A fresh-out-of-uni 21 year-old who loves music, film, video games and light reading.
A fresh-out-of-uni 21 year-old who loves music, film, video games and light reading.
Member since:21.10.2007
Reviews:18
Members who trust:2
Searching around on the net recently, overwhelming testimonials as to the miraculous healing powers of apple cider vinegar convinced me to finally give it a whirl. I am now addicted!
I'm hypoglycaemic, which means having too much sugar can cause me to feel rather loopy. And, having an insatiable sweet-tooth, I set off searching for ways of curbing my appetite for sugar. Lots of sources pointed to apple cider vinegar, especially in tablet form when combined with chrome - these were readily available at any health shop. The tablets themselves didn't have much effect on me, so I tried the liquid form and started to really notice a difference. Apple cider vinegar is thus, among other things, helpful for hypoglycaemia (where your body produces too much
insulin) and slimming as it normalises blood sugar and insulin production while eating, preventing peaks which can lead to sugar cravings.
For those who wish to use it to curb appetite, it is recommended that you take 2 or 3 tablespoons of the vinegar mixed with a tall glass of water about 15 minutes before each meal. You can of course down the 3 tablespoons without diluting it - and many people find this easier, as it gets it over with quicker - but I tried this once and almost choked to death from the burning sensation it caused in my throat! Diluted in water it is certainly manageable and I have even grown to like it (in fact it tastes a lot like the sour calamansi juice I used to drink in The Philippines). In my case, I then become slightly fuller after eating my meal - at least full enough to prevent binging. Many people have reported it relieves them from any sweet cravings whatsoever and makes them crave salad - I personally still have a sweet-tooth, just less of an appetite to stomach it! Since I've been drinking apple cider vinegar before my meals, I've never had even the slightest hint of a hypoglycaemic attack. Finally, I can eat sweet things, in moderation, and not feel worse for wear! And what's more - there are absolutely no side effects.
To drink it regularly as above, there are two things to consider. One is that the vinegar is likely to be useless for the health purposes if it is not organic. Much apple cider vinegar available in supermarkets is not organic and does not contain a special enzyme (called the mother) that gives it a lot of its therapeutic properties. Still, organic cider vinegar is easy to get. I recommend Aspall's Organic Cyder Vinegar which is available from many health shops in London (not Holland and Barrett, however) and ridiculously cheap at around £2.99 for per litre, and I've managed to grab bottles from smaller health shops in both the Victoria and Whitechapel areas of London (_Greens_ and Don't Panic, It's Organic respectively). Secondly, the vinegar is obviously very acidic and can annihilate tooth enamel. Some people thus rub their teeth with (alkaline) baking soda afterwards, or brush their teeth. Others, like myself, simply drink it through a straw to avoid it coming into contact with my teeth.
The benefits of cider vinegar do not stop there; I've heard it can heal an all number of ailments from acid reflux, allergies, high cholesterol, arthritis, gout, high blood pressure and gastric discomfort. Not only that, but it is supposed to make your hair and skin shiny and glowing. Moreover, I have heard it offers unparalleled protection from gastric bacteria and even viruses - people who drank cider vinegar before eating bad meat at a barbecue were the only ones spared from severe food poisoning, and some who contracted the contagious winter stomach virus experienced relief from their symptoms after taking some apple cider vinegar. My guess is that the vinegar creates an environment in your body that is far too acidic for germs to survive in.
Lastly, it is of course a great-tasting ingredient in recipes. My personal favourite recipe for salad dressing includes apple cider vinegar, olive oil, mustard, sugar, basil, oregano and pepper - all to taste. Delightful!
In sum, apple cider vinegar really does have different effects on everybody but if you're like me and thousands of other people, it may cure an existing ailment or simply provide better protection from germs, or a ridiculously healthy salad dressing. You have nothing to lose by trying!
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This is a great review - I had heard cider vinegar was good for all sorts of cleaning uses around the house, and the obvious culinary ones, but didn't realise it had antiviral properties - I may give it a shot!
watkins11 30.01.2008 17:45
Sounds like a good product, I have a really sweet tooth so it may help me say no to puddings and chocolate! Nice review.
nathaninnit 30.01.2008 16:26
A really good review, however I think it would be a good idea if you tried to expand upon the amount of reviews you are rating. You've rated 8 for the almost 200 ratings you've received, and you'd get so much more out of Ciao if you gave a few more ratings. Ciao can actually be a really good income when you get the hang of it ;o)
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