Apple Cider Vinegar - What You Need to Know

Vinegar folklore is as colorful as it is practical. Legend states that a courtier in Babylonia (c. 5000 BC) “discovered” wine, formed from unattended grape juice, leading to the eventual discovery of vinegar and its use as a food preservative.

Hippocrates (c. 420 BC) used vinegar medicinally to manage wounds. Hannibal of Carthage (c. 200 BC), the great military leader and strategist, used vinegar to dissolve boulders that blocked his army's path. Cleopatra (c. 50 BC) dissolved precious pearls in vinegar and offered her love potion to Anthony. Sung Tse, the 10th century creator of forensic medicine, advocated hand washing with sulfur and vinegar to avoid infection during autopsies.

Based on the writings of US medical practitioners dating to the late 18th century, many ailments, from dropsy to poison ivy, croup, and stomachache, were treated with vinegar and, before the production and marketing of hypoglycemic agents, vinegar “teas” were commonly consumed by diabetics to help manage their chronic aliment.

Vinegar, from the French vin aigre, meaning “sour wine,” can be made from almost any fermentable carbohydrate source, including wine, molasses, dates, sorghum, apples, pears, grapes, berries, melons, coconut, honey, beer, maple syrup, potatoes, beets, malt, grains, and whey. Initially, yeasts ferment the natural food sugars to alcohol. Next, acetic acid bacteria (Acetobacter) convert the alcohol to acetic acid.

Commercial vinegar is produced by either fast or slow fermentation processes. For the quick methods, the liquid is oxygenated by agitation and the bacteria culture is submerged permitting rapid fermentation. The slow methods are generally used for the production of the traditional wine vinegars, and the culture of acetic acid bacteria grows on the surface of the liquid and fermentation proceeds slowly over the course of weeks or months.

What is 'vinegar eel' ?

The longer fermentation period allows for the accumulation of a nontoxic slime composed of yeast and acetic acid bacteria, known as the mother of vinegar. Vinegar eels (nematodaTurbatrix aceti) feed on these organisms and occur in naturally fermenting vinegar. Most manufacturers filter and pasteurize their product before bottling to prevent these organisms from forming. After opening, mother may develop in stored vinegar; it is considered harmless and can be removed by filtering.

Many people advocate retaining the mother for numerous, but unsubstantiated, health effects.
Medscape Medical Journal on Apple Vinegar


What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?


Alce Nero Organic Apple Cider Vinegar


While vinegar can be made from all sorts of things like many fruits, vegetables, and grains; apple cider vinegar comes from pulverized apples. The main ingredient of apple cider vinegar, or any vinegar, is acetic acid.
However, vinegars also have other acids, vitamins, mineral salts, and amino acids. Apple Cider Vinegar: Cure for Everything? While long used as a folk remedy, apple cider vinegar became well known in the U.S. in the late 1950s.

During the alternative medicine boom of recent years, apple cider vinegar pills have become a popular dietary supplement. Look on the back of a box of supplements or on the Internet or in the pages of any one of the many books on vinegar and health and you'll find some amazing claims. Apple cider vinegar is purported to treat numerous diseases, health conditions, and annoyances. To name a few, it's supposed to kill head lice, reverse aging, ease digestion, and wash "toxins" from the body.

Most of these claims have no evidence backing them up. Some like vinegar's supposed ability to treat lice or warts -- have actually been studied, and researchers turned up nothing to support their use. Other claims have been backed up by studies, but with a catch: vinegar may work, but not as well as other treatments. For instance, while vinegar is a disinfectant, it doesn't kill as many germs as common cleaners. And while vinegar does seem to help with jelly fish stings an old folk remedy, hot water works better!

But there are some medical uses of vinegar that do have promise, at least according to a few studies.

Here's a rundown of some more recent ones.

• Diabetes. The effect of vinegar on blood sugar levels is perhaps the best-researched and the most promising of apple cider vinegar's possible health benefits. Several studies have found that vinegar may help lower glucose levels. For instance, one 2007 study of 11 people with type 2 diabetes found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels in the morning by 4%-6%.
• High cholesterol . A 2006 study showed evidence that vinegar could lower cholesterol. However, the study was done in rats, so it's too early to know how it might work in people.
• Blood pressure and heart health. Another study in rats found that vinegar could lower high blood pressure. A large observational study also found that people who ate oil and vinegar dressing on salads five to six times a week had lower rates of heart disease than people who didn't. However, it's far from clear that the vinegar was the reason.
• Cancer . A few laboratory studies have found that vinegar may be able to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. Observational studies of people have been confusing. One found that eating vinegar was associated with a decreased risk of esophageal cancer. Another associated it with an increased risk of bladder cancer.
• Weight Loss . For thousands of years, vinegar has been used for weight loss. White vinegar (and perhaps other types) might help people feel full. A 2005 study of 12 people found that those who ate a piece of bread along with small amounts of white vinegar felt fuller and more satisfied than those who just ate the bread.

How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for its Health Benefits?

You need to make sure that you use only the natural, organic variety of apple cider vinegar.

Propagators of this wonder drug claim that the best way to have this vinegar is first thing in the morning. You can mix two tablespoons each of apple cider vinegar and honey in a glass of water, and drink it. This solution may taste slightly acidic, and may not seem to be the best way to start your morning, but once you know of the immense benefits that follow, it will not feel all that bad.

Many find that following this routine first thing in the morning helps in eliminating constipation, which is one of the prime causes of many diseases. Constipation is also the cause of headaches - leading to a bad mood, deprived sleep, and a lethargic feeling the whole day, at times. Once this problem is solved, all the other symptoms vanish immediately, making you fresher and extremely active whole day long.

Following this morning regime helps minor skin rashes vanish and the skin texture also improves, leaving you radiant and glowing naturally. Having that chilled glass of lemon juice can be substituted with a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and water.

Some prefer the taste as is. If the taste is too acidic for you, you can add honey to give it the sweet tinge. Adding honey will only improve the health benefits of the solution. You can also enjoy the benefits of this wonder vinegar in several other ways. You can use apple cider vinegar while preparing salads by substituting the oil that is poured over a salad with it.

Not only will the salad have a tangier taste, it will be much healthier as well. You can also use this vinegar to pickle an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Marinating beef, pork, lamb, fish and a variety of meats is almost a daily process for meat eaters. If you make apple cider vinegar the prime ingredient in the marinade with an assortment of herbs and spices, it will not only help in flavoring and tenderizing the meat, will also add a whole lot of nutrients to your diet.

While there are no serious side effects of apple cider vinegar, it being a vinegar can deteriorate your dental enamel and cause yellowing of teeth. Similarly, lack of information about its ill effects on the health of pregnant women and children only means it is better kept away from them.

Though there have been cases wherein people have complained of upset stomach and nausea, such cases are very rare. All in all, apple cider vinegar is considered to be the safest of all vinegars available, and diluting it with water only makes it safer for your use.

Apple Cider Vinegar Myth.

Some companies claim that the mother of apple cider vinegar is beneficial but up to date, there are no medical journal to support this claim. But there are medical journal that prove that 'the mother' encourage the growth of a nematode, vinegar worm, that can survive the in vinegar pH.

What is 'Vinegar eel'?

Vinegar eels (nematodaTurbatrix aceti) feed on the mother and occur in naturally fermenting vinegar. Most manufacturers filter and pasteurize their product before bottling to prevent these organisms from forming. After opening, mother may develop in stored vinegar; it is considered harmless and can be removed by filtering.

Medscape Medical Journal on Apple Vinegar

Many people advocate retaining the mother for numerous, but unsubstantiated, health effects.

The nematode is harmless but I still would not like to put foreign microbes into my body! My favorite is still Alce Nero Apple Cider Vinegar. They are imported from Italy and is the leading brand in Italy.


Alce Nero Apple Cider Vinegar



Why millions of people are rushing to fill up their mugs with Fairtrade Organic Coffee?

Angelina Jolie, Colin Firth, Bono and Elton John. They’re just some of the celebrities raving over Organic Fairtrade Coffee.  Nobody in the Fairtrade industry is willing to disclose how much extra they charge for their branded coffee, how much of this extra charge reaches the third world, how much reaches the farmers or whether the farmers make a profit from Fairtrade... So why are the world’s coffee-lovers going gaga over organic Fairtrade coffee? 

Well, coffee farmers will tell you, you can’t beat traditional, natural farming methods when it comes to growing superb organic coffee beans. Imagine for a moment, if you will… 

…Coffee plants growing in their own sweet time, drawing on nutrient-rich soil under the protection of the forest’s shady canopy. Song birds warbling cheerily as they perch in the trees, only too eager to keep insects at bay. The leaves rustle- perhaps a howler monkey is scampering about. It’s a perfectly balanced and sustained eco-system. Plants and animals are thriving. The red buds of the coffee cherries are hand-picked and the beans removed and dried in the sunshine under the watchful care of the farmers, just as they have been for hundreds of years. Ahhh… it’s coffee as it should be… no wonder Angelina is a fan.

Contrast this to non-organic production… an entire forest cut down to create more room for plantations, leaving wildlife homeless and eco-systems shattered. Coffee plants, not partial to the sun, are engineered to tolerate the heat. Pesticides are used to control insects and chemical fertilisers are sprayed onto the ground- and surrounding water supplies- to make up for the ever-diminishing soil quality. The result is an inferior coffee bean, a destroyed habitat and the pollution of waterways that threaten both farming communities and the environment. It’s enough to make you want to spit your coffee across the room. 

Fairtrade coffee: It is still divided between coffee enthusiast

So it’s easy to see why organic coffee has become the darling of the coffee-drinkers’ world. But what’s all this about Fairtrade? OK, so now you know why Fairtrade organic coffee has coffee drinkers queueing up for more - the natural process for growing and harvesting the beans makes it taste so much better. But there’s more to it than that. This is the really exciting part- Fairtrade. 

The Fairtrade label is your guarantee that the farmers who grew the coffee received a fair wage for their product. When you’re paying RM 9 or RM 15 for a coffee at your local cafe, you might think that the farmers who supplied the beans are doing quite nicely but, in reality, they were most likely paid a pittance- if it wasn’t a fairtrade brand. At best, they might have broken even. Bear in mind that this is their only source of income.

However, under the Fairtrade scheme, farmers are paid a fair price that covers the cost of sustainable production. Farmers can then afford to invest in their farms, build better houses and send their children to school, which breaks the poverty cycle and leads to a better, brighter future. On top of that, they receive an additional payment, called a ‘premium’ that is used for community development projects. And this is where is gets really exciting- entire communities being transformed! Think of that as you’re having your early morning kick-start of caffeine. 

Growers of Gumutindo Fairtrade organic coffee in Uganda have used their premium to build a warehouse for storing their produce. They have also built a medical clinic and a secondary school. 

Okapa farmers in Papua New Guinea used their premium to construct a dirt road so that they no longer had to walk 15km to the nearest bus-stop while carrying heavy sacks on their backs. The new road means better access to health and education facilities in town. 

The women’s cooperative of farmers in Peru, known as Cafe Femenino, decided to build raised indoor kitchens in their homes so that they will no longer suffer chronic back pain from cooking over an open fire outdoors. They also now have medical posts in each village with a fully-equipped first aid kit and the construction of roads to connect villages has begun. And its not just outward change that comes from the opportunities that Fairtrade gives to farmers. 

For the women of Cafe Femenino, the biggest transformation has been in the way they see themselves. No longer do they hang their heads, too ‘worthless’ to have a voice. Now they have self-esteem that gives them the confidence to speak up and take on positions of responsibility in the community. They have realised how valuable and significant they really are- and their community is changing for the better because of it. 

So go on… get hold of some organic Fairtrade coffee, put the kettle on, and relax. Make your world- and the world around you- a better place.

The Difference between Organic, Natural and Health foods

1. Organic Food 

Organic food is food grown through a process of farming without chemical pesticides and without artificial fertilizers. It is food grown in soil that is alive with billions of micro-organisms that convert the remains of vegetable life into tremendous amounts of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients to feed plant roots and ultimately ourselves. Organic food is not treated with preservatives, radiation, hormones, antibiotics or synthetic additives or grown from genetically modified seed. Every organic product must have a certifications to certified is organic. Organic food is food typically certified as organic by a third party certifying organization. Countries like Australia, France, Canada and the U.S.A. have a national standard for organics which are involved with the certifying of the food but not all countries have a national standard. Europe now has a Europe-wide organic standards system. 

So the next time you want to buy an organic product buy, try look for reputable company like Alce Nero (Italy) or Bragg (US) as they have certifications from worldwide.

2. Natural Food 

The term Natural food has very little meaning since it is typically unregulated in the market place. Natural is a title given to foods to suggest the food is closer to their natural state than another version of the same food. For example, a freshly picked fruit is called natural food even if it is sprayed with synthetic chemicals during the farming process since it comes off the tree and is unprocessed. Unlike canned apples which have been processed and typically have sugar added. The title natural food does not mean the food is organically grown. 

3. Health Food 

Health food is a term used for foods that, in some way, are believed to be healthier to eat that the common kind of food widely sold in supermarkets. For example, some people are allergic to foods treated with sulfur like dried apricots so un-sulfured dried apricots can be labeled health food whether they are organically grown or not. However, just like the term Natural food the term health food is not a regulated label.