Cider Vinegar Diet Plan

Cider Vinegar Diet Plan
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Cider vinegar, also known as apple cider vinegar, has many uses. Uses range from marinating meat to using it as a gargle for a sore throat. This wonder substance might also help you lose weight and keep it off. Several brands of apple cider vinegar on the market are manufactured as a clear amber liquid. The best apple cider vinegar for your health is the kind that appears cloudy and has brown filmy substances floating in it, known as the mother, which is the most nutritious part of the vinegar, according to Bragg.com.

History of Vinegar

Vinegar's history starts around 5000 B.C. when the Babylonians made wine and vinegar from the fruit of date palm. Residues of vinegar have been found in ancient Egypt urns dating back to 3000 B.C. and in 400 B.C., Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, used apple cider vinegar mixed with honey to treat various ailments, according to Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits.com.

How Cider Vinegar Is Made

Cider vinegar requires a two-step biological process. First, yeasts change the natural sugar in apples to alcohol, which is called alcoholic fermentation. Second, special bacteria known as acetobacter turns the alcohol into acid and this process is known as acid fermentation, according to the Vinegar Institute.

Nutritional Content

Cider vinegar contains pectin, which is a fiber that can absorb and remove water, fat, toxins and cholesterol from your body. Potassium is present in apple cider vinegar that helps with conduction of nerve impulses, contraction of muscles, and helps your body to maintain a normal heart rhythm. Magnesium, a mineral that is needed for the formation of teeth and healthy bones, is present in small amounts. The 5 percent acetic acid, malic acid, lactic acid and various amino acids content gives cider vinegar the antiseptic properties that might help to prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria and yeasts in your digestive tract, reports Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits.com.

Cider Vinegar and Weight Loss

The organic acids in cider vinegar might act as an appetite suppressant while at the same time increasing your metabolism, helping your body to burn more calories. These same properties might help reduce water retention. Cider vinegar may also improve digestion which lessens the time fats stay in your gastrointestinal system, which will increase weight loss, reports Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits.com.

How Long Will It Take

Losing weight with cider vinegar might take longer, but the weight tends to stay off because you will lose it gradually, allowing fat cells to adjust to a smaller size, reports Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits.com. Cider vinegar might slow the rise of your blood sugar level after a meal, which can reduce the amount of insulin your body needs to produce to assimilate the meal, resulting in weight loss.

How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar with 1 tsp. of honey, mix in a glass of water and drink before each meal. If you have a problem drinking this mixture in water, it can be added to fruit or vegetable juice, reports Apple Cider Vinegar.com.

References

Article reviewed by Kirk Ericson Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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