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Vinegar may be healthy for you.
For centuries, vinegar has long been used for everything from aiding digestion, to cleaning kitchen surfaces, and this holds true today. There are many claims that vinegar can help prevent or heal heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and aging-related ailments. While I doubt that all of this is true, vinegar does play a supporting role in our health.
For example, vinegar is high in acetic acid, which can increase the body’s absorption of minerals. So including apple cider vinegar in meals or possibly even drinking a mild tonic of vinegar and water (up to a tablespoon in a glass of water) just before or with meals might improve your body's ability to absorb the essential minerals locked in foods. Dark, leafy greens are good sources of calcium, but some of these greens also contain compounds that inhibit calcium absorption. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar (either balsamic, apple cider or red wine) and 2 tablespoons of oil to your greens will allow you to absorb the calcium. This is especially beneficial for those who are lactose intolerant.
Vinegar has recently won attention for its potential to help people with type 2 diabetes get a better handle on their disease. People with type 2 diabetes have cells that become resistant to insulin. Insulin's job is to help the body's cells take in the glucose, or sugar, from the carbohydrates in food, so they can use it for energy. Apparently, vinegar may be able to inactivate some of the digestive enzymes that break down the carbohydrates from food into sugar. This slows the absorption of sugar from a meal into the bloodstream, giving the body more time to pull sugar out of the blood. This prevents a spike in sugar levels which leave diabetics feeling shaky.
So as a dietary aid, I would encourage you to try adding vinegar to your meals. Rice vinegar adds a little sweetness to homemade salad dressings, and is a perfect alternative to mayonnaise in coleslaw. You’ll reduce the fat content of your coleslaw while still maintaining taste.
Balsamic vinegar makes a great marinade for meats. Especially less fatty cuts of meat.
Experiment away. If you have a great recipe using vinegar that you would like to share, then e-mail me, and I’ll post it for all to see.
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