People have used vinegar made from grapes for thousands of years, starting with the ancient Babylonians. In recent decades, apple cider vinegar, made with apples instead of grapes, grains or any of the other sugar-containing foods that can yield vinegar, has become increasingly popular due to its professed health benefits. A tart cooking ingredient with a juicy bite, "cider vinegar" can be found in a supermarket or health food store. Wherever you find it, choose dark, opaque bottles over transparent ones and keep it away from direct sunlight to extend its shelf life.
Features
Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and fermenting the strained juice into alcohol with yeast and sugar. The alcohol further develops into the product known as vinegar. Vinegar is required to have at least 5 percent acidity to keep the bacteria content at safe levels, which allows it to be stored at room temperature.
Types
Apple cider vinegar may come in liquid form or in pill form as a supplement. You may find it in its filtered and pasteurized form, or unfiltered and raw, in which case it appears dark and cloudy. The sediment you see in raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar is called the mother of vinegar and is safe to eat. Unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is somewhat more expensive than the filtered, refined cider vinegar. A popular brand of the unfiltered variety in the U.S. is Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar.
Function
Use Apple cider vinegar as a food ingredient. It can be tossed with cole slaw and other vegetable salads, added to salad dressings and cooking sauces or included as an acidic ingredient similar to lemon or buttermilk in baking. Drinking apple cider vinegar diluted with water may--or may not--benefit your health. When using raw, unfiltered cider vinegar, shake the bottle first to disperse the "mother of vinegar" throughout the liquid.
Benefits
As a liquid, apple cider vinegar may hold some beneficial properties in regulating blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, according to several studies (one as recent as 2007). Other preliminary studies suggest, but haven't yet established, that there may be health benefits to taking apple cider vinegar to lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, help with weight loss and even help with at least one form of cancer. Talk with your doctor to determine the dosage you should take if you decide to try apple cider vinegar for its health benefits.
The pill form is more questionable. It has not been shown to have health benefits. Indeed, one 2005 study of apple cider vinegar supplements revealed that the composition of some of the pills was suspect.
Warning
Taking apple cider vinegar in normal amounts with food is unlikely to cause problems. If you are considering taking apple cider vinegar for long term use as a dietary supplement or in amounts large enough to be "therapeutic," then consult with your doctor first. Like other vinegars, apple cider vinegar is acidic, consisting mostly of acetic acid, and can burn mucus membranes and other tissue when taken undiluted. Apple cider vinegar may also interact with certain medications, such as those for diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease and digestion.
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