“Put some Windex on it.”-one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. If you haven’t seen it, Gus (the patriarch of the family) prescribes Windex to treat everything from blemishes to burns. It got me thinking. Is there some truth to that? I looked into the ingredients of many window cleaners, and besides many chemicals I can’t even pronounce, there is also vinegar. Intrigue. With this week’s recipe being a Chilled Zesty Pickle Plate, I thought the topic of vinegar was appropriate.
My dad swears by raw apple cider vinegar as an old school remedy for many ailments. Do you have indigestion? Drink some water mixed with vinegar. Do you have a sore throat? Gargle with some vinegar. Sound familiar? However, there is much truth to wise remedies of old. Vinegar actually promotes enzymes and saliva production, which improves the digestion that starts in the mouth. Subsequently, this causes stomach digestive fluids to flow faster, resulting in overall better digestion. But what about that pesky sore throat? Gargling with a raw apple cider vinegar-water mixture will act like a sponge, drawing out throat and mouth germs as well as toxins. This is why it is important to gargle but not swallow the mixture. You don’t want to ingest those germs!
Personally, I have used raw apple cider vinegar for years when cleaning windows, mirrors and counter tops just to name a few. I use it when washing clothes. Recent studies have shown that a straight 5% solution of vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of common mold and 80% of germs and viruses. It is a versatile cleanser and deodorizer without all the dangerous chemicals we see in many of today’s household cleaning products.
In a plant medicine making class I am taking this summer, I have learned that vinegar supports kidney and respiratory mucus membrane secretions, it can act as a tonic for the entire digestive tract and it helps to regulate the acid/base balance within the body. There are so many more health benefits to consuming and using raw apple cider vinegar that it would be impossible to discuss them all in one blog entry! I suggest reading Apple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health System by Paul and Patricia Bragg. Both authors have a PhD and are naturopathic doctors.
As you can see in my recipes, I love to use Bragg’s products because it is a company I know and trust. Be a wise consumer! Read the label and look at the product! Bragg’s as well as Spectrum apple cider vinegars are natural, raw, organic, unfiltered and cloudy. This shows that the vinegar still has all of those amazing enzymes and minerals (i.e., potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, copper, fluorine, silicon and other trace minerals) that are so important to our health. In the kitchen, I use apple cider vinegar in dressings, marinades, for pickling and often times as the secret ingredient to a dish that gives it the perfect zip. Want to know my new favorite saying? “Put some vinegar on it.”
—A xo
Bragg PC, Bragg P. Apple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health System. Health Science, Santa Barbara. 2010.
Hamby C. Medicine Making For All: Infused Honeys, Vinegars, and Wines. Bastyr University. 2012.
My dad swears by raw apple cider vinegar as an old school remedy for many ailments. Do you have indigestion? Drink some water mixed with vinegar. Do you have a sore throat? Gargle with some vinegar. Sound familiar? However, there is much truth to wise remedies of old. Vinegar actually promotes enzymes and saliva production, which improves the digestion that starts in the mouth. Subsequently, this causes stomach digestive fluids to flow faster, resulting in overall better digestion. But what about that pesky sore throat? Gargling with a raw apple cider vinegar-water mixture will act like a sponge, drawing out throat and mouth germs as well as toxins. This is why it is important to gargle but not swallow the mixture. You don’t want to ingest those germs!
Personally, I have used raw apple cider vinegar for years when cleaning windows, mirrors and counter tops just to name a few. I use it when washing clothes. Recent studies have shown that a straight 5% solution of vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of common mold and 80% of germs and viruses. It is a versatile cleanser and deodorizer without all the dangerous chemicals we see in many of today’s household cleaning products.
In a plant medicine making class I am taking this summer, I have learned that vinegar supports kidney and respiratory mucus membrane secretions, it can act as a tonic for the entire digestive tract and it helps to regulate the acid/base balance within the body. There are so many more health benefits to consuming and using raw apple cider vinegar that it would be impossible to discuss them all in one blog entry! I suggest reading Apple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health System by Paul and Patricia Bragg. Both authors have a PhD and are naturopathic doctors.
As you can see in my recipes, I love to use Bragg’s products because it is a company I know and trust. Be a wise consumer! Read the label and look at the product! Bragg’s as well as Spectrum apple cider vinegars are natural, raw, organic, unfiltered and cloudy. This shows that the vinegar still has all of those amazing enzymes and minerals (i.e., potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, copper, fluorine, silicon and other trace minerals) that are so important to our health. In the kitchen, I use apple cider vinegar in dressings, marinades, for pickling and often times as the secret ingredient to a dish that gives it the perfect zip. Want to know my new favorite saying? “Put some vinegar on it.”
—A xo
Bragg PC, Bragg P. Apple Cider Vinegar: Miracle Health System. Health Science, Santa Barbara. 2010.
Hamby C. Medicine Making For All: Infused Honeys, Vinegars, and Wines. Bastyr University. 2012.
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