Today is starting off incredibly early for me this morning. My body just woke up and my eyes flipped open, so I decided to just get up and go ahead and start my day.
I started off with my warm apple cider vinegar (a.k.a. ACV) morning drink. In some ways, it has replaced my daily morning coffee because it’s supposed to be better for me and healthier. The taste does take some getting used to, but I do manage to get it all down in one sitting. I mix it with a little honey and some warm (boiled then cooled) water and drink it through a straw. I’ve read and heard about the wonders of the ACV drink from many sources, including the people from the health food stores where I shop. I think the differences that it makes in your health are small and subtle, so I’m not expecting anything drastic or super-pronounced to happen. I know that it is supposed to lower your cholesterol, which is one of the things that I have health issues with, so we’ll see if in fact that is the case when I go to the doctor’s again for my next cholesterol check.
It’s also reported by some to help with weight loss, but I can’t say that I’ve seen that (pronounced) yet either. Again, maybe it’s the small, subtle changes in my body where the ACV is working, I don’t know. I can tell that my clothes are a *teeny* bit looser, and I’ve been drinking my warm ACV morning concoctions for a little over a month now. I buy the Bragg’s brand of apple cider vinegar, but I’m sure there are other equally good brands that will work for you. I like the Bragg’s because it’s easily accessible (at most all health food stores) and there seems to be lots and lots of online reviews about it everywhere. To be able to read what others have said about something before making my decision helps me tremendously whenever I’m reading or researching something.
Also from what I’ve read, make sure the ACV that you do drink has the “mother” in it, which is the dark, cloudy looking residue in the bottle. This is reportedly for major health benefits. Whenever I’m getting ready to drink mine, I just slightly shake up the contents to get the “mother” all mixed up in the bottle before I pour some out. Be careful with drinking this stuff straight up because it is strong. Very strong. It’s far better to dilute it with water or any other beverage before you drink it. That helps it to go down easier and faster. Try to avoid masking it with overly sweet drinks, since that may defeat the whole idea of it being a healthy drink mix. Honey is a natural sweetener, so it should be fine. And remember to use a source of locally grown honey, if you can. I just mix in a couple of teaspoons of honey with mine to help take that “burn” out of it.
One more thing. Be sure to brush your teeth or drink lots of plain water right after you consume the ACV drink. The drink is very acidic and if it stays in your mouth or on your teeth too long, it can erode your tooth enamel. Don’t worry though. This can only begin to happen over a long, long period of time, so don’t worry if you’ve just started drinking the ACV. Just go ahead now and make it a habit of brushing or rinsing the residuals of the ACV away before it can do any harm.
My next venture with ACV is to see how creative I can become with different recipes and other health-ingesting uses of the concoction. For instance, I’d love to make my own salad dressing, or a daily cold iced tea with my meals, or even a marinade for seafood and vegetables. Actually, the smell does remind me of that malt vinegar that you would get with your fish orders from Captain D’s, remember? Anyway, let me know if you use ACV and how it’s working for you. I’ll definitely keep you posted on my ACV adventures and share my findings with you. Here’s to good health!