Vinegar has been used as healing agent for over 2000 years, ever since Hippocrates began administering vinegar for treating coughs and other infections. Since then the health benefits of vinegar (especially apple cider vinegar) has been used as a folk remedy for many ailments. During the past decade the health benefits of apple cider vinegar has soared to fame and many organic unpasteurized wholesome brands have become available. Although many of the claims for apple cider vinegar benefits have been over-marketed and are over the top, there is some genuine research.

A study has shown that vinegar benefits us by helping to remove certain kinds of pesticides from fruit and vegetables. Soaking fruits for a couple of minutes in a solution of vinegar (90% water and 10% vinegar) and filtered water helps to remove some of the pesticides from the skin. However peeling will be required if you want to remove pesticides that are embedded deeper with in the skin.

Another study has also proven that vinegar increases the amount of calcium that we absorb from our food. This can be of great benefit for sufferers of osteoporosis and people with weak digestion. The acetic acid in vinegar helps to draw more of the calcium out of food so that it can be digested and absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed to whichever cells need it – such as muscle and bone cells. In fact the study shows that the amount of calcium we absorb can be increased by as much as 30%! Especially from calcium rich vegetable sources such as leafy greens like kale and spinach. So adding a few teaspoons of vinegar to a leafy salad could be a great way for vegans and vegetarians to improve the amount of calcium in their diet.

The ability to aid diabetics is the health benefit of vinegar that stands out the most. This is also the area in which the most research has been conducted for the health benefits of vinegar. Every one of these studies has shown that a few teaspoons taken with a meal really dose help to reduce the spike in blood sugar resulting from the carbohydrates in the food. The acetic acid in vinegar has a mild inhibitory effect upon the digestive enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates. This slows down digestion and therefore slows down the release of sugar into the blood stream.

In addition to this, vinegar also improved insulin sensitivity in diabetics by 19%. Insulin sensitivity is how well insulin actually does its job of moving blood out of the blood stream and into the cells. This is a great help for diabetics in two different ways. First it lowers blood sugar levels, which reduces the chances for diabetic comas and nerve damage caused by excessive sugar in the blood. Second, the more effective insulin sensitivity is the less insulin that needs to be released into the blood stream. This lowers the amount of insulin in the blood. This is good news because extended periods of excess insulin in the blood is associated with heart disease!