Natural Remedies: 14 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

Tame tummy troubles
The pectin content in ACV helps treat diarrhea by forming bulk fibrous matter. The pectin also forms a protective coat for soothing the colon lining and intestinal spasms. Try mixing one or two tablespoons into water, or clear juice like apple juice.

Prevent indigestion
Sip before eating, especially if you know you’re going to indulge in foods that cause indigestion. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm water and drink it 30 minutes before you dine.
Can’t stomach the idea of swallowing the stuff? Scroll to the bottom for a tasty ACV Tonic recipe or buy some ACV Capsules if you prefer. Drink up!

Help clear a stuffy nose
Mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink. This helps sinus drainage.

Help for hiccups
Since hiccups are often caused by either low stomach acid slowing the digestion of protein, or eating too much…ACV can be a great solution for hiccups. It restores the acid balance in the stomach and eases irritating spasms of the diaphragm.

Soothe a sore throat
As soon as you feel the prickle of a sore throat, take some ACV to help head off the infection at the pass. Turns out, most germs can’t survive in the acidic environment vinegar creates. Just mix ¼ cup apple cider vinegar with ¼ cup warm water and gargle every hour or so.

Reduce swelling
Rubbing apple cider vinegar onto swollen hands or feet reduces swelling. A wonderful thing during pregnancy!

Extinguish exhaustion
Exercise and sometimes extreme stress cause lactic acid to build up in the body, causing fatigue. Apple cider vinegar contains potassium and enzymes that may relieve that tired feeling. Next time you’re feeling beat, add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a glass of chilled vegetable drink or to a glass of water.

Relieve nighttime leg cramps
ACV taken diluted in water twice daily, will dissolve acid crystals in the blood and provide potassium, calcium and other essential minerals to the body needed to ease the leg cramps.

Banish bad breath
Due to its acidic properties, Apple Cider Vinegar makes a wonderful remedy for bad breath or halitosis. Simply add 1/2 tablespoon of ACV into a cup of water and gargle the mixture in your mouth for 10 seconds at a time until the cup is empty.

Fight yeast infections
One of the best home remedies to treat a yeast infection is Apple Cider Vinegar. Add 1 and a half cups of ACV into a bathtub filled with warm water, and then soak in it for about 20 minutes. This should be done once a day for the first 3 days of the infection.

Foot or skin fungus
Just as ACV can help kill Candida in the body, it is often useful against yeast and fungus on the skin and nails. If you have foot or toe fungus, soak the feet in 1 cup of ACV in water or apply directly to the affected area. For skin fungus or yeast, apply ACV directly. For children or those with sensitive skin, it is best to dilute the ACV with water before applying to the skin.

Control blood sugars
The anti-glycemic effects of apple cider vinegar help to improve insulin sensitivity, which is essential to maintain the sugar levels of blood. Mix one teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass of filtered water and take 3 times a day to steady your stomach’s rate of digestion which in turn will keep blood sugar levels more consistent. If you are diabetic, consult your physician.

Boost weight loss
Many people claim that Apple Cider Vinegar promotes weight loss by speeding up the metabolism. A suggested remedy is to mix 2 teaspoons of the vinegar into a glass of water and drink this before every meal or sip it slowly throughout the day

Lower blood cholesterol
Research has indicated that apple cider vinegar improves the lipid profile of blood by decreasing the levels of triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or bad cholesterol, as also by increasing the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) or good cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, consult your physician.

Raw Apple Cider vinegar tonic:
1 1/2 cup of cold filtered water
2 tbs of apple or grape juice
2 tbs of raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of stevia (powdered) if using liquid you only need a few drops.
I only suggest using raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
Place all the ingredients together in a glass and stir until it is all mixed together. You can add a little ice if you like, and drink!

Product Review: Paleo Wraps

In general, I try not to rely on packaged food for my meals from day to day. There are just too many inflammation inducing preservatives, sugars, and additives in most packaged foods. That being said, we all have those crazy days, weeks, or even months where we don’t want to cook everything from scratch. The diet that I follow does not allow for any grains, none. That means no corn, rice, wheat, spelt, millet, etc. Conventional bread and tortillas are a thing of the past. I have done the lettuce roll ups but sometimes you just want to be able to hold a sandwich in your hands and take it out the door with you. I saw these at the store and I just had to give them a try.

These Paleo Wraps are a convenient alternative to grabbing a piece of lettuce and trying not dribble all over yourself as you eat. The ingredients are great, coconut water and coconut meat. No weird ingredients you can’t pronounce, no preservatives, nothing genetically modified. Ok, here are the negatives. The price. I got a package of these at The Natural Grocer in Denton for $9.55 for a package of 7. Yikes! Pretty high in my opinion. Then we get to the taste, I would say it’s average. It’s not that they taste bad, in fact they have a very mild flavor, not too coconutty at all – just lacking in any real taste. The thing that bothers me most is the texture. It’s a bit like trying to eat those fruit roll-ups you used to eat as a child. You really gotta sink your teeth in and tear it off. If you heat them up a bit it helps with the texture but it also makes them more delicate and your fillings are prone to leak. I took a package of these with me on a recent trip and they did come in handy for me to make a basic protein roll up with meat, cheese, bell peppers, and cucumbers. I was able to run out the door and grab my lunch to go. So, would I reccommend these? Yes and No. Yes, if you are so totally crunched for time, these are a lifesaver. No, if you don’t want to spend almost ten bucks on a package of grain free sheets of coconut and give your jaw a workout with all of the chewing.

My reccommendation, make a batch of coconut flour crepes recipe in this book on the weekend, store them in the refrigerator and save yourself some money! This book has great recipes for meals on the go and tortilla replacements made with coconut flour. I have used the coconut crepes as tortillas for quesadillias, enchiladas, and sweet dessert crepes, yummy!

2 out of 5 stars for Paleo Wraps

Product Love: Coconut Aminos (Soy Sauce Substitute)

I get a lot of questions about product substitutions. When my son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, I had to find alternatives to our favorite foods so I didn’t go crazy trying to re-invent the culinary wheel. This is one of my favorites. Coconut Aminos by Coconut Secret are a fantastic subsitute for soy sauce without the anti-nutrient results of a traditional soy based sauce. I removed soy from our diets after I learned of the many reasons not to eat soy.

Click here to purchase at my Amazon Store

Here are the details on this great product: Coconut Aminos Soy-Free Seasoning Sauce 100% Organic, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free,Vegan Coconut Aminos is raw, very low glycemic, an abundant source of 17 amino acids, minerals, vitamin and has a nearly neutral pH. A comparison between coconut tree sap and soy, shows that coconut sap contains 2-14 times the amino acid content of soy. Small batches ensure that our organic, low glycemic Coconut Aminos, made from this natural sap, is a raw enzymatically alive product aged and blended with sun dried, mineral-rich sea salt, hand gathered from pristine waters near the southern islands of the Philippine coast. Ingredients: Organic Coconut Sap aged and blended with Sun-Dried, Mineral-Rich Sea Salt. Nutritional Facts:Serving Size 1 Tsp. (5ml), Servings per Container 48, Calories 5 Calories from Fat 0, Total Fat 0g (0% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 113mg (5% DV), Total Carbohydrate 1g (0% DV), Sugars 0g, Protein 0g, Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 0%, Iron 0%. Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on 2,000 calorie diet. Net wt: 8 fl oz I use this in any Asian style dish and no one in my family has ever noticed a difference it taste. It provides that nice salty balance for any dish and delivers essential amino acids your body needs. I have seen this product at Natural Grocer, Whole Foods, and some Sprouts Farmers Markets. If you can’t find it at these stores, you can purchase it here.