ATHE_Transcript_Ep 572_10 Surprising Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits No One Ever Told You
JJ Virgin: [00:00:00] I’m J. J. Virgin, PhD dropout, sorry mom, turned four time New York Times bestselling author. Yes, I’m a certified nutrition specialist, fitness hall of famer, and I speak at health conferences and trainings around the globe. But I’m driven by my insatiable curiosity and love of science to keep asking questions, digging for answers, and sharing the information that I uncover with as many people as I can.
And that’s why I created the Well Beyond 40 podcast to synthesize and simplify the science of health into actionable strategies to help you thrive. In each episode, we’ll talk about what’s working in the world of wellness. From personalized nutrition and healing your metabolism to healthy aging and prescriptive fitness.
Join me on the journey to better health. So you can love how you look and feel right now and have the energy to play full out at 100.
[00:01:00] All right. So is apple cider vinegar. Really this miracle solution that all of those crazy health nuts make it out to be. You hear about it being a cure all for everything. Everything from digestion, to weight loss, to immune health, skin health, and so much more. Hmm. Let’s find out if this trendy tonic is all it’s hyped up to be.
We’re going to talk about what it is, what it does, and then, most importantly, how you can use it the right way in your everyday life. So. Where did it come from? The exact origin of apple cider vinegar or now we’re going to be hip and we’re going to call it ACV. We don’t know. But, it’s believed to have been used for thousands of years for various health and culinary purposes.
ACV is made by fermenting apples with yeast and bacteria, which then convert the natural sugars in the apples into acetic acid. The use of vinegar as a condiment and a preservative dates back to Ancient times, with references to vinegar appearing in texts from ancient Babylon, Greece, and [00:02:00] Rome. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates was said to have prescribed vinegar for various ailments, and the Roman army is said to have used vinegar as a disinfectant for wounds and to prevent infections.
The use of apple cider vinegar, specifically, is believed to have originated in medieval Europe, where it was used for a variety of health and culinary purposes. In the 1700s, a Frenchman named Nicolas Appert discovered that vinegar could be used to preserve food, leading to the development of modern pickling and canning techniques.
And in the 1800s, ACV gained popularity in the United States as a health tonic, with many people believing that it could cure a variety of ailments. And then in the early 1900s, the famous naturalist and philosopher John Muir wrote about the benefits of ACV, which then helped to further popularize its use.
Today, ACV is still used for a variety of health and culinary purposes, and its popularity has continued to grow in recent years as more people seek out natural and traditional remedies for various health conditions. [00:03:00] That’s it. History lesson is over, but I wanted you to know that there’s a lot of wisdom in traditional foods, and this is one of those.
So let’s talk about all of the different things that it can do. And by the way, It’s a lot. Starting with the first one, which is a biggie. It supports healthy digestion. The acetic acid in ACV has been shown to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes in the stomach. And that can help break down food, lead to less bloating and discomfort after meals.
So it’s kind of like taking enzymes, right? Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water to drink before a meal. Now, if you’re freaking out going, what about my teeth and animal? It’s diluted. Now, if you took apple cider vinegar and did a mouthwash with it, problem.
But if you’re diluting it in water, not a problem. And, not only does it aid with digestion, it also helps regulate blood sugar. In fact, apple cider vinegar has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels [00:04:00] when you take it before a meal. And this is great news if you are one of… Gosh, now what is it? It’s like a third of the population has diabetes or pre diabetes.
So this is really important news for everybody because insulin sensitivity is key for having a good healthy metabolism. In fact, one study found that if you just had apple cider vinegar before a meal, It can help lower blood sugar levels in people with insulin resistance. Another huge one is it can boost your immune function.
It’s got beneficial bacteria and enzymes that can help support and boost your immune function and fight off harmful bacteria and viruses. So now here’s what you want to do. If you feel like you’re around some people and you found out someone was sick, or you feel like you might be getting something, warm water and a little apple cider vinegar.
And of course, if you’re drinking it every day, having a little before your meals. You already got yourself covered. Let’s talk weight loss, shall we? Because that’s always one that I like to talk about. And there’s some studies that have found ACV may help with weight loss because it can help suppress appetite and [00:05:00] promote feelings of fullness.
That is what These weight loss drugs are doing, right? They’re suppressing appetite and promoting feelings of fullness. They’re also helping with insulin sensitivity, which is what this does too. We just talked about it when we talked about blood sugar that this can help with insulin sensitivity. You have more insulin sensitivity, you have lower insulin, you’re able to access stored fat, i. e. belly fat, for fuel and burn it off. And again, what I love to do with ACV is use it in my salad dressing. So extra virgin olive oil, ACV, a little sea salt, you’re done. Or you can throw a tablespoon into your loaded smoothie. You won’t even notice it. Easy. Next step, your skin. It can actually be used topically to help with great skin.
The antibacterial properties can help. fight acne causing bacteria, and it’s got alpha hydroxy acids. You’ve heard about those. You go get your facial, they use an alpha hydroxy acid little mask. Well, this can do that. It can help exfoliate and brighten the skin. This is the most [00:06:00] inexpensive thing that works wonders.
Half water, half apple cider vinegar, and turn it into a facial toner. You’re welcome. Okay. Now let’s talk heart health because there is some research that’s found that ACV may help with heart health because it can reduce cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure. Why? Well, they think it’s because of the antioxidant properties and also its ability to improve circulation.
It can also help with your hair. So not just your skin, but also your hair. You can use it as a hair rinse to help with hair health because it can help reduce dandruff by improving and balancing the skin’s pH levels. Makes your hair shiny. It also, we talked about immune function before. It can help relieve a sore throat.
So you can mix it with warm water and a little honey, little honey. Okay. And remember when you’re doing honey, honey can be amazing. Local. Organic. Raw. Honey. A teaspoon is all you need there. So warm water, ACV, honey, little [00:07:00] soothing drink can help your sore throat. One other thing, household cleaner. So you can actually use this just like it’s antibacterial for your body, for your gut.
Same with your household. So you can turn it into a cleaner and use it on your counters. There you go. Way better than a lot of that toxic chemical stuff that you might be doing. Now, here’s the deal. Before you go guzzling down the apple cider vinegar by the gallon, it’s important to know that there are a couple risks.
And I talked about this already. You’re not going to be chugging it and swirling it in your mouth, right? It is acidic. So it can erode tooth enamel. It can irritate the throat. If you’re going crazy with it, you got to dilute it before you consume it. You do not drink it straight. Promise. Pinky promise.
Important. So again, let’s talk about how you can incorporate this into your daily routine. Easy, easy. Mix a tablespoon or two with a glass of water. Take it before a meal. I really like to do it with green tea. That’s a two for one, right? So I’ll do my ice green tea. I will do my apple cider vinegar. and I get [00:08:00] all of those benefits.
You can also, of course, use it in your salad dressings, your marinades, add it to your smoothie. That’s really easy. And again, I’ll give you my favorite salad dressing. Now I gave you my easy peasy salad dressing, which was ACV, EVO, extra virgin olive oil. My husband’s like, what is EVOO? I’m like, honey, extra virgin olive oil.
Hello? Anyway. Too many acronyms. You can do apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, pinch of sea salt, that’s my lazy lazy salad dressing. If you want to get fancy, add some Dijon mustard in there and whisk it. Really really good. But here’s what’s super important, and I really, I’m going to do a shout out to Bragg’s here.
You want to get organic. You want to get raw. You want to get unfiltered apple cider vinegar because it will contain the mother. And the mother is that cloudy substance that you’re going to look at and go, Ew, gross. What’s that? That’s what you want. That’s where the beneficial enzymes and bacteria is. So you make sure you get the one that has the yucky stuff sitting at the bottom.
That’s the good stuff. All right. So it seems like a bit of a miracle tonic and it’s amazing, but you know, you can’t go do a bunch of like [00:09:00] bad lifestyle habits, bad diet habits and think, you know. Apple cider vinegar for the win. No, it’s not going to work like that. It works in concert with all the other great things that you are doing.
It’s a piece of the bigger gut healing puzzle. And you heal your gut, you get better blood sugar, better skin, better immune function, and so much more. You can learn how to optimize digestion and create a gut healing routine in this next video on how to heal your gut. Be sure to join me next time for more tools, tips, and techniques you can incorporate into everyday life to ensure you look and feel great.
And more importantly, that you’re built to last. And check me out on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and my website, JJVirgin.Com and make sure to follow my podcast so you don’t miss a single episode at subscribetoJJ.Com. See you next time.

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