Apple cider vinegar...again?

By Dick Hirsch
Just the other day a man who considers himself to be of above average intelligence bragged that he is now drinking a portion of apple cider vinegar every day.
“It’s very healthy. “I’m in good shape and the vinegar is helping me stay that way,” he said, slapping his abdomen with considerable energy. Then he noticed a quizzical expression on my face that I could not conceal.
“It has so many benefits,” he added. “You should try it.”
“It must taste like it could be used to remove rust from the bumper of your car,” I told him.
“That’s true,” he replied. “But it’s not so bad when you get used to it.”
“Nothing ever is,” I told him.
Then he proceeded to explain the benefits and they are impressive. For starters, the apple cider vinegar is expected to reduce cholesterol, prevent heart disease, reduce blood pressure, counteract arthritis and be helpful in the management of diabetes. That is a lot of positive action, considering the recommended dosage is one tablespoon each day in a glass of water.
Solely in the interest of preparing a comprehensive report for readers, I did drink several daily doses of the cider/water drink. I won’t say I “tried” it because I actually tried it several years ago, during another period when cider vinegar was rising to the top of the charts of popular alternative treatments that promised longevity. I remember how awful it tasted then and how I quit after a month or so. It doesn’t seem as pungent and repulsive now, but maybe my taste buds have grown less discerning.
Cider vinegar has had a long history of use in that manner but there is little evidence that it works. Of course, that won’t prevent anybody from trying it. It reached the apex of popularity following publication of the 1958 bestseller, Folk Medicine, by D. C. Jarvis, MD. At lest 40 years after its publication I received a copy as a gift from my dear friend, Benny, who explained that he had paid a quarter for it at a yard sale. Dr. Jarvis extols the virtues of vinegar, detailing how it has benefits for both humans and livestock. In Vermont, he wrote, cows that had trouble getting pregnant soon grew fecund when cider vinegar was added to their feed.
There is far more interest in diet, health and fitness now than there was when the book was published, and various advisors now are recycling the claims of cider vinegar. The Internet is filled with recommendations and anecdotal claims.
There is so much health advice on the Internet that a person can spend hours researching preventatives and treatments. Just as I was discussing the claims about vinegar, in came an e-mail from a friend in California who has spent a lifetime eating all the borderline bad things: chicken wings, pasta, rare beef and ice cream by the quart, for example.
He forwarded a list of over 40 fruits and vegetables that enumerated the health benefits of each. After studying the list, a person can only conclude that time would be better spent in the produce department rather than the pharmacy. Some of these items appear extremely versatile.
Take figs as an example. We don’t ever hear much about figs, but they are around and clearly deserve more visibility. According to the chart, figs accomplish the following: promote weight loss, help stop strokes, lower cholesterol, combat cancer and control blood pressure. Is there a single pill that can make those claims? Broccoli is another impressive entry, although it has had its share of favorable publicity in recent years. Of broccoli, the chart reports: strengthens bones, saves eyesight, combats cancer, protects your heart and controls blood pressure.
Cancer gets most of the attention on the list, and with good reason. Those fruits and vegetables cited as good for combatting cancer are: apricots, beans, beets, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, chestnuts, figs, fish, grapes, green tea, lemons, limes, mangoes, mushrooms, oats, olive oil, onion, oranges, peaches, peanuts, rice, tomatoes, walnuts, watermelon, wheat germ and wheat bran.
This report should not be considered to be medical advice. BfloTales makes no claims of benefits and endorses no treatment strategies. Consult your physician.
Will you live longer if you limit your food intake to those items on the chart, washed down with a glass of water with apple cider vinegar? I don’t know if you will live much longer, but it will seem much longer.

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