Sour Power

You may see it in the grocery store, hidden on a bottom shelf somewhere near the salad dressings—apple cider vinegar. Its main ingredient is acetic acid, which was looked at in a 2009 study published in Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry.

In that experiment, subjects who took acetic acid for 12 weeks experienced significant declines in bodyweight, abdominal fat, waist circumference and triglycerides, which are blood fats.

High triglycerides often go hand in hand with the bad cholesterol that we want to avoid. The body constantly strives to achieve a state of equilibrium, and apple cider vinegar helps it maintain a healthy alkaline pH. Research shows that higher acid levels—lower pH—lead to a lack of energy and more infection.

In addition, apple cider vinegar creates an overall detoxification of the body that can help stimulate cardiovascular circulation and detoxify the liver. It may make your mouth pucker when taken on its own, but with all those benefits, I’m all about the sour power.

—Ninette Terhart