How Apple Cider Vinegar Can Change Your Life!

While there are so many foods out there that are good for you, and have great health benefits, there are some that just don’t get the attention they deserve. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is one of them! ACV can help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, supports healthy blood sugar levels, and even helps the stomach by increasing probiotics and acid. And would you look at that, increased stomach acid and probiotics help heal leaky gut.

As with many foods that start getting a good reputation for their health benefits, many companies will try and jump on the bandwagon and start producing version of lower quality. When you are chosing an ACV look for cloudiness at the bottom of the bottle. This is called “the mother”, and it is actually all of the good probiotics and organic acids.

So what is so beneficial about Apple Cider Vinegar? I’m glad you asked! The organic acids balance the pH in the stomach and small intestines. This makes it easier for your body to break down proteins and carbohydrates, which will help your overall digestion. In this environment it is easier for probiotics to grow and thrive.

The best way to incorporate it into your life is to take one tablespoon in a small glass of mineral water before each of your three meals each day. Not only will it help balance your blood sugar, but it will get your stomach pH right so that you can better absorb nutrients and break down food.

In short, Apple Cider Vinegar is AWESOME! There are so many health benefits to incorporating it into your daily life. Give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose… except maybe some weight.

Gluten Intolerance = Coffee Intolerance??? Say What?!

Gluten intolerance and sensitivity are unpleasant as it is. Most people find, however, that once they remove gluten from their diet, they find relief of their symptoms. There are some people that still have issues even without gluten.

This can be mind boggling. Research has found that there are several foods that cause what’s called a gluten cross-reactivity. This happens because the proteins in these foods are perceived by the body the same way that gluten in, as an INVADER!

One of the most common foods that this occurs with is dairy. This is because of its casein proteins. Coffee also contains problematic proteins and the cross reaction to coffee has actually been found to be one of the most severe.

If you’re like me, and you’re a coffee lover… and you’ve ever suspected or been found to have any issue with gluten, this is a kick in the throat. But we need to pay attention to this information. Maybe coffee DOES in fact mimic gluten.

There was a study published in 2013 in Food and Nutritional Sciences that examined the cross-reactivity of coffee. The research showed that highly-processed coffees, such as instant and popular ground varieties, produces the most cross-reactivity in subjects.

What is believed to cause the problem is the processing itself, since organic whole-bean coffees did not produce the issues. There is more research needed but it is believed that during processing the proteins in coffee are changed in such a way that the body perceives them as a threat… hence the inflammatory response. This is the same thing that occurs with the processing of dairy, and why it produces similar issues as gluten.

The most troubling aspect of the cross-reactivity of coffee is the symptoms that it produces: migraines, mental fogginess and fatigue. These symptoms often make people reach for another cup of coffee. It can be a frustrating and damaging cycle. And what about the dairy that most people seem to add to their coffee?… DOUBLE TROUBLE!

We will keep you posted as more research comes to light. This is something to think about and observe in yourself!