Apple cider vinegar is a popular home remedy. People have used it for centuries in cooking and medicine. Many people claim it can relieve a wide range of health complaints, but you may wonder what the research says. Apple cider vinegar has various healthful properties, including antimicrobial and antioxidant effects.
What’s more, evidence suggests it could possibly offer health benefits, such as:
- aiding weight loss
- reducing cholesterol
- lowering blood sugar levels
- improving the symptoms of diabetes
What is Apple Cider Vinegar?
As we’ve just mentioned, apple cider vinegar is a type of vinegar. It’s produced during the apple cider fermentation process. The process involves fermenting the sugar that’s naturally present in apples by adding yeast and/or bacteria to the cider. Over time, the cider turns into alcohol and then vinegar. You can drink this apple cider vinegar as it comes (but be mindful of your teeth enamel and your tastebuds because it’s extremely tangy!) or you can eat apple cider vinegar capsules or gummies to get your ACV goodness.
What is Apple Cider Vinegar with "Mother"?
The unfiltered and unrefined vinegar with cloudy and murky appearance is called apple cider vinegar with "mother". It is used for drinking purposes and has many health benefits due to the presence of beneficial bacteria, yeast and protein. When the culture of bacteria is removed during filtration and refining, it results in clear and transparent apple cider vinegar. The healing properties of vinegar are due to acetic acid and other beneficial compounds present in it.
What is the ‘Mother’ in Organic Apple Cider Vinegar?
On the shelf, you’ll find two different types of apple cider vinegar: often a clear vinegar and a cloudy vinegar.
The apple cider vinegar that has been filtered looks a little lighter and doesn’t tend to contain any bits – these are the bottles of clear apple cider vinegar you’ll see on your shop. Then there’s the unfiltered apple cider vinegar that looks a lot darker and happens to have bits floating it in. This is apple cider vinegar with ‘mother’.
To make apple cider vinegar, there is a two-step process. The first step is to add yeast to break down the sugars and turn them into alcohol. After this, bacteria are added to the mix, which turns the alcohol into acetic acid. This bacterium is known as the ‘mother’ and is often referred to as the healthiest part of apple cider vinegar.
In regular apple cider vinegar, the mother is removed, and the vinegar is filtered, giving it a clearer consistency. But why is the mother left in sometimes and what makes it so beneficial to our health?
Well, the mother is made up of strains of friendly bacteria, which help to keep your digestive and immune systems working well. This, in turn, helps your body to make the most of the food you eat and works to balance any bad bacteria to help stop you from getting unwell. Whilst apple cider vinegar without the mother has excellent benefits, if you’re looking to reap all the best health benefits, choose apple cider vinegar with the mother. Whilst it might not look as appealing, the health benefits of it certainly are!
