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July 4, 2013
Vinegar
Hi ,
There are few things found in an average household as useful as simple vinegar. Used for everything from a salad dressing, to a counter cleaning agent, a medicine, and a herbicide. Vinegar is truly a wonderful multi-use substance.
Vinegar is basically a mild solution of acetic acid. Acetic acid comes from the fermentation of alcohol by certain bacteria. Although we most commonly use vinegar as a cooking ingredient and household cleanser today, historically vinegar was used for a wide variety of applications because it was the most easily available source of acid.
Traditionally vinegar is formed once an alcoholic beverage is exposed to the air. The presence of oxygen changes the type of critters that grow in the beverage from the alcohol-forming yeast to the acetic acid-forming type of bacteria. This acid formation is generally a slow process taking weeks to months, although much faster commercial methods have been developed.
Health Applications:
What has drawn my attention to vinegar recently are the health applications it has. The first one that comes to mind is in the area of blood sugar control. As you know, I don't eat grains or starches and don't recommend them for any patients that have any blood sugar issues. A traditional method of controlling blood sugar responses to food is to add vinegar to the consumption of the food. Dipping your bread in balsamic vinegar and olive oil drops the glycemic index from a pancreas blowing 90 to 100 to down around 30. Eating a nice green salad with vinegar based dressing before your pasta course reduces the impact of the pasta on your body. Before modern blood sugar reducing drugs were invented, physicians regularly prescribed taking a couple teaspoons of vinegar with meals to help control blood sugar.
How does vinegar accomplish its blood sugar support? It has several mechanisms. The acetic acid inhibits several of our enzymes for digesting carbs and sugars including amylase, sucrase, maltase, and lactase. That is doubly cool because not only does it mean that those carbs are not  breaking down and shooting up our blood sugar, but it also means we are not soaking up those extra unnecessary calories as well. In fact one study found an average weight loss of two pounds a month by taking 1 tablespoon of vinegar before lunch and dinner.
Vinegar seems to increase the body's insulin sensitivity as measured by decreases in hemoglobin A1C in people with type 2 diabetes by improving "glucose uptake". Vinegar also increases the amount of time it takes for the stomach to empty making you feel full longer and decreasing your eating.
Remember my rule about anything health related - We are all individuals! What works well for one person may have just the opposite effect on someone else. Always test and see what works best for you.
What else is vinegar good for? Vinegar mixed with honey is a traditional cough medicine. Because of its acidity, vinegar is an excellent antibacterial agent. It can sit on the shelf practically forever because of this. Some folks will use it as a natural deodorant (although their close ones must not  mind them smelling like a salad). We use it in the office to clean and sterilize the floors. One university study found that using a spray bottle of vinegar followed by using a similar bottle of hydrogen peroxide was the most effective substance found for killing bacteria on counters.
A really interesting use I found several months ago was that vinegar can be used as a screening tool for cervical cancer. Painting the cervix with vinegar will turn pre-cancerous cells white for several minutes allowing for early detection and treatment. This is being widely used in India with great success.
I have heard of using vinegar on sunburns (but have not tried it myself), and women use it as a hair conditioner and detangler.
Cleaning uses:
Vinegar in water sprayed on windows and cleaned with crumpled newspaper is a classic method for producing sparkling clear glass. The acidity in the vinegar makes it good for dissolving hard water stains. Vinegar is widely used for cleaning silver, brass, bronze, and stainless steel. An interesting use for vinegar is as a rust-removing agent for iron and steel mechanical parts. It is also a good solvent for cleaning up epoxy resin, and removing sticky price tags.
I have already mentioned using vinegar and water on floors. In fact when I was researching to find the best cleaner for laminate floors, vinegar and water was the only cleaner every source I checked could agree upon as the best cleaner. It can even be used to clean up pet urine. At the end of the day you can even dump a couple cups of vinegar down the drain to help keep the drains unclogged.
Vinegar makes an environmentally friendly herbicide. It will kill the top growth without poisoning the soil.
Vinegar comes in so many delicious forms and is a basic ingredient in many regional dishes. Some of the most common vinegars are apple cider, white distilled, wine vinegar, balsamic, cane, coconut, rice, and fruit vinegars. I find I use some form of vinegar almost every time I cook. Most vinegars are gluten free (except balsamic), and low in carbs (except for sweetened/seasoned vinegars.) Vinegar  is frequently used to preserve foods because of its natural antibiotic properties. Our most common condiments are all vinegar based - mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. They are just a drop in the bucket compared to all the regional condiments that are vinegar based worldwide.
So bottom line, vinegar is good for you. Use it, play with it in your foods, and enjoy it in so many different ways.
Take care,
David
Ultrasound Physical Therapy
Now available in the office
Tuesdays and Fridays
How to find us -
Our address is 9725 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Finding the new location is very easy. Coming from highway 50 up Sunrise Blvd, you turn left and go up a block. We are on the right hand side - the building just past the Subway Sandwich shop. If you are coming down Sunrise from the Mall area then just turn right on Fair Oaks Blvd and up a block on the right.
If you are coming from the Roseville area you could come down Sunrise Blvd, but that is a long trek. It is probably shorter time wise to come down Auburn Blvd - San Juan Ave like you have been for the Sunset
office, but instead of turning left at Sunset, keep going straight 3
more lights to Fair Oaks Blvd and turn left. Go down 2 lights to New York Ave, go through the intersection, and immediately turn into the turn lane once the center divider ends. We are on the left.
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