A tweet from Jacqueline Fernandez has brought apple cider vinegar under the limelight, and for all the right reasons.
Earlier this week, former Miss Sri Lanka and actress Jacqueline Fernandez posted on Twitter about the benefits of apple cider. Her tweet via instagram read, “Guys read about the benefits of apple cider vinegar. It has amazing healing properties and is supposed to be great for skin too! I’ve been taking a tablespoon everyday with warm water first thing in the morning!!! Warning though it’s not easy to drink!!” At that moment, many nutritionists and health experts went, “This is what we’ve been saying for so long!” but sometimes, what it takes is for a beautiful face to endorse it.
We don’t know how Jackie took to apple cider vinegar, but she’s correct about it’s benefits. In fact it has some more. Naturopathy practitioner Sejal Vora says apple cider is good for colds and sore throat, high blood pressure and skin. “I personally recommend it last thing before going to bed. Just one teaspoon.” You could also use it as a cleanser for your skin, she tells us.
However, she adds a word of caution. “One must consult an expert before starting on it though. Especially those who have low blood pressure. It can make them giddy.”
Myth buster
A common concern about consuming apple cider vinegar is that it can be bad for your stomach. But it’s the other way round. It helps maintain the pH balance of your body. “This vinegar is extremely alkaline, so it doesn’t harm your stomach lining,” explains Vora. But of course, she says, it must be consumed in moderation. “Anything overdone is never good.”
Golden liquid on the menu
While you can have a teaspoon diluted in a glass of water or in your salads as a dressing.
Makting apple cider vinegar at home
From the fruit
You could use diced apples or apple scraps (apple peels and core). Store scraps as and when in the freezer till you have enough.
Selecting the jar: Use large open-mouth glass jars.
Putting ingredients together: Put in apples/scraps and fill the jar with drinking water. Add sugar into the jar. Cover the mouth with a muslin cloth, tied with a rubber band. Place it in a dark place. Stir once in a while over the week.
A week later: Strain out the scraps and pour the strained juice back into the jar and cover with muslin cloth again.
Waiting, again: Store the strained liquid in a cool, dark place for six weeks and stir it once a day. You can taste to confirm or continue to ferment for more than six weeks until it tastes as strong as you’d like it to be.'
Organic only
If you choose to give apple cider vinegar a try, go only for an organic one. Vora recommends the Braggs brand. “It’s available online.”
From fresh juice
Making apple cider vinegar from apple juice is easier.
Leave ‘all natural’ apple juice in an open jug, covered with a muslin cloth, out to ferment naturally. In two to four weeks, it will turn into apple cider vinegar.
Taming for your taste
If the vinegar too potent for you, simply add some spring or filtered water to mellow the acidity.
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