Vinegar, Oh so handy to have around!

I have recently discovered some of the many uses of Vinegar. My favorites are apple cider vinegar for acne which is stinky and burns a bit but the brightening effects are unparalleled by expensive beauty products; It's also a great internal cleanser--apple cider vinegar for digestion and weight control. Be sure to use Braggs organic though - you don't want to introduce bad processing agents into your system. Braggs is also local, from around the bend in Santa Barbara, Ca. Read after the jump about health benefits of apple cider vinegar or click here to visit the Bragg's website. 


Rice Vinegar is great for stir-fries and making delicious sushi rice (I look forward to experimenting with it on cucumber and asparagus). I also love various vinegars as salad dressings. They give a burst of crisp freshness to the salad without the calories load or heavy oil feeling on your greens (play with type other than the normal balsamic). They have always been known to be a popular flavor for potato chips but have you hear of or tried vinegar pie? This pie was featured on one of my favorite blogs yesterday, TheKitchn, and had me curious. It sounds like a brown sugar pie with a kick of vinegar--I don't think my sig. other would beg for more of this pie but I'd like to try it someday. 

One of vinegar's most important uses in my life is cleaning my coffee machine!! Until I moved in with Matt I always used a French Press (no need to vinegarize) but our nice cuisinart seems like it wants to implode every few months (signaled by thicker grungy tasting coffee buildup). We discovered that running a 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water cleaning cycle flushed the baby out. The next day's coffee is super clean and fresh tasting. Check out your coffee machine's manual or click here. 

Bragg Live apple cider vinegar health reaping: 
"Most people don't know how wonderful vinegar is. Its cleansing properties are known to aid digestion by stimulating the flow of enzymes and saliva in the mouth. Vinegar has been shown to support a healthy heart. Vinegar can do everything from relieving muscle pain from exercise, balancing pH levels, soothing sore throats, and normalizing weight and helping to maintain levels of cholesterol already in the normal range. Externally, it is effective in supporting healthy skin and hair. Use it topically to give yourself a vinegar facial for toning or clearing up non-cystic acne and exfoliating dry dull skin. Gently rub your skin with a soft cotton ball dipped in vinegar and watch your skin glow! It's also great for animals. Use it as a soothing after-bath rinse for cats and dogs to eliminate dry skin. Just as with people, it is also helpful in older animals. The high acidity and powerful enzymes in apple cider vinegar also supports a healthy scalp. Try a rinse of apple cider vinegar after you wash your hair. It gives hair incredible shine and bounce!
It's so easy to incorporate vinegar into your daily diet. When you wake up in the morning just make a delicious cocktail using 2 teaspoons of raw, organic apple cider vinegar, and if you need a sweetener, use organic honey, 100% maple syrup, or molasses to taste. If you are diabetic, use the sweet substitute stevia. I recommend you use only distilled water. This "Bragg Healthy Cocktail" is designed to flush out wastes that are clogging the organs of elimination, the bowels, lungs, skin, and the kidneys. Take it at least twice a day, and you will start to see changes like increased energy, soft skin, and decreased muscle and joint aches from exercise. "