Vinegar

[dlb]

Jeff -

Can you give me your take on vinegar?

Over the years I have heard a lot of different things like: vinegar is poison, distilled vinegar is made with petroleum, balsamic vinegar has a high sugar content, apple cider vinegar is the best for you, vinegar is good for acid indigestion, etc.

Thanks for your help. You are a wealth of information and I really appreciate your time and energy put into this forum.

Donna

[JeffN]

Hi Donna,

Thanks for your help. You are a wealth of information and I really appreciate your time and energy put into this forum.

Thank you.

Can you give me your take on vinegar?

Over the years I have heard a lot of different things like: vinegar is poison, distilled vinegar is made with petroleum, balsamic vinegar has a high sugar content, apple cider vinegar is the best for you, vinegar is good for acid indigestion, etc.

Many claims about vinegar have been made over the years, both good and bad and most are blow way out of proportion..

Vinegar is acetic acid that is made form the fermentation of alcohol. Its ph is about 2.4 to 3.4 which is slightly less acidic them lemon or lime juice which has a ph of 2.0 to 2.6 and only slightly more acidic than orange juice, which has a ph of 3.0 to 4.19

Vinegar is mostly water with a small amount of acetic acid (usually 5%, although it can be as low as 3% and as high as 15%). For nondistilled vinegars other acids are also present in small amounts such as tantaric acid and citric acid. There are dozens of types of vinegars, including white, Malt, Wine, Apple cider, Balsamic, Rice, Date, etc. which depend on what it is made from.

In regard to health claims, it has been reported that it will lower cholesterol, cure cancer, detoxify your body, alleviate arthritis, skin rashes, and ear aches but there is no evidence for these.

Vinegar can be effective for certain types of jellyfish stings.

In addition, vinegar has been shown to reduce the post meal blood sugar response of foods and/or a meal. So, for this reason, it has become popular of those who believe in the glycemic index. It is also the reason why it is often promoted as a weight loss aid, though there isn't really any evidence for this weight loss effect.

Depending on the concentration, most vinegars are around 2-5 calories per TB and have no added sodium and a maybe a gram of sugar.

Some vinegars are flavored or seasoned and may have added sugar, salt and/or other ingredients which can add calories sugar and salt, so, as always check the label and the ingredients.

Vinegars do contain sulfite's, which some people are allergic to.

Having said all that , I think vinegars are an excellent solution to the question, "what do i put on my salad as most low fat/fat free dressings are very high in salt and/or sugar. The basic ones are very low in calories, are very low in sugar, have no added salt or sugar, may help lower blood glucose levels and taste great.

And, these days, there are so many variations available. Some, are now adding fresh herbs to pure vinegars so we are getting a whole new variety of flavors without any added sugar and/or salt.

In Health
Jeff Novick, MS, RD

[dlb]

Thanks Jeff

[boardn10]

Good stuff Jeff!

What about claims of vinegar killing beneficial bacteria in the gut??? I hear that a lot! Something about contributing to an acidic environment.

[r-marie]

JeffN, I know you've given your views on vinegar here and elsewhere:
http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic ... ht=vinegar

I have recently re-discovered a fondness for balsamic vinegar which is a little different in how it is made and contains sulfites. By doing a little googling I have learned that the commercial type balsamic vinegar which you see on the supermarket shelves is usually a mixture of a wine vinegar and aged balsamic "must". The addition and amount of "must" (the resulting product of a very special process of the juice of white grapes) added to the red wine vinegar determines the quality of the commercial type balsamic vinegar. Pure Balsamic Vinegar is VERY expensive.

I have a bottle of Spectrum Organic Balsamic vinegar and though it says it is from Modena - it too has been mixed with wine vinegar.

So here is my question for you: If I have no present allergy to sulfites, will eating balsamic vinegar on a regular basis (ie: 1-2 tsp/day) eventually create a sensitivity to sulfites? I eat lots of salads, and use lemon juice and other vinegars as well, but still....

I'm looking forward to your answer
r-marie

P.S. I also read somewhere about a "Chinese Black Vinegar" (supposedly very flavorfull as well) which is made out of rice. Is anyone familiar with this one?

[JeffN]

So here is my question for you: If I have no present allergy to sulfites, will eating balsamic vinegar on a regular basis (ie: 1-2 tsp/day) eventually create a sensitivity to sulfites? I eat lots of salads, and use lemon juice and other vinegars as well, but still....

Not that I know of, though it may be possible.

Sulfites are in many fermented foods as they are used in the processing.

There are a few vinegars that are supposed to be sulfite free, like rice vinegar, though I do not know this to be true for sure.

If I found out anymore, I will let you know.

In Health
Jeff

[r-marie]

thank you JeffN!

[Marcia]

That is really fascinating regarding vinegar. For both of my pregnancies I had morning sickness and I found I always had a really sweet sort of taste in my mouth that made me feel nauseated. I definitely didn not have gestational diabetes (was tested etc) and I gained only baby weight with pregnancies and stayed healthy.

But the strangest thing was, I craved teaspoonfuls of white vinegar. I would have these teaspoonfuls at breakfast, snacks and all through the day and it would relieve this odd feeling of sweetness in my mouth. And if I had actually been sick it was the only thing that made me feel better. But I had never known that about the reduction of blood sugar - after what I craved and experienced, I think, anecdotally at least, I would vouch for that.