Bart Maes

You can read about the most important health benefits of apple vinegar in the article What are the 7 most important benefits of apple cider vinegar for your health?-but how do you recognise real vinegar with its health benefits? I am giving you four guidelines that you should bear in mind when buying cider vinegar:

1. You should NEVER buy industrially-filtered apple vinegar for your health. Apple cider vinegar should look a little cloudy. The ‘mother’ of the apple cider vinegar must still be present with all its potency. It adds more acetic acid and other organic acids such as citric acid.
2. You should NEVER buy industrially-pasteurised apple vinegar for your health. Apple cider vinegar should be raw. This way, the positive bacteria remain intact and can do their work in our body (more energy and better immunity).
3. Buy only organic apple cider vinegar for your health. The peel of non-organic apples contain various pesticides that are harmful to your health and our immune system. Pesticides are an unnecessary strain. Pesticides on apples belong to the ‘dirty dozen’ according to environmental workgroups such as the Environmental Working Group (EGW). (strawberries, spinach, cabbage, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes)
4. Only buy apple cider vinegar with the ‘mother’. The ‘mother’ is visible at the bottom of the bottle, or through strands at the top of the bottle. The ‘mother’ contains a concentrated amount of cellulose (fibres), acetic acid and acetic acid bacteria. Natural apple vinegar with the ‘mother’ is hard to find in supermarkets.

Warning: I do not recommend apple cider vinegar in the form of capsules, tablets and supplements.