It's perfect on potatoes, very good on veggies, and divine in salad dressings. And the best news yet? It may help with fat burning. The magic condiment in question: vinegar.
Obese people who took in 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily in a study melted significantly more body fat and belly fat than a group taking a placebo -- despite being on the same diet and exercise plan.
A Sour Path to Skinny
Vinegar may offer a weight loss boost thanks to acetic acid. Seems this sour stuff does double-duty fat-blasting, inhibiting the body's ability to store fat while boosting its ability to burn it. And even though apple cider vinegar was the type used in the recent study, researchers suspect most varieties of the liquid seasoning could have the same get-skinny effects. (Find out what the YOU Docs think about vinegar and weight loss.)
Other Tart Benefits
Vinegar also seemed to help lower bad-for-the-heart triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure at the end of the 12-week study. That's a Sherpa's load of health benefits for one little flavor maker. So get your daily dose of vinegar with one of these tart-tasting, waist-whittling RealAge recipes:
When you're craving tart: Give your salad and grilled veggies a refreshing citrus-flavored punch with this Lemon-Balsamic Vinaigrette.
When you're craving savory: Add a Mediterranean touch to chicken with this Chicken in Garlic-Vinegar Sauce.
When you're craving sweet: Add a bit of tangy sweetness to dessert with these Balsamic-Spiked Strawberries.
Did You Know?
Apple cider vinegar can make your skin and hair beautiful, too.
By RealAge
Can Balsamic Bring Weight and Blood Sugar Down?
by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD
Q. Is apple cider vinegar the only vinegar that works for stabilizing blood sugar and cutting appetite?
A. It doesn't seem to matter what vinegar -- white, apple cider, or even red raspberry -- you use. What's critical is that you use the vinegar that has 5% acidity (acidity is typically marked on the label). The waist benefits of vinegar come from its acetic acid. In balsamic vinegar, it's masked by a sweet taste, but it's there. Trust us, we're docs.
The antiglycemic effect is greater the more vinegar you consume: The bare minimum for lowering your blood sugar is 1 to 2 tablespoons. It's not the most chuggable liquid, so we think the best delivery system is as a salad dressing. Mix your favorite vinegar with olive oil at a 2 (vinegar):1 (oil) ratio, and serve with mixed leafy greens, crucifers like watercress and arugula, and other veggies.
I guess that is why the most popular salad dressing when on a diet is a light vinegarette dressing. Makes sence to me!!!!
Very interesting, especially about adding it to potatoes. Vinegar turns out to be an amazing thing! I will continue to eat it as a salad dressing! By the way, it also with equal amounts of water makes the best window-wash in the world! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures in your blog header! I
ReplyDeleteI can't stand the smell or taste of vinegar but if I could lose some weith with it, it might be worth another try :).