Cleansing or Surgery

 

 

 

 

First for Women magazine cover

As seen in First for Women, September 26, 2005 in the Health: Nutrition Breakthrough section.

 

An apple cider vinegar cocktail cured my chronic indigestion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel Revere stood at her kitchen sink, rinsing the dinner dishes, when her stomach began to churn. Oh no, she thought, here comes the indigestion. A second later, she was keeled over the counter from stomach cramps that made any movement unbearable.

Rachel RevereIronically, it was a switch to a healthy diet that started her tummy woes. A self-proclaimed lousy cook, Rachel had limited herself to meals like mac-and-cheese and hot dogs.

But after years of having low energy levels, she decided it was time to include veggies. Although the salads, beans and broccoli she started eating erased her sluggishness, the fiber created new problems: heartburn, gas and indigestion. "I'd be out of commission all night," she says. Taking antacids would tame the pain for an hour, but then it would return. "I didn't want to go back to eating prepackaged meals, but something had to give."

Desperate for a solution, Rachel turned to her friend Dorothy, who owns a health-food store. And she got the recipe that turned her life around: 8 oz. water, 2 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp. honey. Dorothy promised the concoction would end the indigestion.

That night Rachel drank the mixture ("It tastes like tart lemonade," she says), and the usual heaviness in her stomach lifted... and didn't return.

Once Rachel learned she could eat veggies without fear, she was inspired to learn to cook. Now she always enjoys a great meal and (when necessary) a refreshing after-dinner "cocktail"!

The acid that ends stomach upset

Indigestion symptoms such as gas, bloat and cramps often are due to shortfall in the stomach acids that break down food. But apple cider vinegar, which contains acetic acid, can help remedy this deficiency and keep digestion humming, explains Joseph Brasco, M.D., coauthor of Restoring Your Digestive Health (Kensington, 2003). He recommends sipping 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar during or right after meals.