Ingredients
3 Reasons to Cook with Apple Cider Vinegar

3 Reasons to Cook with Apple Cider Vinegar

February 2024If you aren’t already stocking apple cider vinegar in your kitchen, now’s the time to start. This pantry staple not only adds a tart blast of acid to your food (which is key for balancing flavors), but it packs some major health benefits too. Here are three science-backed reasons to get cooking with apple cider vinegar.

If you aren’t already stocking apple cider vinegar in your kitchen, now’s the time to start. This pantry staple not only adds a tart blast of acid to your food (which is key for balancing flavors), but it packs some major health benefits too. Here are three science-backed reasons to get cooking with apple cider vinegar.

It Can Fight Oxidative Stress

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) may help fight oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is when your body makes more harmful free radicals than it can fight, leading to cell damage and increasing risk of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. Not a good place to be. Oxidative stress can be triggered by things like UV rays, pollution, and a poor diet. Yikes.

Research finds ACV may help suppress some types of oxidative stress by activating the body’s antioxidant defense system—basically, helping your body fight oxidative stress for itself. This ultimately helps to keep cells healthy and reduces the risk of disease. Yes and yes!

Keeps Cholesterol in Check

We're all familiar with cholesterol, the waxy substance in our blood that the body uses to make things like cell membranes and hormones. While we do need some cholesterol, too much cholesterol is not good for health, and some types of cholesterol are better than others.

Where does apple cider vinegar fit in all of this? ACV may help manage cholesterol levels in the blood—making sure we have more of the cholesterol that’s good for us and less of the bad cholesterol.

In one lab study, apple cider vinegar was shown to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while raising HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Plus, it was reported that ACV aids in lowering triglyceride levels, which is beneficial to your heart. Takeaway: if you’re concerned about cholesterol, cooking with apple cider vinegar can be another tool to help manage your levels.

It’s Good for Managing Blood Sugar

Keeping blood sugar (aka blood glucose) levels stable is important for everyone. Stable blood sugar can help regulate appetite while keeping you energized throughout the day. Managing blood sugar is especially important for people with type 2 diabetes. Lab work has shown apple cider vinegar can have a reducing effect on blood glucose levels. To put it simply, adding ACV to your food may help prevent blood sugar swings after eating (no more getting hangry in between meals) and could be useful for people living with diabetes.

You can use apple cider vinegar to make dressings, marinades, or glazes. Not much of a cook? Get a dose of apple cider vinegar in the Daily Harvest Brussels Sprouts + Tahini Harvest Bowl.

Brussel Sprouts + Tahini Harvest Bowl

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Unless otherwise noted, nutrition information is sourced from USDA FoodData Central and reflects the reference amount customarily consumed. These are standardized servings and not necessarily the amount present in the highlighted Daily Harvest recipes. Nutrition information for Daily Harvest products can be found on packages and under "Nutrition Facts" for each product at "dailyharvest.com". Vitamin and mineral functions are sourced from Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center.