New Year, Same You, New Choices

Well hello again TGBK friends! We hope you've had a lovely start to 2017. In the spirit of the New Year we chose a topic this week that may inspire some new healthy choices and food habits. Because let's face it, we are the same people (though slightly older) as we were on December 30, 2016 but may now have the renewed commitment to healthier habits. Cecelia, for example, is wholeheartedly committed to taking the stairs more at work (goodbye elevators!). And Jess wants to make more food from scrach (as if that's even possible!). If your resolution has anything to do with gut health and improved digestion then read on for one way to try to make that happen this year.

Yes friends, apple cider vinegar is the trick to good digestion. You may have seen apple cider based drinks sold in health food stores and wondered what the hype was about. Well wonder no more! First, apple cider vinegar is a fermented food and contains healthy probiotic bacteria that we just love for gut and overall immune health. Though not all apple cider vinegar is created equal. To get the benefit of this fermented food look for a product that is raw (unheated and unpasteurized) to maintain the living bacteria. Organic, unfiltered, and "with the mother" (or the starer culture that began the fermentation process) are also key words to look for to make sure you a purchasing a superior product. But a healthy daily dose of probiotics is not all apple cider vinegar has to offer. Apple cider vinegar can be used as a remedy for digestive ailments, like reflux and indigestion, though the mechanism for why this works in not completely clear. Some believe that reflux and indigestion are caused by too little, instead of too much, stomach acid which can be improved by a daily intake of apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has an acidic pH similar to stomach acid and therefore may be able to re-balance a stomach pH that is out of ideal range. There has also been some research into the benefit apple cider vinegar may provide in certain metabolic disorders, though the evidence is limited to support apple cider vinegar as treatment. For conclusive, scientific answers more clinical research is needed. But in the meantime you can experiment with your own body since this whole food product won't cause any harm. If you're dealing with indigestion/reflux or just want to improve your digestion and gut health, give apple cider vinegar a try. There is no better proof than seeing something work (or not work) in your own body, because every body is different! For therapeutic effect apple cider vinegar should be taken daily, consistently - we recommend one tablespoon. It can be taken plain, mixed with water, as salad dressing, or added to a juice as we did this week. However you decide to take your apple cider vinegar, take it every day! Within several weeks you should know if this is something you want to commit to as a new healthy habit or not. Finally, for you apple cider converts and shoppers, a favorite brand of ours is Bragg, website here.

Pear-Pomegranate-Ginger Apple Cider Vinegar Juice 
PREP TIME: 10 minutes 
TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes 
Serving: 10 oz juice 

Ingredients
5-6 oz organic pomegranate seeds (seeds from ~2 pomegranates) or store bought organic pomegranate juice (~3 oz juice) 
2 organic pears (~5 oz juice) 
​2 Tbsp fresh ginger juice -recipe here
​1 Tbsp organic raw apple cider vinegar 
​1 tsp organic raw honey (we used clover) 

Using a slow juicer, juice pomegranate seeds. A 5-6 oz serving of seeds should yield ~3 oz of juice. If you don't have a slow juicer use 100% pomegranate juice as a high speed juicer will not yield much juice from the seeds. Next, juice the pears until you have ~5 oz of juice. Add pomegranate juice to pear juice and stir in ginger juice, apple cider vinegar, and honey until dissolved. Serve immediately at room temperature or over ice. Enjoy!

This drink is a perfect starter for those interested in adding apple cider vinegar to their daily routine. The fruit juice and honey provide sweetness to balance the tartness of the cider. The ginger adds a spicy kick to distract from the fact that you are actually drinking vinegar, definitely not a norm for most! Though will daily intake (either in a blend or plain) you will start to adapt to the apple cider vinegar taste and even start to look forward to your daily dose. If that never happens for you, keep finding ways to make it taste delicious (like this recipe!).

Stay healthy,
Jess and Cecelia