Cider Vinegar
Page 5
Daily dosage
I have used cider vinegar for the past 35 years for me and my family. I have never known it to fail with my family and, since treating arthritic patients in my clinic – who present me with various conditions apart from arthritis – I have found very few adverse reactions to it. In my opinion, natural organic cider vinegar is one of nature’s perfect drinks.
The amount to take varies from person to person – but the normal prescribed dosage is one dessertspoonful in a large glass of water, three times daily. However, for a person with one kidney, it is imperative that the dosage is drastically reduced because of the fact that cider vinegar is a natural diuretic. Having said that, it is a wonderful medicine for dissolving kidney stones. In such a case, I ask my patient to take one teaspoonful twice daily in a large glass of water. Patients with any kidney problems should have the reduced dosage.
There are certain other conditions which necessitate a reduced daily dosage of cider vinegar, as follows.
Patients on water-tablets
A very reduced prescription is in order because of the diuretic quality of the cider vinegar. If I were to give patients on water-tablets the normal cider-vinegar dosage, they would be incessantly passing urine, and that would cause them a great deal of stress. I give these patients potassium tablets to replace the potassium which the water-tablets are flushing out of the system.
Heart disease
Patients who have had heart problems sometimes need to take oral anticoagulants such as warfarin. These are prescribed in order to keep the blood flowing easily through the blood-vessels, by thinning the blood. As cider vinegar can also normalize blood which is too thick, this can exacerbate the effect of warfarin. People taking such drugs need to be monitored when taking cider vinegar. Patients who take cider vinegar can sometimes reduce their dosage of warfarin, under the doctor’s guidance, which can only be helpful considering the harmful side effects that warfarin can produce.
Possible adverse reactions to cider vinegar
If too much cider vinegar is taken, patients can lose weight. They do not realize that the cider vinegar is responsible, and begin to worry. Their families and friends worry because of the weight loss, until eventually they go to the doctor, who is baffled, can find nothing wrong – and everybody is confused.
Such patients have heard that cider vinegar is good for arthritis and, without seeking informed help, they consume too much. If they had told the doctor that they were taking cider vinegar, the doctor may have realized that the diuretic properties of cider vinegar have caused the weight loss. It is not until the patient rings the Margaret Hills Clinic and asks for advice that we recognize what has gone on. We regulate the intake, and the patient starts to put on weight again. We get a few such patients at the clinic.
The information we send out to our patients from the clinic categorically advises them to ‘inform your doctor that you are having this treatment’. Some patients do not tell their doctors because they are frightened of the doctor’s reaction. That, we can do nothing about.
I often think that, if the doctors could see the hundreds of letters that come in from our patients thanking us for their better health, they would have no hesitation in encouraging patients to do our treatment, or at least to contact the clinic for advice.
Candidiasis
This is a fungal disorder most commonly called thrush. It is caused by an excess amount of the yeast-like fungus, Candida albicans, which lives on the skin and the vulva, and in the mouth, bowel and vagina. Normally the fungus is harmless. However, it sometimes sets up an infection characterized by sore white patches which usually affect the mouth or vagina.
Thrush is particularly prevalent in babies, elderly people, diabetics, pregnant women and those taking antibiotics. It is also common where the immune system is not functioning properly, for example in people with AIDS or leukaemia, or those taking steroid drugs.
Thrush infection of the vulva is common, recurrent and troublesome. It causes itching and soreness with a white vaginal discharge. See your doctor, get it diagnosed and, if it is true thrush, your doctor will prescribe your treatment. Do not take vinegar or cider vinegar in your diet, and steer clear of antibiotics, if possible, when suffering from thrush.
We find quite often among our patients that antibiotics cause thrush. In my opinion, antibiotics should not be prescribed as liberally as they often seem to be. Once a patient has thrush, it is very difficult to get rid of and prevention is better than cure. My advice would be that people at risk of thrush take Acidophilus (available in health food shops) to support the immune system and prevent, if possible, the occurrence of thrush.
Other conditions
Other instances when the dosage of cider vinegar is drastically reduced to begin with are a hiatus hernia and/or a stomach ulcer. Cider vinegar to an ulcer can be compared to rubbing salt into a wound – it stings. However, at the end of the day, it is a fantastic healer – just like the salt.
One teaspoon of cider vinegar, well-diluted in a half-pint of water, daily, is prescribed until the patient can gradually take the required amount. This would be necessary in any individual case to bring about good health.
3
Cider vinegar in the home
The daily intake of cider vinegar helps to correct and maintain the body’s acid–alkaline balance. Apples are very helpful for the human body – whether in the form of apple juice or cider vinegar, treatment results are excellent. No other vinegars can produce the same results as cider vinegar, and for so many conditions.
The vinegar should be made from crushed whole apples. It is very important to read the labels on the cider-vinegar bottle to ensure that it is made from crushed whole apples and not from apple peelings and cores as some vinegars are.
When I make soups, stews and casseroles, I feel that a vital, health-giving ingredient is omitted if I forget to add at least two teaspoons of cider vinegar. When vinegar is required in a recipe, I always use cider vinegar. In this way, I know that all my family are getting a wonderfully healthy diet. I have never had a case of food poisoning in the family, and I believe that, while I keep adding cider vinegar to the food, I never will.
Cider vinegar is excellent with vegetables and other food, such as lamb, for making mint sauce, etc. It is also a most cooling, refreshing summer drink. Add one dessertspoonful of cider vinegar to a large glass of cold water, and sip.
We build and rebuild our bodies through the food we eat, the fluids we drink and the air we breathe. Sickness is a signpost telling us that we have wandered off the road to health, and we must do something to put it right.
I have been trained in orthodox medicine, and I have studied and practised the alternative, natural method of healing for the past 50 years – first in my own family and then in treating many and varied conditions in my clinic. In my experience, the natural way is the best way. Drugs (as prescribed in orthodox medicine) suppress symptoms, and, in so doing, can often cause irreversible damage to the body. Natural treatments heal gently.
Always remember that two teaspoons of cider vinegar in a glass of water with or before each meal will ensure an excellent potassium-enriched meal. But in this chapter, I also want to tell you various ways of making cider vinegar palatable, using it in different recipes. We will also look at its uses throughout the house in different situations.
In winter, especially, soup is very satisfying. Summer soups can be delicious too – but on a cold winter’s evening, after a day’s work, there is nothing quite so warming as a bowl of nourishing soup. The following are some quick and easy recipes that can be made in advance and frozen if you wish.
SOUPS
Cream of potato soup
Serves 4
450 g/1 lb potatoes
2 celery stalks
450 ml/¾ pint water
pepper to taste
300 ml/½ pint milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 large onion
40 g/1½
oz butter
1 teaspoon salt
25 g/1 oz cornflour
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Slice the potatoes thinly, then slice the onion and celery. Fry the vegetables very gently in butter in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Do not allow to brown. Add water, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer very gently for 45 minutes. Liquidize, or rub through a sieve, and return to the pan. Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with a little of the cold milk and stir in the remainder. Add to the soup and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cider vinegar. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Cider vinegar in borscht
Serves 6
1 medium-sized onion
450 g/1 lb raw beetroot, sliced
1.1 litres/2 pints vegetable stock
1 teaspoon yeast extract (e.g. Marmite)
1 small potato, halved
25 g/1 oz butter/margarine
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
a little soured cream and chopped parsley to garnish
Chop the vegetables, melt the butter, and sauté the onion until transparent. Then add the potato, beetroot and stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before blending, in small amounts, in a liquidizer. Return to the saucepan; add the remaining ingredients and season. Reheat to serving temperature; stir in the soured cream and chopped parsley before serving.
Carrot soup
Serves 4–6
450 g/1 lb carrots
1 medium-sized onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1.1 litres/2 pints vegetable stock
1 teaspoon yeast extract
1 medium-sized potato
25 g/1 oz butter/margarine
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
salt and pepper
Chop the vegetables. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and sauté. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes; then add the cider vinegar and blend in small quantities in a liquidizer, until the soup is smooth.
Red pottage
Serves 6
225 g/½ lb haricot beans
1 beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 onions, chopped
2.2 litres/4 pints water
100 g/¼ lb tomatoes, chopped
25 g/1 oz butter
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Soak the beans in cold water for 24 hours; then put the beans into 4 pints of cold water and bring to the boil. Add the butter. When the soup comes to the boil, add the tomatoes, celery and onions and beetroot. Allow to simmer for 2½ hours, then liquidize or put all through a wire sieve and add cider vinegar. Reheat and serve.
Fennel soup
Serves 4
25 g/1 oz butter/margarine
1 large fennel bulb
300 ml/½ pint vegetable stock
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
chopped parsley to garnish
1 medium-sized onion
1 medium-sized potato
450 mg/¾ pint milk
seasoning to taste
Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the onion until transparent. Add the chopped fennel and chopped potato. Stir well. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes; allow to cool and purée in a liquidizer. Return to the saucepan and add milk, cider vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. If too thick, add more stock; reheat, but do not boil. To garnish, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
French onion soup
Serves 4
350 g/12 oz onions, chopped
a pinch of sugar
1.1 litres/2 pints water
1 small French loaf
12 g/½ oz butter/margarine
1 beef-stock cube
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
50 g/2 oz Parmesan cheese
Fry the onions in butter until they are very brown. Sprinkle on a little sugar to caramelize them. Dissolve the stock-cube in 2 pints of boiling water, and pour this over the onions, stirring well. Bring to the boil, withdraw from heat, add the cider vinegar and stir well. Serve with toasted French bread sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Pea soup
Serves 4
450 g/1 lb fresh peas, shelled
40 g/1½ oz butter
sprig of mint
1 chicken stock-cube
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Cook the peas in a very minimum amount of water, and liquidize. Dissolve the chicken stock-cube in 2 pints of boiling water. Put into the saucepan with the pea purée and bring to boiling point. Stir in cider vinegar, butter and the sprig of mint.
Red bean soup
Serves 4
225 g/8 oz red kidney beans
1 clove garlic, crushed
25 g/1 oz parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1.1 litres/2 pints water
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Soak the kidney beans overnight, then drain them and put them into a heavy saucepan with 2 pints of cold water. Boil for 10 minutes, then simmer for 1 hour. Remove half the beans from the pan with a slotted spoon and purée in a food processor. Season to taste. Return the purée to the saucepan to keep warm. Sauté the chopped garlic in the olive oil in a small frying pan until golden. Stir in some chopped parsley, drain and add to the soup. Bring back to the boil; remove from heat and stir in the cider vinegar; then serve.
Lentil and cider vinegar soup
Serves 4
175 g/6 oz red lentils
1.1 litres/2 pints water
100 g/4 oz onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 chicken stock-cube
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 medium-sized carrot, chopped
Soak the lentils overnight in stock made from 2 pints of water and the chicken stock-cube. Put the garlic, onion and carrot into a saucepan, and add a quarter of a cup of stock in which the lentils have been soaking. Cover and cook over a low heat until soft. Add the lentils and remaining liquid. Season, and bring to the boil; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add the cider vinegar and serve.
Parsnip and apple soup
Serves 6
225 g/8 oz parsnips
50 g/2 oz butter
1.1 litres/2 pints water
salt and pepper
150 ml/¼ pint single cream
1 cooking apple
1 chicken stock-cube
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
chopped parsley
Peel and chop the parsnips finely. Peel, core and cube the apple. Sweat parsnips and apple in a saucepan with the butter; cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Make up 1.1 litres (2 pints) of stock by dissolving the chicken stock-cube in boiling water, and add to the pan. Add the bay leaf; season and simmer until the parsnip is tender. Take out the bay leaf; put the liquid in a food processor and blend to a smooth texture. Reheat and add 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar; add the cream and stir gently. Sprinkle on chopped parsley, then serve at once.
Liver and bacon soup
Serves 4
1 medium-sized onion
25 g/1 oz butter
25 g/1 oz flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Worcester sauce
225 g/8 oz lean bacon
225 g/8 oz liver
900 ml/1½ pints water
1 dessertspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish
Finely chop the onion and bacon. Fry gently in butter in the frying pan for 5–7 minutes. Wash the liver well and wipe dry; cut it into half-inch cubes, toss in flour until each piece is well coated, add to the pan and fry with onion and bacon for a further 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Gradually bl
end in the water; add salt and Worcester sauce; bring slowly to the boil while stirring. Lower the heat and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 1½ hours. Remove from the heat; add the cider vinegar, then ladle into four warm soupbowls. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Cabbage soup
Serves 4
225 g/8 oz cabbage
25 g/1 oz butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 dessertspoon cider vinegar
1 medium-sized onion
600 ml/1 pint beef stock
3 tablespoons soured cream
finely chopped parsley
Shred the cabbage finely, wash and drain well. Coarsely grate the onion. Melt butter in a saucepan, and fry the onion gently until soft and pale gold. Add the cabbage and stock, and bring to the boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the cider vinegar and soured cream. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.
SALAD DRESSINGS
Salad dressings are an ideal way of introducing cider vinegar into the daily diet. They really do make salads delicious and nourishing. Different dressings add variety and a range of different tastes to an otherwise mundane salad. The following is a basic cider vinegar dressing. All quantities of dressings serve 4–6 people.
Salad dressing
For green and mixed salads, potato salads, meat, poultry, fish, cheese and egg salads
1 carton 142 ml (5 fl oz) soured cream
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt