Hi there,

Some of my friends think I'm a little weird, or a lot weird, because I put apple cider vinegar (ACV) into my drinking-water bottle. Why would I possibly want to drink vinegar, they think to themselves, but they are the ones missing out. I'm in on the secret.

About 10 years ago I was the victim of one of those tricks that supermarkets use to try to force you to make a compulsive purchase. You know, the 'rack right next to the cash register' routine. It's such a temptation.

This time though, I picked up a little gem for a buck plus tax. This bargain-basement treasure was a small booklet about the healing qualities of ACV. Worth a dollar of anyone's money, and wow, did I learn a lot.

It seems the people who live in apple country are already clued-in about this, and I guess they should be. ACV has been used as a home remedy for centuries for all kinds of existing illnesses and also as a preventative.

Anti-oxidants, and their age-slowing qualities, are part of most peoples' awareness these days. Anti-oxidants absorb free radicals that accelerate the ageing process and cause all kinds of degenerative mayhem inside us. Beta carotene is one of the strongest anti-oxidants, there is a lot of beta carotene in apples, and there are a lot of apples in ACV.

ACV also comes with vitamin A, which is another anti-oxidant, and several minerals as part of the deal. Minerals like iron, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, silicon and potassium, all of which are necessary for good health.

Apples contain a lot of potassium and potassium encourages growth of cells and tissue. Potassium also helps the body purge sodium, which helps lessen some of the damage caused by a high salt diet, such as high blood-pressure. A diet low in potassium can lead to fatigue, memory loss and arthritis.

In some circles, ACV is well-known as a treatment for allergies, headaches, migraine, colds, fatigue, infections, stomach problems, sore throat, skin prblems, dandruff, acne and more.

It is also an effective preventative for a whole list of diseases. Included on that list are anemia, cancer, heart disease, flu and ulcers.

The default dosage is 2 teaspoons of ACV with 1 teaspoon of honey, taken in a glass of warm water, 3 times a day. As I almost mentioned before, I add about 3-4 tablespoons of ACV to a 1 1/2 litre bottle of mineral water and sip it throughout the day. It's refreshing, similar to squeezing a lemon into the water, and helps your body maintain a balanced metabolism.

ACV is available in supermarkets and whole food stores all over. Try to get the cloudy one which contains the highly-prized 'mother', the culture that makes the liquid become vinegar.

ACV with the 'mother' is a little more expensive but many, many times more beneficial than the mother-free, orphaned version. Some people even go as far as to say that without the mother, ACV is useless. That seems a little extreme to me, I mean it's still made with apples, isn't it? Can't be all bad.

So summer is here, why not give apple cider vinegar a try? It's just about the healthiest and most refreshing thing you can drink during the hot weather.

Keep cool ..

McGarrett