Gut health is high on the wellbeing agenda of many of us as we increasingly learn more about its importance. If you’re learning about gut health, you’ll quickly discover the importance of fermented foods. We’ve talked before about the importance of fermented foods in your diet for gut health, and how to use coconut vinegar to create your fermented food. Here we dive a little deeper into the benefits of coconut vinegar to your gut health.
Why not rustle up a glass of sparkling coconut and lime drink and then read on?
Choosing your coconut vinegar
Before we crack on with the benefits, it’s worth saying that not all vinegars, and not all coconut vinegars, are the same. Vinegar is made through a process of fermenting acetic acid bacteria with alcohol. There are various ways you can do this. For example, with coconut vinegar, you allow coconut sap to ferment over time, which converts the naturally-occurring sugars into alcohol and then finally acetic acid (vinegar). This natural process is time-consuming. For example, we ferment out coconut sap for 2 years!
Vinegars differ depending on what was used to make them. Hence you can have apple cider vinegar, coconut vinegar, or rice vinegar.
Our organic coconut vinegar with mother-of-vinegar is superior natural vinegar which retains some of the live bacteria from the fermentation process, bringing you even more health benefits.
What are the benefits of coconut vinegar?
Numerous benefits of coconut vinegar are reported. There is still more research needed, but there is a good body of evidence underlining the health benefits and these should encourage you to include naturally fermented coconut vinegar in your diet.
1. Rich in probiotics
Natural organic coconut vinegar is rich in probiotics due to the long fermentation process. Probiotics are gut-friendly bacteria that make up your gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome is made up of lots of different types of bacteria, many of which will be found in a bottle of raw naturally fermented coconut vinegar with the mother of vinegar.
It is worth choosing coconut vinegar, like ours, which is made from the sap rather than coconut water. This is because the sap contains more nutrients and is fermented for longer.
2. Rich in polyphenols and nutrients
Polyphenols and nutrients are the umbrella terms given to the vast range of compounds that you want in your diet. Polyphenols are derived from plants. Coconut sap, and consequently coconut vinegar, is rich in numerous nutrients and polyphenols including potassium, vitamin C, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and copper. Polyphenols and nutrients bring numerous health benefits.
3. Reduces blood sugar
There is good evidence growing to show that acetic acid, the main compound in coconut vinegar, can help to lower blood sugar. This means that it can actively prevent that sugar-spike that you get when you consume carb-laden food.
4. Help manage diabetes
Alongside lowering blood sugar for all, some studies are revealing that coconut vinegar can help protect against type II diabetes. Vinegar in general may help to improve insulin sensitivity, a significant problem for those living with the disease.
5. Supresses appetite
Those of us who have problems controlling our weight often simply need the helping hand of feeling fuller for longer and reducing our appetite. Acetic acid reduces that hungry feeling and can leave you feeling satiated for longer.
6. Help you lose weight
Research doesn’t only point to the appetite suppression of vinegar as being important for helping people lose weight. Also, some small studies have shown that increasing your vinegar consumption can actually reduce body fat. More research is needed around this exciting potential benefit!
7. Aids heart health
As explained, coconut vinegar is rich in potassium. Potassium is a mineral that has been shown to reduce blood pressure. In addition, potassium in coconut vinegar can lower the risk of a stroke and heart disease. There is some research showing that coconut vinegar specifically lowers cholesterol levels as well as reduces inflammation. Again, more research is needed.
8. Helps gut health
The probiotics in raw coconut vinegar with the mother of vinegar are excellent for gut health. The acetic acid is also known to fight off some harmful bacteria, for example, E. coli.
9. Immune health
Raw coconut vinegar is very rich in vitamin C and iron. These two nutrients are strongly associated with a healthy immune system. Again, more research is needed here, but it would look as though coconut vinegar could be useful for bolstering your immune system.
How to enjoy the benefits of organic coconut vinegar
Organic coconut vinegar is extremely versatile and can be used in many different ways. That’s great news for those who want to start getting some of the benefits of coconut vinegar listed above!
One of the most popular ways to enjoy coconut vinegar is to make it into a drink. We’ve written a whole article dedicated to making your own coconut shrubs to get you started. Shrubs are simply cordial-style drinks that you can add to anything you fancy or drink just diluted with water. We’ve got bulk-buying clients who use our coconut vinegar in their natural non-alcoholic drinks.
