Just like cooking oils, vinegars have a wide range of quality associated with them – from highly de-mineralizing distilled varieties to ulta-enzyme-rich unfiltered ones. What should you be buying? Let’s see where our favorite and most commonly used vinegars fall into the spectrum.

#1 Best Vinegars: Organic, naturally unfiltered, raw / unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, brown rice vinegar, white wine vinegars, or umeboshi vinegar. These naturally derived vinegars contain more minerals and living bacteria, and have a variety of healthy effects on the body - like increasing the digestibility of foods, helping to break down fat, neutralizing toxins & food poisoning, and even lifting your mood!

#2 It’ll Do Vinegars: Small batch sherry, balsamic, red wine, or rice vinegars are fine to consume in small amounts. They make great salad dressings and offer nice flavor options. You may not get all the health benefits as in the raw category - but you won’t get much harm either.

#3 Never Ever Vinegars: Any distilled (clear) vinegar - it is highly de-mineralized through multiple processing techniques and pasteurizations, and mostly derived from ethanol. These are not the best choice to consume. I would definitely consider it a “refined food product” & would use it to clean the kitchen and bathrooms and not much else!!

Acid Reflux Remedy:

1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

¼ C water

Drink solution with meals to ward off indigestion or heartburn! The enzyme-rich vinegar will aide in breaking down your food and reduce organic food acids from forming and wreaking havoc on your esophagus. :)