Love it: Chantal Organics Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

I am mad for the benefits of apple cider vinegar, and have been having my dose of it a day since I was a little girl. My parents had an ancient book about the stuff that they had first bought in the 1950’s, and we all took it religiously every day – without fail.

You can use it in dressings, marinating or consumed on its own, making it a proper pantry essential that I just can’t live without. It also boasts a myriad of health benefits in its most natural, unprocessed form, and my favourite brand is Chantal Organics Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, which is a full-bodied nutritional vinegar that contains beneficial probiotics and can assist in relieving health issues.

While all vinegar provides a tasty tang to meals, not all vinegar carries nutritional benefits like this baby. Through processing and distilling, clear vinegar becomes stripped of beneficial nutrients and lacks any living probiotics. Chantal Organics Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is unpasteurised, unfiltered and naturally fermented, allowing it to preserve what is called the ‘Mother of Vinegar’, which contains nutrients and bacteria. Chantal Organics use the same ‘mother’ batch across their Raw Apple Cider Vinegar production, allowing them to ensure the same consistency and probiotic count across the range.           

The health benefits of apple cider vinegar are numerous – it has been credited as a natural remedy for heartburn, easing digestion, bowel irregularity, improving blood sugar levels, as well as flushing toxins from the system and clearing skin blemishes. Apple cider vinegar can also be used to assist in weight loss as it can help to suppress appetite and break down starches, helping ensure fewer starches are turned into calories in the bloodstream. In other words, if you’re already a convert then I suggest you become one quick – and as for the tangy taste? You’ll get over it – I promise – and properly diluted you’ll hardly know it’s there.

Last but not least, a bottle of the stuff will set you back just $6.49 (500ml) – most definitely cheaper than a visit to the doctor and much more fun!