Apple Cider Vinegar: From headaches, to salads!

Apple Cider Vinegar: From headaches, to salads!
By: Chef Cristian

I am very interested in the effects that foods can have on the body, and am always excited when I get to experiment with their effectiveness. I moved from Toronto to the Tampa Bay area in Florida. It's been said that Florida has 360 days of sunshine per year, and although it's a welcome change from the Canadian climate, I have been finding that the heat is quite something to get used to! Especially since I've been getting headaches (from too much heat and loss of minerals through sweat). So I decided to be my own Guinea Pig and try to see if a natural solution was to be found.

I never take drugs, but I do pay attention to how some of them work. I could have easily taken some Aspirin or Tylenol to get rid of my headache, but would never want to rely on man-made drugs to survive the Florida heat. So I started to search for a natural food that would have the same effect and would relieve my headache.

When you sweat a lot, your body loses vital salts and electrolytes. So I started by taking some salt and potassium pills to try to replenish the loss. And although they sometimes work, the headache was still there. I knew that I had not kept myself hydrated properly over the past few days and it would probably take more than some salt and water to get my body back to normal in this heat (it's not even summer here yet!). A drug like Aspirin is a type of acid, and from what I understand, its main effect in getting rid of pain is the fact that it thins out your blood. So in order to thin out my blood and get rid of this headache without using drugs I was looking for a food that is very acidic and contains lots of minerals. So I started to rummage through my kitchen and finally found some organic apple cider vinegar in my fridge. This seemed to fit the description. I diluted a couple of tablespoons in a glass of water and chugged the disgusting mixture down. Low and behold! The headache had dissipated and was gone within a few minutes!

After a few pain-free hours, the headache came back slightly, so I decided to try the vinegar again - this time, with half a teaspoon of baking soda to mellow out the acid and see if it would still work. So I mixed approximately one tablespoon of vinegar in 6 ounces of water, added a half a teaspoon of baking soda and drank it while it was still fizzing. Headache was gone in 5 minutes, and my neck muscles felt more relaxed. It worked again!

So my conclusion is that the apple cider vinegar has just enough acidity to thin your blood, and just enough minerals and electrolytes. Which combined, worked like a pain relief drug to get rid of my headache and relax the muscles in that area. And apparently, it works even when you mix a little baking soda to mellow out the PH.

I would like to make this ingredient taste good for you. So I will include a couple of recipes so that you can get rid of your heat headache and enjoy it at the same time!

Headache Buster Salad Dressing:

Ingredients:
- 3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- Pinch of Himalayan, or Raw Sea Salt to taste (sea and Himalayan salts tend to have more mineral content than regular iodized table salts)
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard
- Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (also known to be a natural pain killer)
- 1 Clove of Finely Minced Garlic
- 1 Tsp of Dried Parsley Flakes

Mix together and keep in a squirt bottle. Shake well and pour onto your favourite salads. It feels good to eat a nice, fresh salad on a hot day! This keeps your electrolytes in and may prevent, or aleviate, a heat headache. This will keep in your fridge for a few weeks.


Headache Buster Apple Tea Cocktail!

Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of Apple Cider or Apple Juice
- 1 Cup of Iced Tea (sweetened)
- 2 Tbsp of Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
- Ice Cubes
- Cocktail Shaker

Pour all these ingredients into a cocktail shaker with some ice and then serve in a Martini glass. Enjoy this in the backyard with a cocky smile as the Sun looks down!