HOW TO STAY ON TRACK (with apple cider vinegar)

Has this happened to you, too?

You add a new food to your diet or begin taking a certain supplement because, you have learned, it can boost your health.

You take it for a week… maybe two… faithfully.  Not because you enjoy it.  But because “it’s good for you”.

Then, anytime between the two week and two month mark, your enthusiasm begins to wane.  Sigh.  You still take it, only now reluctantly… intermittently.

Eventually, your best intentions hit the gutter. That food item no longer makes the cut on your grocery list.  The supplement bottle disappears  into the back of your cupboard.  Forever.

Haven’t we all been there?  But we can recover. . .

When I was in my mid-twenties, at a time when my digestive system was a bit out of whack, my health practitioner advised me to take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water before every meal. 

It was helpful advice.  But, it tasted like . . . vinegar!!! 

I hated it.  But I drank it.  Faithfully.  For about a week.

Here’s one thing for sure:  If the motivation ain’t there, neither is the commitment.

I don’t know about you, but two things motivate me:

1.     Immediate pleasure

2.     Eventual gain

IMMEDIATE PLEASURE

In my heart of hearts, I believe that what goes into my mouth ought to taste good.  Food can taste good and be good for us. That’s my moto. 

There are exceptions to this rule.  Sometimes, when taste-tantalizing options aren’t available, I need to ask myself: what is the cost if I don’t take this?  . . .This brings me to point #2.

EVENTUAL GAIN

By continuing to take [fill in the blank], what end result can I look forward to?   If the stakes are high, and there aren’t alternatives, it just might be worth putting up with a bit of unpleasantness. 

So, back to the apple cider vinegar.  In my case, clearly, I wasn’t suffering badly enough.  The dream of a stellar digestive system, by itself, wasn’t enough to get me to crack open that bottle of Bragg’s every day and drink up that mouth-puckering pre-dinner cocktail.  Go figure.

But… as it turns out, apple cider vinegar is more than just a digestive aid. 

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AS AQUAPORIN STIMULATOR

 -- WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

If you care about:

•  Keeping your weight down

• Preventing or eliminating a sagging jawline, under-eye bags, love   handles, soft triceps, and cellulite

• Enhancing muscle tone, growth, and strength

• Having soft, smooth, supple, unlined, beautifully hydrated skin

. . . then you WILL care about aquaporin stimulators, too!

AND THE NOBEL PRIZE GOES TO….

WHAT AQUAPORINS ARE and WHAT THEY DO

Almost fifteen years ago Peter Agre got a Nobel Prize for discovering aquaporins.  As far as I can tell, these little protein molecules which serve as pores or channels in cellular membranes could be given a prize for being “the best kept secret” around.  Until now…

We now know that our cells have “taps”.  They can let out water and fat. 

Bad news:  These aquaporins or “taps” are shown to be especially underactive in type 2 diabetes and in obesity – all the more reason to seek out those agents which stimulate them.

Good news: Stimulating aquaporin adipose (fat) pores causes fatty acids to leave fat cells and increase muscle synthesis.  The result? A smooth, firm, youthful body with all of the benefits listed above.

And what, exactly, “stimulates” these little suckers?  You guessed it.  Apple cider vinegar.  Actually, it’s the apple polyphenols you find in it.  You can buy apple polyphenol supplements.  Or, like me, you can learn to like apple cider vinegar.

JUST A SPOONFUL OF …

I have since discovered that the way to help this “medicine go down”, to paraphrase Mary Poppins, is with a spoonful of honey!  Diluted and dissolved in hot water, this combination makes a soothing beverage.  Who would have thought?

It may still smell like vinegar, but it tastes more like hot apple cider.

Now I enjoy it every day.  My digestive system is happy. 

Motivation is again at an all-time high.  Mind you, it’s only been a week.  I’ll keep you posted.