Vinegar Friday -- Pregnancy and ACV

TGIVF!

Since I seem to have a pregnancy theme going on lately, I thought it would be a good time to discuss how apple cider vinegar can benefit a pregnant woman. Unless noted, make sure you use raw, organic, unfiltered ACV.

So here goes:



Heartburn/Acid Reflux Disease -- If heartburn is keeping you up at night or belching all day, it's time to reach for the ACV. Try mixing a tablespoon in an 8 oz. glass of cold water and chug it. If it makes you gag, you can try taking it in a variety of other ways. Add it to a glass of grape juice. Mix it with some raw local honey (lots of added benefits there). Sprinkle it over a salad and sop up the extra liquid in the bottom of the bowl with a piece of bread. However you do it, just do it daily. I know some women who swear by this remedy for heartburn!

Wait a minute! I hear you protesting. Why would you take something acidy like apple cider vinegar when your stomach is already burning up? The unfortunate fact is hydrochloric acid backs up into the esophagus from the stomach and the traditional approach to dealing with this painful condition is to take acid reducing drugs.

Of course, pregnant women should not take any of these meds. So the ACV can bring safe relief. While many of us assume it is an excess of stomach acid that causes acid reflux, the reality is it is a lack of acid in the stomach, resulting in a fermentation of undigested foods. Adding the ACV will help cleanse your system and prevent the heartburn and pain.

Achy, sore feet -- Pour a half cup of ACV (unfiltered is better, but filtered works, too) into a basin with warm water. Find a comfy place to sit and soak your feet for 20 minutes or so. Follow up with a slathering of organic coconut oil and slip on some fuzzy socks to protect yourself from sliding on a slippery floor. The benefit? Refreshed and super soft tootsies.

Respiratory illnesses/colds -- 

• If you're congested, boil a pot of water with a fair dose of ACV mixed in and breathe in the fragrant steam.
• Suffering from a cold and sore throat? Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup raw honey and take 1-2 tablespoons as needed.
• Coughing? A tincture of 1/2 cup ACV, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 4 teaspoons honey will help you kick it. Take a tablespoon whenever your cough starts up, as well as right before you lie down at night.

Constipation -- In order to 'get going' in the morning, so to speak, grab your bottle of ACV as soon as you get up and mix up your ACV cocktail. The energy boost you will experience from being 'regular' will be worth every last drop. Of course, as with most ailments, you want to drink plenty of water.
 
Hemorrhoids -- Ouch. To your usual 8-glasses-of-water-day routine (you are doing that, right?), spice up 3 of the glasses with a tablespoon of ACV in each one. This will help regulate you, making it possible to move your bowels without straining. Thus, the hemorrhoids will have a chance to heal.

Muscle Cramps -- Add 2 teaspoons of ACV to a teaspoon of honey in a glass of distilled water. Drink this 3 times a day to stave off night cramps. Of course, if you are on a daily regime of taking ACV for other conditions, leg cramps should not be an issue.


As you can see, having a bottle of raw, unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar in your cupboard while pregnant is a pretty good idea, on Vinegar Fridays and every day in between!

Keeping it healthy with vinegar,

 





 

For more vinegar remedies and tips, check out my book, VINEGAR FRIDAYS.