Vinegar is a common condiment in households. In recent years, a health trend of "drinking vinegar" has quietly emerged, and the variety of vinegars has become dazzling. Many flavors are popular among consumers.
In the health product section of a pharmacy in Beijing, the shopkeeper pointed to some exquisitely packaged, slender, and colorful bottles of vinegar, saying, "This is no ordinary vinegar. It's a beverage made from fruit juice and aged vinegar through fermentation, and it's called health vinegar."
In addition, there are beauty vinegars, beautifying vinegars, imperial concubine vinegars, and more, made from ingredients like glutinous rice, fleeceflower root, pearl powder, and pollen. He mentioned that "vinegar bars," establishments specializing in health vinegar, have also appeared.
A reporter picked up a bottle of pure plum vinegar and saw the label detailing that it is made from fermented plums, without destroying any of its trace elements; it can be directly absorbed by the body without being digested by gastric acid. The correct way to drink it is: daily after breakfast and dinner, dilute 30ml of the original vinegar with water 3 to 20 times and drink it; do not add sugar. The temperature should not exceed 52°C, otherwise it will not only destroy the vitamins in the vinegar but also cause a large number of active bacteria and trace elements to die.
Mr. Chen, who was preparing to buy imperial concubine vinegar at the counter, said he first tasted this vinegar at a dinner table a year ago and found it sweet and sour, very delicious. He believes that compared to carbonated drinks, drinking vinegar is more beneficial to health. However, Ms. Wang, who has also tried health vinegar, said that while it is indeed delicious, and both vinegar and fruit are nutritious foods, she is not entirely clear on whether combining them has any health benefits.
How effective is the health benefit?
Is there a scientific basis for these health vinegars that look exquisite and taste refreshing? Professor Tang Lingguang, from the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at Harbin Medical University, told reporters that from the perspective of modern medicine and nutrition, the main components of vinegar are acetic acid and organic acids. Acetic acid helps the full conversion of sugar and fat into energy, prevents excessive accumulation of fat in the body, and can soften blood vessels and lower cholesterol levels in the blood; organic acids help maintain the balance and stability of the body's internal environment's acid-base levels, allowing various metabolic and physiological functions to proceed normally.
Professor Tang said that vinegar can make the chemical structure of water-soluble B vitamins and vitamin C in food more stable, making them less likely to be destroyed by cooking, thus ensuring the dissolution and absorption of trace elements like copper, zinc, and chromium in food. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that health vinegar can retain the vitamins, inorganic salts, and other trace elements in fruits relatively intact.
Professor Tang pointed out that due to the addition of different fruits and vegetables, the nutritional effects of health vinegars also vary. Apple vinegar can nourish the heart and qi, promote body fluids, relieve cough, and strengthen the stomach and spleen; tomato vinegar can clear heat and detoxify, soothe the liver, relieve summer heat, and quench thirst; aloe vera vinegar has effects such as inhibiting heart rate, dilating blood vessels, increasing red blood cells, and preventing cancer. When drinking, one can choose according to their own physical condition. People with stomach or kidney diseases should not drink it.
Professor Tang said that the trend of drinking health vinegar originated from European and American countries and Japan. There are many types of health vinegar abroad, including dozens of fruits such as orange, lemon, longan, grape, banana, and apple; the ways of drinking are also diverse, and different flavors can be mixed like cocktails.
However, Professor Tang also reminded everyone that although health vinegar is nutritious, there are several aspects to pay attention to when drinking it. First, do not drink in large quantities. The benefit of drinking vinegar lies in aiding digestion. People who like to eat meat can drink a glass of fruit vinegar after each meal, but for vegetarians or people with good digestive function, it is not necessary. In terms of quantity, it is best not to exceed 20ml of concentrated juice per day. Second, try not to drink on an empty stomach or without diluting it with boiled water, as this can cause some harm to the stomach. Third, people with gastric ulcers, excessive stomach acid, or diabetes should not drink too much. Fourth, people allergic to fruits should carefully read the instructions before drinking and avoid the corresponding fruit vinegars.