Apple cider vinegar is yet another Paleo staple that you see everywhere. ACV is made from fermenting apple cider; it goes through two fermentations: one that converts the sugars into alcohol, and another that converts the alcohol into vinegar. The source of the sour, vinegar-y taste of ACV is its high acetic acid content. When you buy raw, organic ACV (which I always recommend), it contains what’s called the mother of vinegar, which is comparable to the SCOBY found in kombucha. The mother doesn’t need to be discarded, and it doesn’t mean that the vinegar is of bad quality.
There is a lot of controversial evidence regarding apple cider vinegar’s health benefits. We know for a fact that the acid content can help to acidify the stomach and therefore aid in the digestive process (especially protein digestion!). Other notable nutrition information about ACV is that it contains chromium, which can impact the effectiveness of insulin on the body’s cells. But, it’s hard to know how much chromium is in each batch and whether the amount would be therapeutic.
