Well, this precious vinegar that can sometimes be aged for more than 12 years, contains many beneficial ingredients that may be extremely good for you!
1. Stay Skinny and in Shape Using Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic vinegar can help you lose weight! It contains a very low amount of calories and is rich in acetic acid, an ingredient extremely useful in weight loss programs. It has a full, aromatic and sweet flavor and can be used to season salads and other dishes, as well as to make sauces and marinades.
One tablespoon of balsamic vinegar contains only 43 calories, which makes of it an excellent low-calorie aid and a perfect substitute for high-fat dressings.
The acetic acid contained in balsamic vinegar slows down the passage of food through our gastrointestinal tract, helps us stay full, prolongs the feeling of satiety and keeps hunger pangs away. It also contains potassium that can reduce appetite.
When balsamic vinegar is consumed with foods containing carbohydrates, it prevents sugar level from surging and spiking, therefore keeping it stable and helping us avoid further food cravings.
2. Balsamic Vinegar Protects Your Body Against Free Radicals
Balsamic vinegar contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants that protect our body against external and internal harmful factors that can damage our cells and tissues.
When the oxidation process takes place within the human body, it induces the formation of free radicals that can alter or destroy cell membranes and lead to premature aging, DNA mutation, hardening of arteries, or even cancer.
Polyphenols found in balsamic vinegar can destroy these free radicals and help our body fight heart diseases and potentially deadly illnesses, by improving the immune system.
Consuming balsamic vinegar can therefore help in preventing and postponing the appearance of aging signs, such as loss of skin elasticity and wrinkles.
It is also very important to remember that balsamic vinegar is made from grapes, which contain a bioflavonoid known as quercetin, also found in some other fruits.
Quercetin has considerable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and together with vitamin C contained in grapes, strengthens and improves the immune system.
3. Balsamic Vinegar Can Help You Digest and Reduce Gastritis Symptoms
The polyphenols contained in Balsamic vinegar have been shown to trigger the release of pepsins and increase their activity. Pepsins are important digestive enzymes that break proteins down into amino acids, speed up metabolism and thereby aid digestion.
Balsamic vinegar is also rich in acetic acid that stimulates the secretion of salivary and gastric juices and helps soften and break down foods into simpler and smaller forms, predisposing the body to better digest them.
It seems that if used constantly and in proper and limited doses, balsamic vinegar may induce stomach to produce less hydrochloric acid, reducing the occurrence of gastritis.
Its less aggressive acetic acid has the ability to establish the proper pH levels in the digestive tract and induce in such way our stomach to stop producing large quantities of the corrosive hydrochloric acid.
In the Modena region in Italy where balsamic vinegar is produced, small amounts of this vinegar are often taken before or after meals to neutralize acid reflux, relieve heartburn and help digestion.
All in all, being so tasty, delicious and full of health benefits, why not use balsamic vinegar to regularly flavor your dishes and season your salads? Have you ever tried it with strawberries? What is your favorite way to use it? Let us know!
Read also 8 health benefits of apple cider vinegar.
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