Kick Your Soda Habit with This Tasty Balsamic Vinegar Tonic
Stomach acidity is an un-sexy topic.
Breaking down, digesting and absorbing food isn't a very popular topic in the health and fitness field. My guess is that it's really hard for fitness influencers to make the topic a thirst trap (although someone probably has lol). Let me do my best to make stomach acidity relatable and fun.
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Why is stomach acidity important?
The stomach is the first destination for food after chewing. Its job is to squirt a bunch of acid on the food and smoosh it up into a delicious slurry for your intestines can drink the nutrients out of. Yum!
If the stomach isn't acidic enough, bad things happen:
Poop that floats or is greasy (means poor digestion of fats)
Bloating, gas and cramping
Weird pain under right rib cage or between shoulder blades
Heartburn
Intolerance to fatty foods
Nutrient deficiencies (especially vitamin D)
Food cravings and feeling unsatisfied at meals
Harmful bacteria can enter your system (ever hear of SIBO or H. Pylori? They're gross!)
Too much acidity, and stomach ulcers happen. Thankfully this happens less often. We just hear about it more because ulcers are super painful.
How do you balance acidity in the stomach?
Eat lots of fiber - it helps recycle pancreatic juices and supports the liver (where bile is made).
Eat acidic foods around your main meals. Think sour and you've got it! Vinegar, citrus, anything tart.
Eat pineapple, which contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme.
Take digestive enzymes. You can find an assortment in our online dispensary.
Drink a small non-alcoholic acidic beverage. In some cultures, it's traditional to drink bitters before meals for this same reason. An example could be an apple cider vinegar shot.
Try the recipe below.
Balsamic Vinegar Tonic
Don't let the word vinegar repulse you. High-quality balsamic vinegars are sweet and fruity, perfect for drizzling over berries or ice cream in the summer. This drink is a natural progression of the idea.
Balsamic vinegar is high in polyphenols (which are nutritious little things we want lots of) and has acetic acid, which can help boost stomach acidity. For this recipe, use a nice balsamic. You'll want something syrupy and sweet. If low-quality vinegar is used, it tastes like you're drinking vinegar. Nobody asked for that!
Here's a tip: look at the nutrition label of several types of balsamic vinegars. You'll notice some are higher in sugar than others. The higher-sugar balsamic vinegar will be sweeter. Don’t cheap out when buying balsamic vinegar for use as a syrup — you also don’t have to spend a fortune. You can find world-class balsamic vinegar, like this one from Giuseppe Giusti of Modena, for reasonable prices.
Ingredients
1 tbsp. high-quality syrupy balsamic vinegar
12 oz. plain sparkling water (or try a berry or orange flavor)
Instructions:
Mix balsamic vinegar with chilled sparkling water and enjoy.