photo by Bonaireguy

As I was chowing down on my salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil the other day, I thought to myself, I wonder what nutritional value vinegar has for me? I know it adds flavor to things, but is it healthy? So I did some research, and you, lucky you, are the beneficiaries of my curiosity.

It turns out that vinegar actually boasts some unusual, but stellar qualities. Take calcium absorption for example. Vinegar contains acetic acid which allows our bodies to absorb all the vitamins and minerals from our food, particularly calcium. So, that’s why dark leafy greens pair ideally with balsamic- the acetic acid unlocks the calcium from the greens for your body’s use. Isn’t that cool?

Vinegar also helps control blood sugar levels. A 2004 study by the American Diabetes Association showed that vinegar helped subjects to be more responsive to insulin, which is great because insulin moves sugar from blood to cells. Probably what happens is that vinegar deactivates some digestive enzymes that break down carbohydrates into sugar, and this makes it slower for sugar to get into the bloodstream.

Vinegar adds minimal calories or sodium to your diet, and for being such a versatile and flavorful food, you should feel free to indulge liberally. Plus, there’s all those added health benefits, blah, blah, blah.

Unfortunately, salt and vinegar potato chips still don’t fall into the health-food category.