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Household Staple That Steadies Blood Sugar

You use it for cooking, cleaning, gardening, and a hundred other household chores. But for your blood sugar?

You bet. Seems vinegar -- the tart stuff in tasty vinaigrettes and marinades -- may help clamp down on blood sugar spikes from eating starchy carbs like potatoes and pasta.

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What are some of the ways you put vinegar to good use in your house?
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Iknit
3 of 3 people found this helpful.
8/22/2008 1:06:57 PM

Hi buddymonkey,
Try adding a heap of fresh finely sliced garlic and some crushed dried chilli flakes to your dipping oil......you'll never look back.
We eat this with crusty bread, good greek feta cheese (greek feta is 50/50 goat's and sheep milk - real feta) and a small handful of kalamata olives (bought in brine, but transferred into that same oil mix). We used to add some salami to this snack/lunch/dinner, but these days we're more likely to have low-fat ham or tuna with it. Add the salad I wrote the other day and you have a feast fit for a king (if he had the brains to eat it). :)
Olive oil is amazingly good for you. Ditto chilli, garlic, tuna, salad - I've lost over 40 kg, so obviously this is ok.....not too much of a good thing is the way to approach it......just don't forget to " walk it off ", lol. 
BuddyMonkey
5 of 5 people found this helpful.
8/6/2008 12:28:27 PM

Bread served with a little balsamic vinegar with a little olive oil for dipping makes for a great appetizer, and helps reduce your hunger before you eat. 
[Edited by BuddyMonkey on 8/6/2008 12:34:43 PM]
Iknit
5 of 7 people found this helpful.
7/30/2008 1:19:36 PM

Made a beautiful salad for dinner last night:
baby spinach leaves,
chopped asian cabbage,
purple onion, finely sliced,
daikon radish (japanese long white), finely sliced,
lebanese cucumber, finely sliced,
red capsicum, finely sliced,
baby asparagus spears, chopped,
a little olive oil,
iodised salt (we need some iodine)
and APPLE VINEGAR with mother.

Hubby loved it so much that he took leftover for lunch today. Because it had nothing sloppy in it, it didn't turn to slop. (Keep your tomato separate.)
The apple vinegar absolutely MADE it.
. 
Iknit
5 of 6 people found this helpful.
7/29/2008 4:56:55 PM

Okay...I've looked them up. The GI of sucrose (sugar) is 68, honey is 55, lactose (milk sugar) is 46 and fructose (fruit sugar) is 19. I know now why my blood sugar has been higher than normal - I've been having honey with my steelcut oat porridge. I'll have to switch back to fructose.

Hope this helps other diabetics. 
Indigo81
5 of 5 people found this helpful.
7/29/2008 9:35:31 AM

Old time New Englanders make a beverage called switchel that is water, vinegar, ginger and a bit of sugar to quench their thirst in the hay field on those hot summer days. 
Majan
15 of 16 people found this helpful.
7/25/2008 5:46:55 PM

I live in Pinellas County, Fl--our water is very hard--lots of calcium and minerals in the water. I put a couple cups of the least expensive vinegar made in my dishwasher about every other month to get rid of the hard water deposits that form on glass ware and inside the dishwasher. 
Majan
5 of 7 people found this helpful.
7/25/2008 5:29:10 PM

I live in Pinellas County, Fl--our water is very hard--lots of calcium and minerals in the water. I put a couple cups of the least expensive vinegar made in my dishwasher about every other month to get rid of the hard water deposits that form on glass ware and inside the dishwasher. 
Iknit
19 of 22 people found this helpful.
7/24/2008 6:43:47 PM

Of course, you cannot lower your blood sugar simply by using vinegar! That should only be done by medication prescribed by your doctor.
What vinegar (and lemon juice) does is lower the GI of the food you eat it with....you still have to actively control your portion sizes. Even potato salad is alright, especially if you combine some yellow sweet potato with the regular white potato.
Eating low GI food slows the rate at which your body absorbs the glucose ALL food is converted into, therefore not reaching the spikes in blood sugar that we, as diabetics, have to avoid.

Lots of other salads on your plate, with just a little potato salad is just sensible eating. 
[Edited by Iknit on 7/24/2008 6:45:35 PM]
Iknit
10 of 10 people found this helpful.
7/24/2008 6:25:05 PM

Try using oil and vinegar to dress your potato and coleslaw salads instead of creamy dressings...you will find that it lowers the GI of the foods and tastes delicious. I take mine to parties and can never make enough. They always go first...in fact once the potato salad never even made it to the table! The ladies in the kitchen ate it before lunch! 
Iknit
12 of 13 people found this helpful.
7/24/2008 6:18:13 PM

White vinegar added to your dish washing water helps the dishes drain quicker and cleaner. I found this particularly helpful since having to use less water (for rinsing) since our deep drought. 
Iknit
3 of 3 people found this helpful.
7/24/2008 6:03:52 PM

According to the Diabetic Institute (International) of Australia, apple cider vinegar (with mother) DOES lower blood sugar; therefore, if added to honey, the GI (Glycaemic Index) of honey is lowered.
Australians have also been sprinkling vinegar on our fries for decades; yum. Only thing is, I no longer eat fries. Do miss them, but can't eat just 10. 
1Kid
3 of 3 people found this helpful.
7/24/2008 2:59:03 PM

To rid your sneakers of foot odor. Take a trigger sprayer and fill with white vinegar - spray in shoes - let dry. Be sure to always label for trigger sprayers so you know what's in it. Also, be sure to keep away from children. 
skinknee
3 of 6 people found this helpful.
7/23/2008 10:38:09 PM

The only good sweetner is real maple syrup because it goes to your stomach and is digested and then is released into your blood.

Is Stevia a good sweetner? I've heard both good and bad things about it. I don't mind the taste and it is much sweeter than sugar. 
spnsh_eyes
14 of 14 people found this helpful.
7/23/2008 12:37:24 PM

For Diabetics or Pre-diabetics, I was reading about adding Honey to your vinegar... All Artificial sweeteners IE.. sweet n low, equal are not good for you. Honey will spike your blood sugars. Naturally anyone who has this condition should automatically know, what carbohydrates do to your sugar control. However, being a diabetic I use, Organic Raw Blue Agave. It's a natural sweetener with the consistency of honey and it does prevent spikes in your sugar. Excellent! I usually find this product in the Natural foods section of my super market. Try adding this to your vinegar or any other drink. Apple Cider vinegar is the best, with mother. 
Cookie509
7 of 10 people found this helpful.
7/23/2008 6:31:31 AM