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.

Keep It Steady
Keeping blood sugar from surging may cut down on diabetes risk in the long run. But stabilizing blood sugar can do good things instantly, too -- like stymieing hunger pangs, keeping your energy up, and keeping pounds off. To get the blood sugar benefit of vinegar, try pairing starchy foods with vinegar-based sauces or dressings. Or start a meal with a salad dressed in oil and vinegar. (Get blood sugar advice tailored to you with this assessment.)

Reality Check
Of course, a shot of vinegar will only go so far when it comes to keeping your blood sugar steady. To really ward off blood sugar problems, you'll need to:

• Get moving . . . so your body uses blood sugar better. Try this easy-on-the-joints workout.
• Load up . . . on low-glycemic-index foods that help keep blood sugar stable. We're talking high-fiber fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Check out this video on how fiber helps digestive health, too.
• Pare down . . . maintaining a healthy weight helps reduce your risk of diabetes. Try the online version of this best-selling diet.

Make potato salad healthier with this Balsamic-Dijon Vinaigrette from the RealAge Recipe Box.

Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Johnston, C. S. et al., Diabetes Care 2004 Jan;27(1):281-282.