Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I have been drinking 2 tablespoons of coconut or apple cider vinegar with meals(prior to eating) diluted with water. I find this clears out the body very well(ie. detox). I am wanting more of the same but fear rumors I have heard about JOINT DETERIORATION and OSTEOPENIA(bone demineralization). Would anyone have any recommendations about vinegar consumption: to consume or not; if so, how much max./per time. I have found it increases energy and gives me a "pure" feeling of being thouroughly cleansed(but maybe I could be even more energized and "cleansed")? ANy ideas about vinegar? It seems like a real aqua vitae....but I may be wrong

flag	asked Mar 10 2011 at 16:28 PersonMan

I was under the impression that "detox" is a marketing gimmick by proponents of other diets. Vinegar may have positive effects, but what would it be detoxifying you from if you've already been eating paleo? – WyldKard Mar 10 2011 at 20:50

Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 1 · 2011-03-24 18:49:53Z UTC

Cordain in his newsletter says

. . . . . that vinegar produces a net acid PRAL and is virtually devoid of any micronutrients? Hence vinegar can be viewed as a nutritionally empty food that carries with it the baggage of promoting a net metabolic acidosis which in turn contributes to age associated bone loss. Do yourself a favor and use lemon juice on your salads and in your salad dressing!

I can't find any studies that substantial any of these claims. Can anyone else?

Here is the story of one woman who developed problems from very large amounts of vinegar http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&ProduktNr=223854&Ausgabe=224764&ArtikelNr=45180

Grocket · Answer 2 · 2011-03-10 18:04:20Z UTC

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I personally haven't seen anything that suggests vinegar is a general problem - from what I understand there are no studies that show acidic foods cause demineralization. If vinegar works for you then by all means use it! And if you are worried about your joints, why not consume some bone broth?

answered Mar 10 2011 at 18:04

Grocket
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I know Nell Stephanson and Cordain recommend against it. I think because of bad science. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 24 2011 at 18:45

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Yeah here is what Nell says "Since vinegar is literally pure acetic acid, it would potentially have a much stronger affect on the bodys pH." Based on the unsubstantiated belief that consuming acidic foods increases bodily PH. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 24 2011 at 18:46

Turnkey · Answer 3 · 2011-03-24 19:49:48Z UTC

I would be most concerned with to much conentration. Vinegar is actually supposed to have an overall alkaline effect because it binds to phosphorus and the like... It was also the traditional way to deal with diabetes (lowers glycemic index) prior to more complex treatment options.

The concern, especially with apple cider vinegar, is that it is acidic enough to cause serious problems to your teeth. Dilution helps, but really.... just drinking vinegar as a health tonics seems unnecessary when you can use the good stuff on your food.

VINEGAR how much should one consume if any

3 Answers