Have You Tried the “Mother” Elixir?

So, apparently I have high cholesterol.

Most likely this is due to my sweet tooth. I’m trying to address this by eating fewer sweets–which, to be clear, I don’t think I eat an absurd amount of; usually it’s a small treat after lunch, a few pieces of dark chocolate in the afternoon, and ice cream after dinner–and I’m having some success.

But a friend mentioned an additional possibility. Her mother was diagnoses with a fatty liver a few years ago, and the doctor advised her to start consuming a tablespoon of a specific kind of apple cider vinegar (see photo) once a day.

She returned to the doctor 6 months later, and her cholesterol was way down. Maybe it was the placebo effect, but I’m totally fine with the placebo effect. If it works, it works.

So I gave it a try. And I instantly realized that apple cider vinegar tastes awful. 

Fortunately, I happened to pass by a certain aisle in the grocery store, and I realized there might be a solution. I bought a jug of low-sodium V8, mixed in a tablespoon of the “mother”…and viola, it tastes great! And I’m pretty sure it’s healthy, even if the vinegar isn’t doing anything.

I don’t know if this will have a positive impact, but I figure I’ll go through a bottle of the apple cider vinegar via daily lunch doses of V8, and then I’ll get a blood test to see what happens.

Have you ever tried a homespun remedy like this? What’s your prediction?

8 thoughts on “Have You Tried the “Mother” Elixir?”

  1. Doctors are increasingly recommending pure pomogranate juice to reduce LDL cholesterol. I don’t know about my cholesterol level, but after drinking it daily for several months, my blood pressure was dramatically lower.
    Costco has a good buy on the tasty “POM” brand in the refrigerated section. Note medical advisory against drinking pomogranate juice due to interactions, if you take certain prescription medications, such as the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, including captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) and ramipril (Altace).

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  2. My husband lowered his cholesterol by eating oatmeal every morning. That might be something else you could try! I doubt your high cholesterol is related to sweets. I have a major sweet tooth, but my cholesterol is quite low.

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    • Thanks! That’s one habit I fortunately already have in place–I’ve eaten oatmeal every morning for the last 15 years. 🙂

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  3. I bought the very same bottle last week after a long chat with my roommate. He has been drinking it daily for the last 5 years and he swears by it all the benefits of consuming Apple Cider Vinegar.

    I totally agree that it’s hard to stomach it, but I just mix it with chilled water instead of room temperature water – which makes drinking it easier for me.

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  4. For me, if I even feel the slightest cold coming on, I eat a slice (or two of bread) with onions and sliced garlic. In over 35 years, I’ve either avoided the cold altogether or it reduced its effect to just a 24 hour period.

    Reply

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