The Benefits Of Drinking Apple Cider Will Do More Than Just Leave A Good Taste In Your Mouth
Fall is a magical season. The leaves change color, families get closer, and (studies show) people often act (and get) a little bit healthier [1]. That’s most likely because cooler temperatures mean folks get outside more, and holidays spent together make people feel more supported by family — both of which can improve emotional and physical health [2, 3]. That said, it’s also flu season and the season of homesickness, which both (albeit temporarily) make your life a little less joyful.
Here at Fly Creek Cider Mill, we’re proud to do our part in helping make your fall season more joyful and more healthy by making the best apple cider around. Because apple cider is good for so much more than just your tastebuds! Drinking apple cider can reduce the risks, symptoms, and duration of both emotional and physical illness — which is why this delicious cure-all should earn a place in every household this season. Stop by or order online, today, to enjoy the benefits of drinking apple cider right away!
What Is Apple Cider & Why Is It Good For You?
Apple cider is a drink made from mashed, pressed fresh apples. Unlike apple juice, apple cider is not filtered to remove the apple pulp [4]. This is mostly what causes the benefits of drinking apple cider, as the pulp contains nutrients often absent from filtered juice. Because apple cider is unfiltered, it contains two to four times more of these healthful compounds than apple juice [5]. What’s more, fresh apple cider often contains far less added sugar and preservatives than apple juice, making apple cider healthy to drink both because of what’s in it and because of what’s not [6].
The Biggest Benefits Of Drinking Apple Cider
You may suspect that the benefits of drinking apple cider are largely emotional (or strictly a placebo effect), but it also can have several positive physical impacts on your body. That’s because mashing apples makes these already highly nutritious fruits easier to digest and, consequently, makes their nutrients easier to access [7]. Additionally, the mulling spices frequently added to hot apple cider actually have a long history of medicinal use [8]. As a result, drinking apple cider can have numerous health benefits, including reducing stress and homesickness as well as helping diminish headaches, throat-aches, nausea, and indigestion.
Drinking apple cider also (amazingly) lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and some cancers, and also potentially helps to manage the symptoms of some chronic health conditions [9]. Keep reading to find out more amazing facts about what the benefits of drinking apple cider really are!
The Pleasant Taste Of Apple Cider Changes Your Brain Chemistry For The Better
Drinking apple cider can make you feel less stressed and more happy. This is because warm, soothing food and beverages naturally reduce stress anyway, yet some of the spices in mulling blends also literally reduce the amount of stress hormones in your brain [10]. Additionally, the carbs in apple cider can increase serotonin production in your brain, boosting mood [11].
Feeding Nostalgia (With Apple Cider) Is The Best Cure For Homesickness
Being away from home around the holidays is hard. Drinking apple cider (if it’s part of your family traditions/fond memories) can help prime your brain to feel better. That is, the familiar taste of apple cider tricks you into thinking you’re about to have a happy experience at home, so you feel happier in anticipation of feeling happier [12]!
Drinking Apple Cider Can Help Prevent & Cure A Hangover
Hot apple cider is a favorite among folks who want a beverage that warms but don’t want a hangover. So drinking apple cider instead of spiked drinks is a great (and tasty!) preventive measure. If you do happen to over-indulge, a glass of apple cider in the morning can help level out your blood sugar, reducing that sick feeling [13].
Apple Cider & Mulling Spices Help You Feel Better, Faster
Apple cider contains potassium, which can quickly and easily provide some relief for a stuffy nose [14]. Drinking apple cider (hot) is also a physician-recommended sore-throat remedy [15]. What’s more, mulling spices (cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, star anise, peppercorns, and cardamom) all have unique historic medicinal purposes [16]. These include calming stomach upset and nausea as well as reducing inflammation.
Apple Cider Is A Great Source Of Antioxidants
Antioxidants are probably good for your health. While we can’t really say if drinking apple cider will cure everything that ails you, it may help protect your cells from damage by free-radicals. Moreover, there is some evidence to suggest that antioxidants stave off age-related eye disease and vision impairment [17].
Apple Cider Increases Digestive Strength, Encouraging Weight Loss & Helping Prevent
Holiday Weight Gain
Apple cider is relatively high in carbohydrates, which can help stimulate the digestive system to have a stronger digestive response [18]. Though it’s not really an effective weight loss tool, drinking apple cider can help increase your metabolism during holiday feasts, potentially helping you keep off a pound or two!
Drinking Apple Cider Can Help Minimize Symptoms Of & Manage Chronic Health Conditions*
Because it contains pectin, drinking apple cider can help lower cholesterol [19]. What’s more, there’s also some evidence that drinking hot, mulled apple cider (the non-alcoholic kind) may reduce throat inflammation characteristic of COPD and asthma [20].
*Drinking apple cider is still not a substitute for a physician-recommended treatment plan!
Drinking Apple Cider Can Lower Your Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease
Perhaps the most surprising benefit of drinking apple cider is its potential impact on heart health [21]. This benefit occurs because fresh-pressed, unfiltered apple cider, like whole apples, contains ultra-healthy, heart-disease-preventing polyphenols [22]. Because apple cider contains pulp, it also contains both polyphenols and the fiber and flavinoids necessary to their
bioavailability (that is, researchers suggest that fiber and flavinoids empower gut bacteria to break down polyphenols and prompt digestive tissues to absorb them) [23].
References:
- https://www.littlethings.com/fall-health-benefits/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/05/30/being-outside-has-profound-effects-on-y our-health-according-to-science/#6ff1084315a1
- https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/4-reasons-friends-and-family-are-good-for-your-he alth
- https://www.thedailymeal.com/10-reasons-drink-apple-cider-fall
- https://www.aicr.org/press/health-features/health-talk/2014/oct14/apple-juice-cider-nutriti html
- https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/food-thought/cider-may-be-healthier-clear-apple-juice
- https://www.aicr.org/press/health-features/health-talk/2014/oct14/apple-juice-cider-nutriti html
- https://www.menofmead.com/mulled-mead/
- https://www.asweetpeachef.com/hot-apple-cider/
- https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/24/health/cinnamon-health-benefits/index.html
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/wellness/united-states-of-stress/ultimate-diet-guide-stre ss-management/
- https://www.ashford.edu/online-degrees/student-lifestyle/how-does-music-affect-your-bra in
- https://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/a54778/apple-juice-hangover-cure/
- https://lunginstitute.com/blog/apple-cider-vinegar-and-copd/
- https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-pain-19/slideshow-home-remedies
- https://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm?spicefilename=medspice.txt&ite msuppress=yes&displayswitch=0
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/antioxidants/
- https://www.livestrong.com/article/524505-does-an-apple-in-the-morning-speed-up-your- metabolism/
- http://www.nycider.com/apple-cider/nutrition
- https://www.cupandleaf.com/blog/best-tea-for-cough
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1180175.stm
- https://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20110412/apple-good-for-your-heart#1
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224416305271