Does Vinegar Lower Blood Sugar?

I love vinegar. I think it’s because I was born in England, where we slather vinegar on our fish and chips. It’s also in Heinz Salad Cream, my favorite salad dressing, a delicacy from the other side of the pond that also contains sugar. Seeing as I’ve cut sugar completely out of my diet, I feel guilty whenever I squeeze this salad dressing out onto the plate. But I’ve tried just about every other salad dressing in the book, and none comes close to my childhood favorite.

According to some pretty recent research, I don’t need to feel so guilty any more.

The Benefits of Vinegar on Blood Sugar

Research into the glycemic benefits of vinegar started in the 1980s with some positive results; the research dwindled–most probably as reactive hypoglycemia fell out of “fashion.” More recently, an Arizona state researcher discovered that consuming vinegar flattened some of the spikes in blood sugar seen in pre-diabetic (insulin resistant) patients. There’s been a significant amount of similar research, some of which can be found here and here.

The biochemical action of the vinegar not only helps insulin resistant (pre-diabetic) patients, it also helps those with just the opposite problem: insulin sensitive reactive hypoglycemics.
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The Truth About Cinnamon and Blood Sugar Control

Last week, my best friend told me that cinnamon can help stabilize blood sugar levels. A quick search on Google revealed pages of claims that backed up her statement, claims like: “Cinnamon spice produces healthier blood!” and “Cinnamon Extract Spices Up Sugar Metabolism!” But before you charge out and start sprinkling cinnamon on your cereal, consider these facts.
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Top 10 Foods to Avoid if You Have Reactive Hypoglycemia

If you are reactive hypoglycemic, chances are it will take you some time to tweak your diet and figure out which foods cause your blood sugar to go haywire. Some people, for example, can use the sweetener Stevia, while others are sensitive to it and experience a drop in blood sugar. Start with making the changes recommended in my article The Reactive Hypoglycemia Diet. To aid you with making changes in your diet, I have compiled a list of “musts” that reactive hypoglycemics should avoid.

A general list of foods to avoid:

1. white bread, bagels, pizza, burger buns, or other “white” bread products: substitute whole grain products instead
2. white spaghetti noodles: substitute whole grain products
3. most breakfast cereals: substitute no-sugar whole grain varieties, or oatmeal
4. anything that has “sugar” or “high fructose corn syrup” as an ingredient
5. caffeinated beverages
6. pastries, muffins, cakes, and other “treats”: check health food stores for treats that are low GI and/or whole grain
7. restaurant meals: unless you are 100% certain that sugar is not one of the ingredients. This is such a problem that we rarely eat at restaurants any more!
8. white potatoes, including baked potatoes and fries: except in small amounts, in a soup for example: substitute a small portion of sweet potato fries
9. high fat meats: substitute low-calorie, nutrient dense products like Quorn, vegan burger crumbles, tofu, bean burgers, or other meat subtitutes
10. potato and tortilla chips: substitute baked, whole grain tortilla chips (available at most grocery stores in the health food section)

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The Reactive Hypoglycemic Diet

Like many topics surrounding reactive hypoglycemia, there’s a lot of information out there in webland and a lot of confusion about what to eat.

Confused about food choices? You're not alone!

Reactive hypoglycemics should not follow a diabetic or hypoglycemic diet. A tailored diet, specific for the blood sugar highs and lows is necessary. Often, diabetic cookbooks will recommend a larger meal at lunchtime, a skimpy meal at dinner, and no evening snack. This is blood sugar doom for reactive hypoglycemics…
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