Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
An Unbiased Review

The health claims by the Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar brand may be exaggerated. But having tried this product, I will still recommend it.

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is the best-known "health food" brand of apple cider vinegar.

The Bragg company was founded by Paul Bragg, considered to be one of the founders of the health food movement in America, in 1929.

Today, it run by Patricia Bragg, who calls herself his daughter but is actually his former daughter-in-law.

The Bragg health food empire exemplifies everything that is good and bad about the health food movement in America: good, healthy advice combined (unfortunately) with somewhat inflated health claims.

The Fountain of Youth?

For example, take a look at how Bragg apple cider vinegar is advertised.

In the "health info" section of the site, there is an article headlined "ACV Reverses Aging: A Vinegar Every Day Keeps Old Age At Bay!"

Does vinegar reverse aging? Well, not exactly.

Vinegar has many potential health benefits, some of which have been confirmed by science (see Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits - Evidenced, May Be and Unsubstantiated).

Incorporating an apple cider vinegar tonic into your daily life might very well help you to age gracefully and stay healthy. However, the fact of the matter is that old age comes for us all, eventually.

Even though vinegar may help you feel younger longer, nothing will stop the aging process, and it is deceptive to suggest that anything offers perpetual youth in a bottle.

Still, inflated health claims aside, I would recommend Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar to anyone who is considering drinking vinegar for health reasons. Here 4 are reasons why Bragg rules the apple cider vinegar world:

Advantage #1: Organic

One reason to choose Bragg is that their vinegar is made from organic apples.

The vinegar is certified organic by Organic Certifiers and Oregon Tilth.

So, you can enjoy the benefits of vinegar without having to worry about contamination from pesticides and herbicides.

Advantage #2: Comes With the "Mother"

Commercial vinegar is produced by either fast or slow fermentation processes.

For the quick methods, the liquid is oxygenated by agitation and the bacteria culture is submerged permitting rapid fermentation.

The Bragg Company used the slow method, where the culture of acetic acid bacteria grows on the surface of the liquid and fermentation proceeds slowly. The longer fermentation period allows for the accumulation of enzymes and acetic bacteria, known as the mother of vinegar.

Mother of vinegar is a stringy sediment that forms at bottom of the vinegar as it ferments. Many grocery store brands of apple cider vinegar filter the mother out to make the vinegar clear and more attractive.

Some people claim that many of vinegar's health benefits come from the substances contained in the mother. Research is somewhat lacking, so there is no way to tell for sure if that is true or not.

However, even though mother of vinegar may look less than appetizing, it won't hurt you and may help you. So it makes sense to seek out an apple cider vinegar that retains the mother along with any health benefits its provides.

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is unfiltered and unpasteurized, so it retains the mother along with live, active acetic bacteria. You can see the mother in the bottle when you hold it up to the light. It is cloudy and somewhat stringy.

Advantage #3: Tastes Decent

Although it can add a nice to tang to certain dishes like salads or chili, drinking vinegar is generally not pleasant. Bragg is no exception if you drink it straight out of the bottle.

In fact, when I opened the bottle, my husband walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, wrinkled his nose, and demanded "What is that smell?" He was not impressed.

However, if you mix the suggested 1 to 2 teaspoons of vinegar into water and add some honey, the result is not bad.

It tastes like a slightly sour apple cider. Since Bragg apple cider vinegar aged in wooden barrels and made from quality apples, it retains a distinct apple flavor that's missing from grocery store brands of vinegar.

Advantage #4: Testimony

Customers who have used this product on Amazon reported back that it was effective for arthritis, indigestion and weight loss. One customer did report that she and her husband experienced unpleasant digestive side effects, however, including stomach cramps and constipation.

I personally found Bragg Vinegar to be helpful for heartburn and for soothing a sore throat when I had a cold.

The Bottom Line

Despite the inflated health claims on their website, Bragg apple cider vinegar is a great product. Go ahead and try it - just make sure to keep your expectations realistic!