36 oxygenmag.com
DRINKING
VINEGARS
WHAT ARE THEY? Tangy
drinks, such as kombucha, are
on the rise, which is why you may
have noticed ready-to-drink bot-
tles of a bevvy labeled “drinking
vinegar” on store shelves. Drinking
vinegars are tartly similar to kom-
bucha, though they often contain
fruit juice, pureed fruit and/or
sweeteners.WHAT’S THE BUZZ ABOUT?
Regularly sipping a little apple
cider vinegar is an old remedy
that some claim can support
gut health, reduce blood sugar
and even ward off weight gain.
Drinking vinegars make the health
benefi ts of vinegar more palat-
able but also increase your intake
of sugar, though they often con-
tain less sugar than you’d get from
a regular soda, sports quencher
or energy drink.WHAT TO KNOW: Drinking
vinegars may, indeed, help boost
probiotics in your gut and help you
avoid more sugary drinks, but be
sure to read labels. Not all drink-
ing vinegars contain apple cider
vinegar, and some contain more
than one serving, meaning you
should only drink one-third or half
the bottle at a time to get what’s
refl ected on the Nutrition Facts
panel. Also, drinking high amounts
of vinegar may lower your body’s
potassium levels, so drink it in
moderation to get the perks with-
out doing any harm.SPOTLIGHT ON ...
THE PERCENTAGE of Americans
who have a food allergy, according to a new
study published in The Journal of Allergy and
Clinical Immunology. Women and Asian-
Americans are most aff ected by food allergies,
and the most common allergy is shellfi sh, fol-
lowed by peanuts, dairy, and certain fruits
and vegetables. An increase in allergy-related
hospitalizations in the U.S. over the last decade
suggests that food allergies are on the rise.Nutrition
mythBUSTIN’
True or False? The
Paleo diet is the best
way for active people
to eat.
False. This popular
high-protein, low-
carb plan is the most
Googled diet in recent
years. But eating
steak and bacon for
weight loss? Not so
fast. Although most
people initially lose
weight on a high-
protein, low-carb diet,
this style of eating can
actually cause weight
gain in the long term,
according to Spanish
researchers. Their
study fi ndings showed
that those who follow
diets high in animal
protein have a 90
percent greater risk
of gaining more than
10 percent of their
bodyweight over time
than those who don’t
go heavy on the meat.
There is no single diet
that is right for every-
one, even if everyone
was physically active.
The best healthy eating
plan for you is the one
that you can stick to on
the majority of days.Research is showing that
you can increase your
chances of having a healthy
brain into old age by focus-
ing on foods that contain
plenty of antioxidants,
vitamin E, omega-3s and
monounsaturated fat.
When it comes to anti-Feed your ...
brainoxidants, think fresh
produce, especially ber-
ries. For vitamin E, turn
to nuts and seeds. Get
omega-3s from fatty
fi sh, such as salmon and
tuna. And fi nd mono-
unsaturated fats in
avocados and olive oil.fuel EAT SMART