Got an allergy to gluten or watching your sugar intake? Think that all vinegars are completely gluten and sugar free? This is not the case!
I know, I know those pesky gluten and sugars get everywhere!
Why use Vinegar?
Vinegar is a key component of mayonnaise, it helps hold the emulsification (stopping it from splitting), adds flavour and for us it enables a great shelf life out of the fridge unopened without the use of artificial preservatives.
Did you know we won an award for “Innovative product of the year 2017” for our classic mayonnaise due to stripping out all of the nasty ingredients – we use simply 4 real food ingredients, Apple Cider Vinegar being one of them.
Different Types of Vinegars
The most common vinegars you will see are Spirit Vinegar, Malt Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar.
The simple process involves fermentation, sugars then turn into alcohol and bacteria increases the acidity creating the vinegar. Each different vinegar follows a similar process in this regard, however what differs is the starting ingredient and end nutritionals.
Spirit Vinegar
Spirit vinegar is the clear coloured vinegar which often has quite a strong alcohol taste. Spirit Vinegar can be derived from various different starting points including potato, grain and sugar. This is often used for natural cleaning and as a drain cleaner when pouring over Bicarbonate Soda.
Malt Vinegar
Malt Vinegar is derived from Barley and is that darker richer tasting vinegar. A true malt vinegar is left to age however in modern cheaper alternatives, caramel colouring is often used to give the aged affect to speed up production.
Although Malt Vinegar itself has a low gluten content, you often see “Malt Extract” in bold on Malt Vinegar packaging and this differs from Malt Vinegar. Malt Extract has a higher level of Gluten and is not suitable for those with Gluten sensitivities.
There is a lot of debate on the internet as to whether grain distilled white vinegars and malt vinegars are suitable for those with Coeliac and the consensus of the Coeliac UK is that yes this is safe to eat (as long as there is no added Malt Extract ) – we would recommend doing your own research on this and making an informed decision. Amy (The Coeliac Girl) personally stays away from both spirit and malt vinegars.
Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic is that dark, sweet tasting vinegar often found alongside olive oil or as a sticky sugary glaze flavouring.
From Italy, this vinegar is derived fully or partially from sweet white grapes, that are reduced down and fermented. Looking at the nutritional's of the options available in one of our major UK supermarkets, the sugar content varies from 24% up to a staggering 55% for a balsamic glaze.
Balsamic is suitable for those on a Gluten Free Diet however the sugar content is far too high for use in our Hunter & Gather mayonnaise – our journey continues for the perfect vinegar!
Apple Cider Vinegar
We don’t want any bad apple ingredients in our Mayonnaise, that’s why we take such care in sourcing the best possibly ingredients for you.
The Apple Cider Vinegar that we use is made from apples (apple cider, that British Classic), as you would expect, and the fermentation process uses naturally occurring yeast and sugars, making apple cider vinegar full of health-promoting probiotics and enzymes.
We use naturally filtered Apple Cider Vinegar so that our mayonnaise is suitable for the following diets:
- Gluten Free
- Keto/Paleo
- Low sugar (typically 0.4% or lower)
- AIP (in the reintroduction phase)
- FODMAP (yes, really – although apples are a no go, Apple Cider Vinegar is suitable)
- SCD
Health benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Healthy Guts – A study has shown that Apple Cider Vinegar has anti-fungal properties to protect against Candida, a fungus that has been linked to leaky gut.
Stabilising Blood Sugar Levels – A research paper noted the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar for reducing the insulin sensitivity of those with type 2 diabetes or insulin sensitivities after eating a high-carbohydrate based meal. Other papers to support this can be found here.
Improves Skin Health – you can find lots of information and personal stories of Apple Cider Vinegar improving skin and acne. This could be due to its bacteria fighting properties.
If you do use the avocado oil mayonnaise as a skin cleanser, so send us the pictures and thoughts.. mayo for beauty, why not! ;-)
Apple Cider Vinegar, we had found the vinegar for us!
Low in sugars, naturally produced, filtered and suitable for those with certain dietary requirements – we are off to skip hand in hand to live 'Appley' ever after!
All information provided on our website and within our articles is simply information, opinion, anecdotal thoughts and experiences to provide you with the tools to thrive.
It is not intended to treat or diagnose symptoms and is definitely not intended to be misconstrued for medical advice. We always advise you seek the advice of a trained professional when implementing any changes to your lifestyle and dietary habits.
We do however recommend seeking the services of a trained professional who questions the conventional wisdom to enable you to become the best version of yourself.
