Vinegar is Fat and Salt Free and Is an Unsung Dietary Hero

New Yorkers are world class eaters. In Manhattan alone there are restaurants serving every national dish from Algerian to Vietnamese. The international approach continues at home where Manhattan cooks sprinkle their preps with foreign words–like vinegar– while whipping up breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Say “vinegar” and you’re talking French. “Vin aigre” mean “sour wine” in Paris, an apt description of the solution produced when airborne bacteria convert alcohol to acetic acid, the stuff that makes vinegar sour. While it’s possible to whip up vinegar by letting a bottle of wine sit around open until the local bacteria turn it sour, store-bought is a better bet because commercial vinegars are made with acetic acid produced in controlled environments that create standard favors, not to mention bacteria free liquids.

On its own, vinegar is not terrifically nutritious. For example, one tablespoon of plain white vinegar has three calories but no protein, no vitamins, and way less than a milligram of various minerals but it is a fat and salt-free flavoring so the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)–formerly the American Dietetic Association which was founded by a group of women in World War I to help the government conserve food and improve the public’s health and nutrition, is a big fan. Today, AND is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals and it suggests keeping vinegars on hand to dress up foods without salt or fat.

Kitchen favorites include cider vinegar made from apples and the storied balsamic vinegar made with “grape must,” the juice of freshly pressed grapes that is boiled to a concentrate, fermented and aged for 12 to 25 years or longer in wood barrels. As an extra bonus, some studies suggest that vinegars may lower the amount of sugar that a body absorbs after a meal. And there are studies that say consuming apple cider vinegar in a drink can nudge bad cholesterol down slightly. The main ingredient, acetic acid, may help lower fat production in the liver and help the body eliminate cholesterol through bile.

Aside from flavoring food, vinegars are efficient, calorie free meat tenderizers. A teaspoon of white vinegar in the pot keeps cooked cauliflower firm. A splash of balsamic vinegar on tomatoes garnished with fresh basil lend fat-and salt free zip. A dip in a white vinegar and water bath prevents the natural chemical reaction that would otherwise darken sliced fresh apple or potatoes. And of course, white vinegar may substitute for lemon juice in sweetened tea.

But all vinegars have some downsides. They’re mildly irritating to the stomach and mays cause a slight burning in the urinary tract, leading to some people peeing more frequently than normal. On a more serious level, when taking MAO inhibitors, drugs commonly prescribed as antidepressants, some vinegars are problematic. Wine-, balsamic, and malt-based vinegars may be high in tyramine, natural compounds that constricts blood vessels and raise blood pressure. MAO inhibitors make it hard for the body to get rid of tyramine so eating something high in tyramine while on an MAO can lead to sustained high blood pressure. Check with your physician to be sure.

Finally vinegar bottles do have an expiration date. But that’s for quality not safety says, says food safety and compliance certification expert Matt Regusci at the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI). Over time, vinegars don’t spoil as meat or dairy might, but the acidity level decreases, reducing potency so that flavor may change. “Wine, balsamic and rice vinegar have a shelf life of two to three years, and apple cider vinegar lasts five years, Regusci said,“But distilled vinegar will be good forever.”