This has been my go-to favourite salad dressing recipe for years. Not only is it delicious, but it contains properties that support your digestion and reduces bloating.

Apple cider vinegar is one of my go-to kitchen medicine tricks for reducing bloating. Its bitter flavour has medicinal properties. When our taste buds encounter a ‘bitter’ flavour in the mouth, it triggers the the brain and the gut-brain to, in turn, stimulate the release of gastrin (hormone that stimulates the release of gastric acid), pancreatic enzymes and bile. These hormones and peptides stimulate the appetite, help establish the “rest and digest” state that is so critical for digestion and absorption. When digestion in working optimally, we should experience very little to no bloating whatsoever.

Often, I recommend that my patients simply try 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar in a little water just before meals as a kitchen medicine trick to reduce bloating. However, I like this recipe even better for the exact same outcome.

I recommend adding this vinaigrette on top of any of your favourite salads – ranging from kale salads, to thinly sliced napa cabbage, to any herb-y salad greens you have on hand. I like balancing the tart flavour with a handful of dried craisins.

This recipe comes from my favourite cookbook, “Nourishing Meals” by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried dill (or fresh)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place all ingredients in a pint-sized glass jar, cover, and shake. Better yet, add to a small blender and blend for 30 seconds.
2. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
   

Yield: about 1 cup