According to Cider Craft Magazine, there are three health benefits that come from drinking hard cider: antioxidants, vitamin C and gluten-free. Apples are known to be a type of “superfood” that contains many vital vitamins and antioxidants. Hard cider is made from pure apple juice, so it offers the same health benefits that juice offers. Hard cider, like unfermented juice, contains a lot of vitamin C and a considerable amount of antioxidants.
In fact, there are more antioxidants in hard cider than in green or black tea or in vegetables such as tomatoes. Traditional hard cider doesn't contain gluten either. These benefits sound good, but enjoy them in moderation, as hard cider tends to be high in calories. Apple cider contains polyphenols, which are plant compounds that act as antioxidants.
They can help the body fight free radicals and cell damage, reducing the risk of certain types of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Polyphenols also help relieve inflammation in the body. Most of the calories in hard apple cider come from carbohydrates, especially simple sugars. Don't rely on low-nutrient beverages, such as hard apple cider, to meet your required daily intake of essential vitamins.
While the accuracy of this statement might be reasonable, it's true that cider has some health benefits supported by research. In fact, cider contains more antioxidants than green tea and, when consumed in moderation, can deliver positive results beyond a buzz. Thanks to festivals such as Pour the Core and New York Cider Week and the growing popularity of domestic brands such as Angry Orchard, American apple cider is packed with vitamin C and antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavonoids, which give it its distinctive color. With demand for ciders steadily increasing, breweries, bars and restaurants are meeting popular demand by offering unique and tasty cider options, whether bottled or on tap.
One containing 16.9-ounce cans of hard apple cider provides approximately 6 percent of the recommended daily amount of nutrients for a healthy adult following a 2,000-calorie diet, or approximately 4.5 milligrams per serving. Other trials in volunteer cider drinkers at the Norwich Food Research Institute, the details of which are published in the latest edition of the scientific journal Journal of Nutrition, also establish that antioxidants are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, improving health benefits. This is particularly possible if any of the apples used to make cider were gout (apples that were picked from the ground). The phytonutrients in apple cider can help stop the oxidation process of bad cholesterol, leading to plaque buildup in the arteries.
In addition to satisfying thirsty needs, cider also offers several health benefits that make it more than just a tasty drink. If your apple cider isn't pasteurized, there's a chance that it will ingest some harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella or E. Because it's made from apples, cider naturally doesn't contain gluten and tastes much more naturally than gluten-free beers.
