The Truth About Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has been an herbal remedy going back centuries due to its antiseptic benefits. The popularity of these humble elixir has soared in recent years because it is being lauded as an inexpensive and effective weight loss aid.

Health experts, beauty gurus, and wellness fanatics can be found swearing by ACV in every corner of the internet. There are claims that it helps with digestion, makes you lose weight, and is great for your skin. It can be difficult to separate the truth from the hype.

In this article, we will take an in-depth look at apple cider vinegar. We will look at what makes it so popular and what it actually does for your body.

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Chances are you have already consumed your fair share of ACV because it is a popular ingredient in salad dressings, chutneys, and marinades. It has a strong vinegar odor and flavor.

It is made through a fermentation process that turns the sugars in the apple cider into alcohol and then into acetic acid. The apples are crushed and juiced, then bacteria and yeast are added which starts the fermentation.

A serving of ACV does not contain any fat and is only 3 calories. While the amounts of the nutrients are only in trace quantities, the vinegar does contain antioxidants, vitamin B, potassium, and calcium.

ACV and Diet, Is It For You?

There is research that shows apple cider vinegar can be a good addition to your diet plan. It is considered a heart-healthy food and it can help with maintaining healthy blood sugar. It can be included in some of the more popular diet plans like keto and paleo.

Those that have gone keto often use ACV to help balance blood sugar. It is especially useful for those that occasionally eat a carb-heavy meal to cycle out of ketosis periodically. The sudden influx of carbs can cause an insulin increase due to burning sugar for energy. The apple cider vinegar helps combat that and keep your blood sugar on an even keel.

Apple cider vinegar can be incorporated into a paleo diet even though it was invented beyond the Paleolithic era. As a food, it doesn’t contain any sugars or gluten, and it is not too far removed from a whole food.

How Does Apple Cider Vinegar Help You Lose Weight?

While there is no one quick fix for losing weight, ACV can be added to your healthy eating and exercise program to help you hit your goals. The part of the vinegar that will help you on your weight loss journey is the acetic acid.

Acetic acid, a short-chain fatty acid, can help you dissolve the acetate inside your body. This helps to promote weight loss in several ways, but the biggest boon for taking ACV is that it is an appetite suppressant. People report feeling full for several hours after taking apple cider vinegar which helped them to avoid snacking.

ACV has also been shown to increase the amount of fat that is burned in lab mice. The increase was attributed to the acetic acid causing an increase in the genes that burn fat. It also helped diabetic rats reduce the amount of fat in their bellies.

The research does seem to transfer to humans as well. Small studies have shown that people who ate meals with high-carb content had decreased blood sugar afterward if they had ACV beforehand.

What Are the Health Benefits of ACV?

Helping your body lose weight may be the most important benefit to you, but there are some other benefits that you should consider as well. ACV can be instrumental in the following:

A healthy gut: ACV is full of good bacteria, and these bacteria help promote a healthy balance inside your digestive system. The acetic acid works to balance the body’s pH, and the natural protiens and pectins in the vinegar help with breaking down the food that you eat.
Manage Candida: The antifungal properties of apple cider vinegar can help combat an overgrowth of Candida fungus. Having too much Candida in your body can cause things like gas, nausea, and diarrhea.

Manage diabetes: Diabetes has almost become an epidemic in the modern world, and it causes many serious health issues including nerve damage, blindness, and even death. The anti-glycemic properties of the acetic acid in ACV helps control blood sugar levels. A small study has shown that it reduces fasting blood sugar levels in those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Antiseptic benefits: The skin can also benefit from apple cider vinegar. It can be used to flush wounds, and it can also be used to cleanse the face as a treatment for acne.
Heart health: Studies have been done on lab animals that show ACV has a positive effect on lowering cholesterol levels and for reducing blood pressure. However, at this time, no studies have been done on humans.

How Much Do I Drink?

If you think that you may want to try ACV because of the long list of health benefits we just described, you are probably wondering what amount of vinegar you have to consume to achieve them.

A lot of people like to do a “shot” of ACV as part of their morning routine. If that sounds like a good way to go for you, then you will want to put 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar in a shot glass and turn it up. It can be taken every day for maximum benefits.

The flavor is sometimes too strong for some people to be able to drink in shot form. Another option is diluting the same 1-2 tablespoons with a glass of water. If that is still too strongly flavored, you can try adding a little bit of lemon juice or even seltzer water to distract you from the vinegar flavor.

If drinking it is just not going to happen for you, you can attempt to make a salad dressing out of it. Mix ¼ cup of ACV with 1 tablespoon of spicy brown or dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and ⅓ cup of olive oil. It is a good vinaigrette dressing to top your favorite salad ingredients.

Other Uses of Apple Cider Vinegar

If you went all in and bought the huge jug of apple cider vinegar, you may be happy to know that there are other uses for the stuff than just your daily shot. Like we mentioned above, it can be used to clean wounds or in a cleanser for your face.

Your face isn’t the only thing that can benefit from ACV. Rinsing your hair with it at the end of your shower will add a lot of shine, and it will also work as a detangler. Dilute the ACV with water before pouring it on your head as it is quite acidic. Also, use caution to keep it out of your eyes.

The same antibacterial properties that make it good for cleaning wounds also make it good for cleaning your house. A 2:1 mix of water and ACV can be used to clean many of the surfaces inside your home.

Another great use for ACV is killing fruit flies. These pesky little insects love to show up near your fruit bowl, and they can be eliminated by putting a cup of apple cider vinegar into a dish mixed with a couple drops of dish soap. The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, but the dish soap will cause them to sink and drown.

Debunking the Myths About ACV

While apple cider vinegar may be called magical by many people, there are some rumors floating around that are a bit less than truthful. Here are a few of the myths that we thought needed clearing up:

One ACV is not always as good as another. There are actually two different versions of apple cider vinegar: unfiltered and filtered. The better health benefits are going to be found in the less processed unfiltered version. It is very easy to tell the difference, the processed, not organic one will be clear. The organic version will be murky, brown, and will contain bits floating in it.

It will taste terrible. Vinegar of any kind is rather pungent. However, there are various methods, like the salad dressing we described above, that can make your daily ACV habit more palatable. It may not taste that great right out of the bottle, but it definitely doesn’t have to taste terrible.

It will cure your diabetes. While it does have properties that help it control blood sugar, ACV should never be seen as a cure. You should never disregard the medical advice given by your doctor.

More Myths to Know About

It is alcoholic. While it is made via a fermentation process, there is no longer any significant amount of alcohol in the ACV. You can chug it until the cows come home, but you won’t find yourself intoxicated.

Cooking with it will ruin the benefits. ACV will still offer the same nutritional benefits whether you drink it cold out of the bottle or you add it to a stir-fry. The only way to lose all the healthy bacteria in it is to boil it.

It is the same as eating apples. Drinking ACV can offer you many health benefits, but it doesn’t offer the same benefits that eating fresh apples does. Apples are full of fiber, and they are high in vitamin C. Neither of those things are true of apple cider vinegar.

It will make you lose weight fast. While adding ACV to your healthy eating routine will help curb your appetite and control your blood sugar, it won’t magically make the pounds fall off. It should be used in addition to your healthy diet and exercise regimen.

Only humans get benefits from ACV. Your four-legged friends may reap some benefits from apple cider vinegar as well. Some vets recommend spraying it onto itchy spots to give your dog some relief. It should be diluted with water at a 1:1 ratio. Use caution when spraying though, as you don’t want to put it on an open wound. The high acid content will burn, and your puppy won’t be very happy with you afterward.

A Word of Caution

Apple cider vinegar has a lot of great health benefits, and it can help you achieve your weight loss goals. However, there are a few things that you should be aware of regarding ACV.

The vinegar has a high acidic content which can be rough on your teeth. The high acid content can erode your enamel, especially if you are doing undiluted shots every day. To better protect your teeth, it is best to dilute the ACV with a little bit of water.

Like we mentioned above, you should never supplement apple cider vinegar for a treatment that has been prescribed by your doctor. You should never discontinue your medications in favor of ACV. If you want to explore the benefits of ACV in treating your particular health issue, discuss them with your physician and make sure that it is right for you.

At the End of the Day

There is never one miracle cure that will magically make you lose weight, be completely healthy, have perfect skin, and clean your house…but apple cider vinegar may be the closest thing yet.

The research seems to point to ACV being a great addition to your healthy eating habits, whether you drink it in the morning or add it to your salad at lunch. It will help curb your appetite, aid your digestion, and improve your natural enzymes.

An organic vinegar that is free of pesticides and has not been over-processed or filtered is the best choice for getting the most out of your ACV. It should be added to your healthy eating regimen, and not used against the advice of your doctor.

More Great Apple Cider Vinegar Resources:

Apple cider vinegar diet: Does it really work?
15 Reasons to Use Apple Cider Vinegar Every Day
Can Apple Cider Vinegar Help You Lose Weight?

The Truth About Apple Cider Vinegar