Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
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Learn more about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar including blood sugar control, lowering cholesterol and weight loss. Plus tips for how to incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet.
It seems like everyone is talking about apple cider vinegar these days. I’m sure you’ve heard about it and are wondering if it really lives up to the hype…
So I’m going to break down the facts for you!
Spoiler alert: I’ve been using apple cider vinegar for years and love it! It’s such an easy thing to add to your daily routine and the health benefits are amazing. Read on to learn more.
What is Apple Cider Vinegar
First, let’s start with the basics! Apple cider vinegar is a vinegar made from fermented apple juice. The process starts by adding yeast to crushed apples.
The yeast ferments the sugars and turns them into alcohol. At this point, bacteria is added which further ferments the alcohol and turns it into acetic acid… the main active compound found in most vinegar.
Acetic acid gives vinegar its pungent smell and flavor and is also responsible for many of ACV’s health benefits.
Apple Cider Vinegar Nutrients
ACV contains similar nutrients to apple juice and apple cider: pectin; vitamins B1, B2, and B6 (also known as biotin; folic acid and niacin), as well as, pantothenic acid and vitamin C.
It also contains small amounts of minerals including sodium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium.
One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar has about 3 calories.
Health Benefits of ACV
The health benefits of apple cider vinegar aren’t something we just discovered. For centuries people have known about its antimicrobial and antioxidant effects and generations have used it in both cooking and medicine.
That said, recent research has brought many health benefits of ACV to light so let’s talk about them.
Weight Loss
Multiple studies have shown that consuming vinegar is linked to “feelings of fullness” which in turn will help manage your caloric intake. (Source)
Of course, only adding apple cider vinegar to your routine and not changing anything else about your lifestyle isn’t recommended. Still, if you’re looking for a boost to your healthy eating and exercise habits, it’s certainly worth incorporating ACV into your daily routine.
I’ve personally found ACV to help a ton with feeling full. Whenever I’m drinking 1-2 Tablespoons of ACV a day I don’t have intense cravings for food or find myself snacking mindlessly.
Blood Sugar
This one is huge because studies have shown that apple cider vinegar improves insulin sensitivity and reduces blood sugar after meals. (Source)
Researchers are excited about what this could mean for people with Type 2 Diabetes, but also for the general public as high blood sugar has been linked to chronic diseases. (Source)
Heart Health
There aren’t enough studies to link apple cider vinegar and heart health in humans, but multiple studies have shown a link between the two in animals. Animal studies have shown that ACV can lower cholesterol, blood pressure and other heart disease factors. Again, more research needs to be done with humans but the studies are promising with animals! (Source)
Digestion
Apple cider vinegar is naturally acidic so for people with low stomach acidity, adding ACV into their diet may help raise stomach acid levels, which will help with digestion and overall gut health.
ACV also has antimicrobial properties, which may help kill bacteria in the stomach or intestines. Excess bacteria can lead to gas and bloating so eliminating it with ACV may help alleviate these symptoms.
I personally love drinking ACV regularly to help with my digestion! If you feel gassy or bloated after a meal or when traveling, try drinking apple cider vinegar.
I like to take it before a meal to prep my digestive tract, but I have also taken it after eating if I was in pain and my body needed a little extra support.
Improve Your Skin
While some have noted improvements in their skin by taking apple cider vinegar internally, you can also use it topically! It has been used to improve dry skin and eczema.
If you try this, be sure to dilute the ACV and spot-test a small area of your skin before applying it over a larger area. Here’s a recipe for making your own apple cider vinegar facial toner.
WATCH MY VIDEO ABOUT THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:
What Type of ACV Is Best?
There are several types of apple cider vinegar on the market! You want to look for one that is labeled organic apple cider vinegar with the ‘mother’ or unpasteurized. The ‘mother’ is made up of strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules with living nutrients and bacteria, similar to the ‘mother’ that’s in Kombucha.
Clear vinegar is processed and doesn’t have any of the benefits that raw apple cider vinegar has. There are different brands out there but I use Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar which you can find at most grocery stores and on Amazon.
How to Drink
Now that you know all the benefits I’m sure you’re wondering how to incorporate ACV into your daily routine. You can totally just dilute it with water and drink it that way, but if you’ve tasted ACV diluted with water you’ll know that it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s pretty pungent and doesn’t taste all that pleasant on its own.
Lucky for you, I have a ton of drink recipes to share!
These recipes make drinking ACV enjoyable and delicious!
- Ginger Spice ACV Drink
- Limeade ACV Drink
- Grapefruit ACV Drink
- Honey Cayenne ACV Drink
- Apple Pie ACV Drink
- Fire Cider
- Grape Antioxidant Drink
More ACV Recipes
Of course, you don’t have to drink your apple cider vinegar! There are a ton of other ways to incorporate it into your diet. I love adding it to my salad dressings or using it as a marinade for protein. Here are some of my favorite recipes with ACV.
How Much Should You Drink Daily?
I drink 2 Tablespoons a day, in the morning, and I usually make one of those drinks that I linked above. I also incorporate ACV in a variety of recipes, which I shared above.
What Happens When You Take ACV Daily?
It’s hard for me to tell if the habit of adding in ACV daily is working wonders on my body and helping in ALL the ways I mentioned above, however I do know that my complexion has been really clear since I’ve started taking it and I crave my apple cider vinegar drink every day now.
In the morning I make my drink in a large mason jar. I’ll sip on it throughout the morning or have it after lunch with my afternoon snack. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that it helps to keep me feeling full and less hungry, which is huge for me because I tend to have a habit of mindless snacking!
Disclaimer – Due to the lack of supporting research, apple cider vinegar cannot be recommended for treatment or prevention of any health problems. Also, please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or healthcare provider before taking any home remedies or supplements. I’m just sharing my experience and what works for one person doesn’t always work for another. 🙂
When you use it as a toner on face do u dilute it first?
Hi yvette, I started with just two capsules of acv and a lil bit of purified water and I used it twice yesterday in the am and before bed, be sure to add your moisturizer afterwards my face is really smooth, I’m sure you have to use it at least a week or longer before you can see the tightening in your skin. Someone else posted she used 2tsps of acv and 8 oz water you could also try it that way.
I usually don’t dilute it when I use as a toner I apply it with a cotton ball while my face & neck is still moist let air dry then I apply my collagen serum let air dry also you will see the difference I do it day & night
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Im wondering what all ingredients to put into the ACV in water drink you reference to making everyday and drinking throughout the day.
Here’s the recipe I’ve been using lately: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/10/core-workout-on-the-elliptical/
how can ACV help my current conditon . My dr. said im suffering from Seborrheic Dermamatis . Tried different moisturizer , creams , antibiotics but it doesnt work?.
Anyone tried the ACV for skin problems
. How ?
Hi Y’all I just started taking ACV yesterday haven’t seen any benefits yet but I’ll keep you posted. Thank you all for your comments and the great tips you posted I can’t wait to see what it does for me. I will be using for internally and externally on my scalp see if it helps with my hair loss, as a toner for my skin, my sons dandruff and might as well try it on his athletes foot see if it helps. I’m excited and hope to see results soon. I hope I can stick with this long term and wish you all great success with ACV.
When washing your hair with Braggs ACV, do you mix with water or pour directly to scalp and how long are you suppose to let it sit to penetrate the scalp?
the general rule is 1 tablespoon of ACV per one cup of water. how long you let it sit depends on your hair. if you have dry hair, let it sit for longer. about 5-7 seconds is a good length of time to start with.
My daughter has used ACV for years for scalp flair-ups. It’s amazing. Clears it up quickly and thoroughly. She even noticed that her hair became really bright and shiny and healthy looking. She uses 100% ACV, no dilution. We picked up a bottle with a long narrow tip (like the ones hair stylists use to apply all over hair color). This made for easy application to the scalp. I can speak from experience. Stopped the dandruff and the itchy scalp better than any anti dandruff shampoo. And there we no bad effects from long term use.
I do an ACV rinse on my hair about twice a month – I dilute about 1 tbsp to about a cup of water, let it soak in for a minute or two, then rinse away. No need for conditioner. You may smell like an easter egg for a bit until your hair dries, but your hair will be soft and the itchiness is gone (which is my primary reason for using the rinse). I usually do the rinse in the evening, by next morning, the vinegar smell isn’t there anymore.
I remember when dyeing Easter eggs, you must pot vinegar in to make the color set in the eggs. The same is true with your hair. It helps maintain your natural color, gets rid of any itch and makes your hair so shiny!! Love it
Does AVC really work? My sister and brother have used apple cider vinegar for years and my brother looks the same size as he did in high school. I really didn’t believe it, but I decided for the new year to give a try. This will be my second time trying it. I didn’t stick to it the first time. If anyone has any advice to help me stick to it, please advise. I want to lead a healthy life and good clean living. Especially as far as my diet goes and exercise. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
If you want to drink this stuff, then the best way, seems to be to take a tablespoon at a time, put this into your mouth, then add a huge gulp of water and swallow the two together. I guess itsl like a water chaser. .It stops you tasting the acidity of the vinegar.
Be careful putting straight ACV in your mouth…it will take the enamel off of teeth. I put a splash in a glass of water, and down the hatch.
I had really bad eczema for six months on my hands and arms to the extent my fingers would split daily when I bent them. I tried different diets and medication to ease the problem unfortunately to no avail. I had already been drinking 3 caps of ACV in cold water twice a day but also to no avail. But here’s the weird thing when I added 3 caps of ACV to warm water by mistake my itching stopped almost immediately. Now three days on and my arms and hands are clearing up and my fingers are no longer splitting. Can’t recommend AVC highly enough. What is the secret in warm water and AVC???? I now drink it 3 times per day!
How much ACV should one consume in a day?
Melissa, I use 1 Tbsp in a glass of water though some say 2 tsp. I take it 3 times a day, 1h before meals if I can. Get a bottle of Braggs and then order the materials listed on the bottle.