The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

I started drinking apple cider vinegar several months ago for a variety of reasons, which we will get to in a few minutes. My first issue was with taste, as you can imagine. I felt like I was drinking salad dressing! I mean, really, it’s vinegar. Why would I want to drink it as a beverage? My first encounter with apple cider vinegar (ACV) was using it as a hair rinse. It made my hair shiny and soft.  Then when I did a little research and I found that it was also great to use as a toner on my face to balance the ph in your skin. Then…I did a little more research and found that it can be very beneficial for health purposes when ingested.

Here are a few of the benefits of drinking ACV:

• Detox the body
• Balance the ph in your body
• Reduces heart burn
• Prevents heartburn when drank before a meal
• Eliminates bad breathe when used as a mouth rinse (mix with water)
• Soothes a sore throat
• Helps relieve fatigue caused by a lactic acid build up from stress (or excessive workouts)
• Helps to control blood sugar levels
• Boosts weight loss
• Relieve itching from bug bites – Apply with a cotton ball to the bite

So now that you know it has so many great benefits, how do you drink it?

I first tried to just down 1 tbsp then drink a glass of water. The first time I did that I choked and the vinegar burned my throat, which made me cough, which made my throat hurt even more! Then I added some to my lemon water, which wasn’t bad. I like the sour taste of lemon and this just made it a little extra sour. Then I thought, what if I add a few cucumber slices like I see at day spas? The cucumbers have antioxidants, vitamin C, help to regulate blood sugar and they taste great! So I threw a few slices in and that was the end. I had finally found the perfect way to drink my ACV!

Each morning I put 4 slices of lemon and 4 slices of cucumber, about 1/4″ thick, in to a 20 oz water bottle. Then I add 1-2 tbsp of ACV and fill up the bottle with warm (room temperature) water. Why warm water instead of cold water? Well, there are several benefits to drinking warm water but mainly for this drink using warm water will help to remove toxins from the body as well as aid in digestion by keeping the temperature in your stomach high and making the food inside easier to break down.

Can you use just any kind of ACV in your drink?  

The type of ACV you add to your drink is very important. You must use unpasteurized, organic ACV with the “The Mother,” which is made up of enzymes, living nutrients and bacteria. Without these your vinegar is pretty much only good to flavor foods and salad dressings. You will know right away if your ACV has The Mother in it because you can see it at the bottom of the bottle, it’s usually removed from commercial vinegar simply because it’s unappealing to see The Mother floating around the bottle. Just be sure the shake up the bottle before you add it to your drink.

Note: The links below are affiliate links, for more info please see my disclosure page. 

I use Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar (pictured below) that I purchase at my local Whole Foods or Sprouts. You can also get it on Amazon.com if you don’t have a health food store close by.

What do you think? Will you try out this drink? I’d love to hear your thoughts if you do!