Apple cider vinegar is a trendy health nut supplement that's taken the intermittent fasting, keto, and fitness community by storm in recent years. Yet, how could it be good for you? Drinking pure vinegar just sounds... gross. However, thanks to recent research and development in the supplement world, you can consume this health elixir in a variety of different ways to receive the boasting benefits of weight loss, digestion, skin health, and more in this guide to 6 apple cider vinegar health benefits for overall wellness.
What Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good For
Apple cider vinegar is full of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in their raw form. It contains sediment leftover from the fermentation process of apples. Unpasteurized sediment detoxifies, wipes out bad bacteria, and leaves the upper and lower intestines in optimal conditions to absorb nutrients. Ultimately, the goal is to have your body at a 7.4 pH to reap the ultimate weight loss and toning rewards of your nutrition plan.
For most, ACV is regarded to be 'Mother Nature’s Perfect Food'. When ACV is in its raw organic form, it’s made from fresh, crushed apples which are allowed to then mature naturally in wooden barrels. Wood is the chosen form of a barrel, versus metal or otherwise, because of its ability to actually boost the natural fermentation process. Similar to kombucha, natural and content-rich
Apple Cider Vinegar is a rich, brownish color, with a ‘cobweb-like’ substances floating around, called the ‘mother’
ACV doesn’t require refrigeration, and as time goes on, the more mature the ‘mother’ is the richer in nutrients, and the lower it is found in a bottle. It’s no secret that ACV is pungent, to say the least – you’ll find yourself puckering pretty hard and your eyes might even water a bit. Crying because it’s so good? Maybe. But the benefits far outweigh the temporary remorse that strikes your senses when ingesting ACV.
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Apple Cider Vinegar: How To Drink
Apple cider vinegar isn’t exactly the easiest thing to just drink due to the harsh taste when not diluted or taken in liquid form. However, due to the proposed benefits, the taste isn’t the reason to avoid this health elixir. Here are a few suggestions on how to drink apple cider vinegar.
- Dilute: In the morning, we recommend mixing 1-2 tbsp of AV with 1 cup of warm water. The warm water makes the mixture not as harsh, and we always recommend drinking with water because vinegar, when undiluted, can actually damage the esophagus and throat lining. Additionally, if you get into a good routine and this is something you’re going to be doing daily, we recommend drinking the mixture with a straw, as over time vinegar is rather harsh on tooth enamel.
- Drink ACV in the AM: Not only does it go well on an empty stomach as the first thing you introduce your stomach to after a long slumber, but more of the AVC can also actually be absorbed rather than broken down and passed with other food contents. Drinking apple cider vinegar during intermittent fasting also has a variety of benefits to get the most of your fast.
- Add Apple Cider Vinegar to food: ACV makes a great addition to recipes, especially when making a homemade marinade and/or salad dressing.
- Supplement with Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies: You can still get a robust amount of nutrients and benefit from opting for ACV gummies instead of the liquid. Unlike the powder version of ACV capsules, gummies maintain more nutrients, especially when combined with other antioxidant ingredients, like pomegranate.
Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies
There’s no more enjoyable way to supplement your diet and health with apple cider vinegar than with apple cider vinegar gummies. Not only is the harsh vinegar taste-masked, but they also come with a small variety of other ingredients to maximize absorption and deliver a more robust nutrient profile.
Swolverine’s apple cider vinegar gummies are made in the USA, in an FDA-registered, cGMP-certified facility. They’re an unfiltered, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan formula bursting with antioxidants, fiber, and rich superfoods to support a healthy gut. Derived from California grown apples, each gummy is loaded with pomegranate, beetroot, vitamin B6, B9, B12, potassium, and pectin (from orange peels) to support overall health and wellness while maximizing absorption.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT: Swolverine’s Apple Cider Vinegar Gummy
6 Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits
Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits Health
There are a host of vitamins in ACV Apple cider vinegar including vitamin B1, B2, B6, biotin, folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid, and vitamin C. Additionally, ACV contains minerals, such calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. Together, these minerals and vitamins provide support to the body to strengthen the nervous and immune systems, while supporting overall health and body optimization [R].
We do recommend purchasing a high-quality ACV, one that still includes the mother. Why should apple cider vinegar still have the mother? Because in this state, the ACV is unrefined, unpasteurized, and unfiltered. Similar to a SCOBY (the funny looking stuff in Kombucha), the 'mother' in ACV helps create vinegar through a secondary fermentation process. More vinegar content means better quality.
RELATED: 4 Reasons Why You Should Add Kombucha To Your Diet
Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits Energy
Something many active people and athletes are used to, is the build-up of lactic acid in the body, leading to soreness, fatigue, and stiffness throughout the body. Potassium from ACV can help alleviate these symptoms and quick delivery of vitamins can boost energy naturally, especially combined with a diet full of quality protein, carbohydrates, and fats. [R]
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Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits Digestion
Apple cider vinegar benefits digestion because it helps increase the acidity of the stomach, in turn helping your body create more pepsin, the digestive enzyme that breaks down protein in the digestive tract. [R] The real benefit comes from improving stomach acid production, which is crucial for the digestive process of the foods that we eat. When people don’t make enough stomach acid naturally, this can lead to uncomfortable bloating and gas. ACV serves as a nice, natural home remedy for bloating and digestive symptoms.
Long term consequences of low stomach acid can lead to:
- Increased risk for SIBO and fungal infections
- Impaired nutrient absorption
- Esophagus and small intestine damage
- Burping
- Feeling excessively full
- Bloating
- Heartburn and acid reflux
AVC doesn’t have any concrete research to support that it can relieve bloating and reverse digestive issues, but just because it hasn’t been extensively researched, doesn’t mean it’s not true. AVC has both probiotic bacteria and acetic acid, which is found in all kinds of vinegar. This is why it’s considered a ‘supplement’ to your dietary lifestyle, and not a replacement. So can it hurt? Nope, not in our opinion. Does there need to be more research? Of course. But why wait, if you can have the benefits now?
Apple Cider Vinegar For Skin
The idea behind the benefits of using apple cider vinegar on the skin is because our skin is naturally more on the acidic side. It’s thought that AVC can help rebalance the natural pH of the skin, but more conclusive research is needed to support this claim. The opposition of this claim stems from the research that states alkaline soaps and cleansers actually irritate the skin and skin conditions, such as eczema, actually making things worse. [R]
In theory, although given the antibacterial properties of ACV, in the future it could be synthesized and used to help prevent skin infections, conditions, and improve skin health. We recommend talking to your skincare provider to see if its right for you and your skin before just giving it a go.
Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss
Apple cider vinegar alone isn’t going to help weight loss, as shown in this study from Japan conducted in 2009. If you aren’t willing to change/improve your overall lifestyle, like the participants in this study, then you’re not going to see any changes. I mean, I’m sure we’d all love to not have to do anything, take a magic elixir, and have weight shed off our bodies, but that’s just not how it works.
However, that being said, some studies support that supplementing with AVC can increase feelings of fullness and satiety, leading to a reduction in the overall calories that one may eat throughout the course of the day. Fewer calories mean less energy consumed which consequently leads to a caloric deficit and eventual weight loss. [R, R]
Instead, when ACV is consumed during IF or throughout the day, in addition to a calorie-restricted or lower-calorie diet and exercise routine, weight loss effects and overall health improvement has been noted.
- In 2012, a Dutch study found that in one North African culture, women who consumed a daily cup of apple cider vinegar achieved greater weight loss than women who did not.
However, that being said, a cup of AVC per day sounds rough (at least to me) and a little too extreme. While yes, AVC may promote satiety, lowering blood sugar levels, and reducing insulin levels, we recommend improving your overall food intake and the quality of food, in conjunction with taking ACV in the AM every day.
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Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits Blood Sugar Regulation
A recent study conducted by the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University found that ACV reduced fasting blood glucose concentrations in healthy adults at risk for type 2 diabetes. The study findings state that the acetic acid in vinegar interferes with enzymes that break down starch, in turn stopping the absorption of starch altogether. The study recommends taking the vinegar before or when you eat starch like food products. [R]
- STUDY: in 2013 a study revealed that vinegar ingestion at mealtime reduced fasting blood glucose concentrations [R]
- STUDY: showed improvement in insulin action in the skeletal muscle of human adults with diabetes [R]
- STUDY: in 2015 a study demonstrated that vinegar consumption in patients with Type 2 diabetes improved blood sugar control, insulin levels, and high triglyceride levels [R]
Some preliminary research has shown that intermittent fasting can actually improve the blood lipid profile by reducing total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and increasing HDL levels. However, randomized clinical trials with a larger sample size are needed to evaluate IF effects further, at this time. [R]
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Does Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Break A Fast?
When you consume food products that have calories and substances that the body must process and metabolize, you can break your intermittent fast, because your body has begun to metabolize and process the food, just as it would when you eat.
Unlike food, when you consume apple cider vinegar or coffee, for example, the fast is not broken, and the benefits of fasting can actually be enhanced. Both coffee and apple cider vinegar promote AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) within the body. Many researchers studying the benefits of intermittent fasting in conjunction with consuming non-food products, like ACV, believe that AMPK activations are extended, furthering the benefit of intermittent fasting. [R, R]
RELATED ARTICLE: Intermittent Fasting and Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits: In Conclusion
Even though the research hasn’t quite caught up to the popularity of apple cider vinegar, the health benefits are seen in so many people that it’s hard to deny that it actually works. Not only can it help with satiety, blood pressure, and insulin resistance, but it packs powerful antibacterial effects, probiotics, and makes a nice supplement to a well-rounded diet and improvements in your overall lifestyle. We definitely recommend drinking ACV liquid with water and a straw, or better yet, opting for Swolverine’s apple cider vinegar gummy, packed with other antioxidants and vitamins crucial for overall health and optimal absorption. I mean, why taste vinegar when you can taste the apple?!
Want to add Apple Cider Vinegar To Your Diet?
Swolverine’s Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies are an unfiltered, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan formula bursting with powerful antioxidants, fiber, and rich superfoods to support a healthy gut and aid in digestive health. Derived from delicious California grown apples, each gummy is loaded with pomegranate, beetroot, vitamin B6, B9, B12, potassium, and pectin (orange peel) to support your overall health and wellness. Grab some gummies and taste the apples, not the vinegar.
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