The Internet abounds with reports that apple cider vinegar could be the answer to all of our weight-loss woes. I'm Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien, and I'm here to break down the facts.
Common Claims
1.
Consuming about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before a meal
blocks your body from digesting starch, helping to control blood sugar
and resulting in weight loss.
2. The pectin (a source of dietary
fiber) found in apple cider vinegar is known to help you feel full and
suppress your appetite.
3. It helps digestion, because it’s rich in enzymes that help your body break down food.
Too Good to Not Try or Too Good to be True?
The
research consensus seems to be that while adding a bit of apple cider
vinegar to your diet might help you lose a pound or so over a period of
months, it's not going to magically melt away the pounds. One of the few published studies
that tested the idea that apple cider vinegar bolsters weight loss
found that consuming a bit of the vinegar every day for three months
resulted in a 1- to 2-pound total loss (versus a control group that
consumed water instead and lost no weight); all the participants were
obese, but otherwise healthy. There have been quite a few studies,
however, showing that apple cider vinegar does have benefits for those with diabetes. Researchers found that it lowered blood sugar levels, which is a useful therapy for people with diabetes.
If you want to
try the water-with-vinegar trick before a meal, go for it. Whether or
not the vinegar itself directly results in weight loss, this might get
you into the habit of consuming water before a meal. And that can
be good for weight loss, since it helps take the edge off your hunger.
Plus, it's common for people to think they're hungry when they're really
just dehydrated.
So, the extra water before a meal can
help regulate your hunger, prevent you from overeating, and ultimately
result in weight loss. Just make sure to dilute that tablespoon of
vinegar in least 16 ounces of water — apple cider vinegar is very
acidic, and consuming it straight could harm your tooth enamel and
esophagus. If you’re planning to start consuming apple cider vinegar on
the regular, it's probably a good idea to run it by your doctor.
Another
way apple cider vinegar can be good for weight loss? It adds flavor to
food while adding very few calories. Each tablespoon of apple cider
vinegar has just about 3 calories and nothing else. One product people
swear by is Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. It looks murkier
than others, which researchers say is evidence that nutrients and
enzymes haven’t been diluted through processing.
Not too into the idea of drinking vinegar water? Here are some recipe ideas:
Use it in place of dressing on your salads. Unlike some other types of vinegar, apple cider vinegar has a hint of sweetness, thanks to the apples.
It's also good in sandwich wraps. If
you want to doctor it up as a salad-dressing swap, mix it with a small
amount of pomegranate juice, a bit of olive oil, minced garlic, and salt
and pepper. But one of my all-time favorite ways to use apple cider
vinegar is in DIY barbecue sauce. Just mix two teaspoons of the vinegar
with 1/4 cup canned tomato sauce, two tablespoons of ketchup, two
teaspoons of brown sugar, and a tiny bit of garlic powder. You can also
use it to whip up my Bacon-Bundled BBQ Shrimp.
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