The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet and How it Aids Weight Loss

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If you’re looking for some easy hacks to help burn off the pounds with minimum effort, then apple cider vinegar diet can do exactly that: it’s easy to do, inexpensive, and can work quite effectively alongside a healthy diet plan and exercise to boost metabolism and give you a fat burning edge

Apple cider vinegar has been around for centuries and used for quite literally all manner of things from killing viruses to a shine tonic for hair.

There’s no doubt ACV is versatile, and recent studies are proving some great facts about apple cider vinegar diet and how it aids weight loss.

What Exactly Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is derived from apples. It is made by crushing cider apples, squeezing out the liquid, then adding bacteria and yeast to the juice which triggers the fermentation process.

It is this fermentation process that turns the sugar’s from the apple juice into alcohol. There is then a secondary fermentation process where an acetic acid-forming bacterium will convert that alcohol into vinegar.

This is a process that can be done in your own home with just a few ingredients (if you’re inclined to making homemade things). Or, as apple cider vinegar is relatively cheap to buy it may be a good idea to purchase a trusted brand product and try it out first to see if you like it.

How much weight can I lose drinking apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar works on different levels as a weight loss aid and can very simply be added into your diet.

I have mine every morning before breakfast with a half a pint of warm water and a squeeze of lemon. It really helps to even out my blood sugar for the day ahead, hence stopping me from getting so many sugar cravings.  

How much weight you will lose depends on other various factors, such as your diet in general, and of course the amount of exercise you do. I doubt very much that apple cider vinegar alone (with no healthy eating and exercise plan) will make you lose weight, but it will help you maintain a healthy weight.

Before we go any further let’s take a look at how some of the latest research and evidence adds up and see if apple cider vinegar really can help b urn belly fat.

1.BOOSTS FULLNESS

full woman

It is the compound ‘acetic acid’ found in apple cider vinegar that is said to have the weight loss benefits.

This study on mice from found that apple cider vinegar suppresses body fat mass and increases energy expenditure, therefore resulting in weight loss.

A similar study involving 155 obese patients discovered that over 12 weeks, those in the group that consumed 15-30 ml (1-2 tablespoons) of apple cider vinegar had lower body weight, lower body fat and fewer inches on their waist than those who didn’t. This was without making any other changes to their lifestyle or diet.

2.CALORIE REDUCTION

And more good news, yet another study from PubMed found that in a 12-week period the participants taking between 12-30 ml (1-2 tablespoons) of apple cider vinegar before a high carbohydrate meal had feelings of satiety, This led to an overall reduction of 200-275 calorie intake over the rest of the day.

You can imagine how this adds up over the weeks and months. In fact, those taking a 15 ml dosage 1 x daily before a high GI meal lost 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) over the 12-week period. And, those taking a double dose of 30 ml 1 x daily before a high GI meal lost 3.7 lbs (1.7 kg).

Can I drink apple cider vinegar everyday?

Yes, apple cider vinegar isn’t acidic like most other vinegars. It is in fact very alkaline. Try it with your main, or highest GI meal of the day for best results. Ideally your highest GI meal should be at breakfast or lunch when you will need the energy for the day ahead.

These effects of satiety can even help you eat less food for the rest of the day. But,  eating high protein meals will also help with this even further, especially in the evening when your body needs less energy.

Satisfaction, fullness and weight loss

Satisfaction and fullness were the two key points of the study, These are actually the two most important components to long term weight loss.

Nothing is worse than eating a paltry ‘diet meal’ and still feeling hungry afterwards. This not only hinders your weight loss efforts making you more likely to cave to junk foods, but it also makes your life miserable. So satisfaction is most definitely key.

Long Term Benefits Of ACV

Anything that you can easily slip into your diet every day with minimum effort to give you a extra fat burning edge is well worth the time right?

You may not lose huge amounts of weight on apple cider vinegar alone in the short term. But, just look at the long term benefits of daily AVC not just for weight loss, but also many other great reasons.

Low GI Meals

Lowering a meal’s GI really is the cornerstone to losing weight – and we’re not just talking dangerous belly fat specifically. GI (or glycemic index) is the rate in which a food’s sugar hits the bloodstream.

The higher a food’s GI, the quicker the sugars are released (high GI foods are considered fast sugars, and include all refined grains, sugars and syrups), and fast released sugars are BAD in terms of weight loss and also health in general.

Excess sugar is stored as fat!

belly fat

When sugar is released quickly into the blood, as in the case of high GI foods, it prompts the body to have a rapid and hard insulin response in order to clear them from the bloodstream. This sugar is then sent into the liver and muscles where it is metabolised, then either used for energy or stored as fat.

The problem is, these fast sugars don’t all get used for energy (unless you’re about to run a marathon or do something that involves vast amounts of energy) and so they are stored as fat. Worse still, they are stored as the dangerous abdominal fat that is much more of a health risk in terms of diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and even cancer.

This is where having the GI of your meal lessened by apple cider vinegar can be of benefit, not only in terms of weight loss, but also for the general health benefits of keeping blood sugar stable.

How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss

Firstly, there are many ways you can add apple cider vinegar to your diet. It’s pretty versatile and can easily be added to your meals in various ways such as in a fresh salad or dressing.

But, if you are using ACV for weight loss purposes like the participants in the study, then we suggest you do what they did and have 15-30 ml in water with a squeeze of lemon and maybe a little maple syrup before your highest carb meal of the day.

Or, you could take 15 ml twice a day. One before breakfast and one before lunch if this fits in better with your lifestyle. Either way you should take up to 30 ml a day.

But, no more than that in case of potential stomach issues.

Weight Maintenance

If you’re just going for weight maintenance, then you could just try adding apple cider vinegar to your everyday diet in other ways, such as:-

  • In a salad dressing.
  • In a hot drink with lemon, honey, cinnamon sticks, sliced fresh ginger and cloves (great for colds, but also a tasty drink just on a cold winters day).
  • Replace with your usual vinegar on fish and chips (yes, I’m British).
  • Can be added to soups and stews.

Other ways of weight management

Do not rely on apple cider vinegar alone. Be sure to boost your fat burning efforts even more by incorporating these other tasty fat torching foods into your diet. Using lots of different methods of boosting metabolism will have a cumulative effect, therefore making it easy for you to stay trim without having to do too much. 

Other Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

bottle of ACV

1. DIABETES

Apple cider vinegar improves insulin sensitivity, and can significantly lower blood sugar levels and insulin response. Two tablespoons taken before bed can reduce your fasting blood sugars by 4%. This makes this vinegar useful for diabetics, pre-diabetes, and everybody in general.

We can all benefit from stable blood sugar. Indeed it is vital if we are to avoid many potential health issues in the long term. Let’s not forget that stable blood sugar also helps keep you slim!

Important Note: You may need to consult your doctor before using apple cider vinegar if you are on other blood sugar lowering medications.

2. MAY HELP LOWERS CHOLESTEROL

The biggest killer of our time is now cardiovascular disease, and both heart disease and stroke come under this term. Studies in rats have shown that apple cider vinegar may help negate some of the risk factors that are pre-cursers to cardiovascular disease.

This is because ACV may help lower triglyceride levels and blood pressure. It also helps protect LDL particles from becoming oxidised (oxidation is a crucial step in the heart disease process).

3. KILLS CERTAIN BACTERIA

Apple cider vinegar has been used for thousands of years in the treatment of wound healing, disinfecting, treating fungal infections, warts, lice and ear infections. Its compound acetic acid can kill some pathogens including bacteria, and can prevent them from multiplying to harmful levels. Although, not all of these uses have been tested scientifically as of yet.

4. PROBIOTIC

Raw, unpasturised apple cider vinegar, like other fermented foods, acts as a probiotic for the gut and contains trace minerals, pectin, beneficial bacteria and enzymes.

Keeping the gut in balance by eating lots of probiotic and prebiotic foods helps to keep your immune system strong, your weight under control, hormones balanced. Yes, everything starts in your gut, so it’s crucial to keep it ticking over nicely.

Important Note:  As with most things, you really must source out good quality products if you want to reap the most benefits. When it comes to AVC, you should purchase Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the ‘MOTHER’.

This may sound strange, but this term simply means unfiltered, unrefined and unpasturised.

Please check out these Amazon Reviews on best apple cider vinegar brands for the most effective on the market.

The ‘Mother’ in apple cider vinegar is the colony of beneficial bacteria that is similar to a kombucha ‘scoby’. This bacteria helps produce the vinegar through its secondary fermentation process. Apple cider vinegar that already contains the Mother will usually be labelled as such on the packaging, though some small farm bands don’t do this in which case you should find out first.

Extra Weight Loss Tips

bathroom scales

For long term weight loss and management, it is far better to make a number of different weight control tactics a habit. Don’t rely on any one thing.

There is so much more you can do to get your body in to its best shape ever, these include:-

  • Adding lots of other fat burning plant based foods into your diet. These can help to boost your metabolism and also fill you up so you can lose fat faster than without them. 
  • Getting good quality physical exercise at least 3-4 times a week. A mix of cardio, such as running, jogging, cycling and swimming, with a resistance training session such as weight lifting or gym work, HITT training, weighted hula hooping, power walking’ or climbing. Exercise keep your muscle mass high and helps to keep your body in fat burning mode permanently. It all counts towards that extra continual calorie burning on a daily basis that adds up over time.
  • Eating a diet high in plant foods will ensure you are getting a lot of antioxidants, nutrients and fibre. All of which fill you up and stop you craving the bad stuff. Plant foods are also highly alkaline, anti inflammatory AND anti aging.

CONCLUSION

Apple cider vinegar may help you lose excess weight when used alongside a weight loss and fitness plan. Nothing makes up for a bad diet and lack of movement so bear this in mind and you should start seeing improvements in your body shape.

It’s worth adding ACV into your diet to reap al the benefits, not just potential weight loss!

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22 thoughts on “The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet and How it Aids Weight Loss”

  1. HI, thank you so much for sharing such a useful article about apple cider vinegar, This is such a useful thing to include in our everyday life, it is not only good for loosing weight and digestion but also has countless health benefits and many of my family menders use apple cider vinegar regularly.

  2. I like how you mentioned putting apple cider vinegar in salad dressing and in a tonic to drink. I’ll have to give those a try. Even though I love the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, I’ve never enjoyed consuming it raw by itself. Thanks for the alternate ways of incorporating it into your diet!

    1. No problem! I know what you mean about the taste but it is something that you get used to and it can be masked in dressings and drinks. You will definitely notice the difference is my you do start incorporating into your diet. Good luck.

  3. Hi Zest for Life,

    A great read! I am shocked Apple Cider Vinegar suppresses body fat. I know a lady right now going mad to lose weight using what she calls the ‘cereal diet’.

    I will be sure to share this article with her. So you say only 30 mls a day is the max we can consume?

    I do have a bottle n the cupboard but not a big fan on the taste, however, I will certainly bear it for the benefits. I have never even heard of the apple cider vinegar diet before and was looking for info on if it was any good at removing stains when I found your article.

    Thank you for this very useful information and I will definitely be using the bottle in my cupboard in the future.

    Regards,

    Philip.

    1. Hi Philip, yes you should definitely refer this post to your friend as it also has links in it or further reading into weight loss and fat burning foods etc. She could really benefit from it I’m sure as I have never heard of the cereal diet, but it sounds high carb which is not good for long term weight loss. She needs to be eating low GI foods and lots of protein to keep her muscle mass up. And muscle mass burn fat! If you refer her to my website she will find all the information she needs on this matter.

      As for the amounts of cider vinegar you can take, I have said 30 mls because that is the amount used in the weight loss trials. Also, more than this could possibly cause side effects as in gastric problems, stomach upset etc. But I’m sure it’s fine to find your own gut tolerance levels.

      If you have some in your cupboards I would most certainly use it up in salad dressings or hot drinks. You do actually feel the benefits of it.
      Thanks for reading.

  4. We have here a bottle of Bragg’s Apple Cider vinegar that has been opened for more than a year now, but not yet emptied. There’s still approximately 10 tablespoon of the vinegar remaining. I’d like to ask if it is still safe to finish them off? Or, should I open a new one? Does this product contain preservatives making it invulnerable to spoils even at that time frame of one year sitting idly in our kitchen?

    1. Hi there, I don’t use Braggs cider vinegar so I’m not sure of their time frame of when their products need to be used by. However, a good apple cider vinegar should be unprocessed and raw which means obviously no preservatives etc. Mine do go off after a couple of months, especially if not kept in the fridge. If I were you I would buy a fresh one to be on the safe side. Or you could open it and smell it and you will soon find out as it smells bad when off.

  5. Who knew that apple cider vinegar had so many beneficial properties. Being a diabetic type 2 myself, I will definitely check it out with my doctor if apple cider vinegar could be a substitute for one of the many pills I take for my diabetes. I’m also interested in the probiotic properties of it. Do you think it’s the probiotics equivalent of having a cup of yogurt?

    1. Hi Denis, I’m sorry to hear you are diabetic, it’s just so common these days isn’t it? You should definitely ask your doctor about this, providing you’ve got one that knows about alternative medicines. (my doc hasn’t a clue so just says no to everything except pharmaceutical drugs ), but some are great and at the very least he may be able to tell you if there are any reasons why you shouldn’t try it.

      As for the probiotic effects, as it is a vinegar I think it would have a different kind of strain than a dairy based yogurt. I think it’s probably good to diversify and go for lots of different types of probiotic foods to give yourself a good over all spectrum. 

      Also, I think you should read my post on avocados which I think you will find interesting as they are a great low GI food for diabetics and are great for keeping blood sugar stable. Hope this helps and please feel free to contact me again if you have any further questions. Are Avocados Good For You? – 8 Little Known Facts

  6. Thank you for this reminder of how beneficial apple cider vinegar is for you. I usually make a hot drink of it by boiling water, adding a bit of raw honey and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. A question I have is that I just had surgery and am in the recovery period, which is dragging on forever. Apple cider vinegar helps in wound recovery so do you think it would it help post-surgery?

    1. Hi there, yes cider vinegar is really great, and I’m sure if you take it post surgery it can only do good things for you. Another great supplement to take post surgery is super food. Check it out here Dr. Schulze’s Superfood Plus Powder – Top Benefits. This stuff truly is awesome for helping your body recover, boosting immune system and detoxifying. The medical herbalist I work for recommends this all the time. It’s worth you having a look to see what you think. 

      And the single best thing you can do to help you heal is to eat a healthy alkaline, anti inflammatory diet as this will ease pain and inflammation. Basically a plant based diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, pulses and lentils will be the best while you are healing, and in the long term if you like it. Hope you get better soon.

  7. I go through periods where I remember to drink ACV but then forget about it for long stretches….I’m currently in one of the “forget” stretches but I’m also working out a lot, and I think adding this back in could provide a lot of support for my weight loss efforts. Thanks for explaining why!

    1. Yes. I’m in and out of the apple cider vinegar thing too, but since writing this post and reaffirming to myself just how great it is I’ve got into it again. I’m having it first thing every morning with warm water, lemon juice and cinnamon to flush the system out and act as a detoxifyer. It’s working brilliantly and I see the difference in my face and skin within about half an hour. It also gives my energy levels a boost. Great stuff!

      Glad to hear you are starting to use it again too as I’m sure it will most definitely help with weight loss, good luck.

  8. I never knew how apple cider vinegar was made, and that it’s fairly easy to make yourself! (Although, I’ll probably still take the lazy way out and just buy it at the store.) I love this article so much because I have awesome apple cider vinegar, but I never seem to remember to use it! Except on potatoes. I love it on potatoes. Try it, it’s good I swear! I love using it as a probiotic, so again, I thank you for reminding me about all of the benefits of ACV!

    1. Wow, yes I must try it on potatoes, what a great idea. Being British I love chips and salt and vinegar, but I do make my own homemade healthy oven baked version of course! In fact, I’m going to make them for dinner tonight now you have put the idea in my head. You know what, I have been doing what it says in the research on my post and having 30ml of ACV in some warm water with lemon juice before my breakfast and it really is making me eat less for the rest of the day…honestly. I notice these things because I’m an avid calories counter, just a throwback from my dieting days, I can’t help myself – but I really have noticed I am eating less.

      This is exiting news because I would lie to lose a few pounds, and if I can do this and not feel like I’m missing out on anything then that would be great. Thanks for your comment.

  9. This is a great article. The research is very complete and very good to know. I am a big fan of ACV and have a regular stock for all sorts of purposes, from dressings, tonics, hair conditioner and household cleaning. I am happy to learn how healthy it is in more ways than I knew!

    1. Hi Kathleen, yes I use apple cider vinegar every day since I researched this article. In fact I’m on a mission to find out whether it can help me lose weight as it says in the study. So every day before breakfast I have 30ml AVC with half a squeezed lemon and half teaspoon of cinnamon. I have been doing this about a week and can definitely say thatI don’t feel as hungry as I used to. This is how it makes you lose weight, by curbing your appetite so it obviously does work over time.
      What a brilliant thing! But I do think that you need to have the full 30ml for it to work.

  10. Love this! I had discovered Apple Cider Vinegar for weight loss. I drink it every morning with my lemon water (and a dab of cayenne pepper to make it interesting). Now my body craves it! Its versatile alright, I’ve noticed a significant difference in my hair and skin. I use it when making broth too. Funnily enough, I hadn’t thought to try it as a salad dressing, will definitely give that a go. I didn’t realise it was a probiotic either. Thanks for sharing, this is a very interesting read.

    1. Hi CJ, your comment made me smile as I have exactly the same benefits as you with it when it comes to hair and skin. It’s amazing isn’t it? I don’t think enough people understand its benefits or they would be using it every day too!

      I really like your idea of adding cayenne pepper; I am going to do this as of tomorrow morning with mine too. And even better, cayenne is also a known fat burner and metabolism booster so this can only enhance its weight loss effects huh? Thanks for sharing.

  11. Ivan Brozincevic

    It might be a good idea to add a bit of apple cider vinegar to my meal plan. It’s not a pain in the butt to add a bit of vinegar to water with lemon as you suggest. Moreover, it can help with a lot of things according to your article. Thanks for sharing this info.

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