Celebs and apple cider vinegar (ACV) diets go together like The Bachelor and helicopter dates: Kourtney Kardashian reportedly drinks ACV twice a day, Miranda Kerr has spoken publicly about how she “hearts” apple cider vinegar, and Megan Fox says it “cleans out her system”.
As a health writer, I have to admit that my BS radar goes off when I see these types of claims. And turns out, the research on apple cider vinegar for weight loss is pretty spotty.
Most of the studies about ACV have been done on animals – or in really small groups of people, explains Eliza Whetzel-Savage, a registered dietitian at Middleburg Nutrition in New York City.
“There is one study of people that showed ACV may slow digestion of food and liquid, which may help stabilise blood sugar,” she says. “But overall, there is not much science to support many of the claims.”
Still, she says, ACV is just fermented apple juice – and fermented foods can increase the good bacteria in the gut that are linked to healthier weights.
So it makes sense that ACV could promote weight loss, she says. It’s just not proven… yet?
Since Whetzel-Savage reassured me that apple cider vinegar is, in fact, safe to drink, I set out to try the ACV “diet” myself.
I vowed to mix a couple of tablespoons of ACV into a glass of water and drink it every morning for a month. I bought a big bottle of unpasteurised ACV (with “the mother”, a.k.a. the colony of beneficial bacteria, left inside), and set it front and centre on my tiny kitchen counter to remind me to drink it every morning.
‘I actually kind of loved the taste of apple cider vinegar’
I really like sour things, and ACV is extremely sour, so I loved the taste of some ACV diluted in water – it tasted like a sour apple juice mixed with kombucha. It has that pungent smell and taste of something fermented, which I also like (it was similar to the funk of foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles).
ACV made plain water a little more interesting and refreshing. I even started to look forward to my ACV ritual, and throughout the month, I added it to my water all throughout the day.
The fact that ACV water tasted better to me than plain ol’ H2O made getting enough fluids much easier. I was much more hydrated than I normally am, and yes, I was peeing more than usual.
Read more: People are now pairing apple cider vinegar with Garcinia cambogia to lose weight
‘…but it didn’t make me eat less’
People say ACV can act as an appetite suppressant, so I tried to drink it before eating anything – but that was hard. Sometimes I finished my ACV drink while also throwing back coffee or nibbling on breakfast. Even if the ACV didn’t directly slash my appetite, I hoped the extra hydration would make me a little less hungry. Unfortunately, though, I didn’t notice any difference in my hunger levels or how much food I was eating. Oh, well.
‘Drinking ACV and then working out was a bad idea’
On the weekends, I often wake up and work out before doing much else. That occasionally led to my chugging my ACV drink and then running immediately afterward. Do. Not. Do. This.
ACV is obviously really acidic (that’s why you have to dilute it), and drinking it fast then running made me feel like my oesophagus was on fire. Lesson learnt: Don’t drink ACV right before working out.
‘My weight didn’t change’
I was skeptical that adding ACV to my diet – even for a month – would lead to weight loss, especially since my appetite didn’t change. And… I was right. When I weighed myself throughout the experiment, the number on the scale stayed the same. Womp womp.
Read more: Can drinking ACV on the keto diet help you lose even more weight?
‘…but my bathroom habits did’
During the month-long experiment, I was (TMI warning) pooping less frequently than normal. And my BMs were, err, bigger and more solid than I was used to.
I had no idea what was going on there, so I checked in with Whetzel-Savage. She said that ACV shouldn’t cause constipation, but she reminded me that, even though I was drinking more water, I was also drinking less caffeine because I was often swapping coffee for my ACV drink. So I probably just had fewer coffee poops. #LessonLearnt
‘A few months out, I still drink ACV occasionally.’
It’s been five months since I finished my ACV experiment, and I’ve stopped drinking it every day. (And, because you’re all wondering, yes, my bathroom habits are back to normal.)
As much as I liked the tart taste, I didn’t like pushing back my coffee time or replacing it with a giant bottle of water and ACV. I rely on coffee to wake me up and keep me regular (I’m a creature of habit, what can I say?). It’s also nice not to have to worry about heartburn during my morning runs, too.
That said, I do still mix ACV into smoothies, cocktails, and occasionally water when I’m feeling fancy. It adds a fresh, bright flavour to drinks that I really enjoy. I’ve also started using ACV in salad dressings and meat and veggie marinades, which I highly recommend – if for nothing but the taste alone.
For me, ACV didn’t make a big difference in how I felt or looked – I didn’t lose weight or feel healthier going on it, or coming off it – so it didn’t make sense to force myself to keep drinking it every day. But I am glad I tried it – it’s become a great addition to my some of my go-to dishes.
This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com
Image credit: iStock
