Vinegar holds terrific powers. Its benefits, functions, and precautions vary according to its types. We all have heard about apple cider vinegar and its uses in our daily life. Apple cider vinegar is made by the process of fermentation. When yeast is added into apple juice, it turns the sugars in the apple juice into alcohol. Bacteria then turn the alcohol into acetic acid, which gives apple cider vinegar a sour taste and an overpowering smell.
In this article, we will discuss mixing apple cider vinegar in water, and what happens when you drink it and how your body reacts to it. We will also discuss the side effects of drinking apple cider vinegar in water.
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar Safe and Beneficial for Drinking?
Apple cider vinegar is strong and powerful. If used pure or concentrated in water, it can hurt your teeth enamel, burn your esophagus, and cause a sharp, powerful burning sensation in your lungs. It can also cause throat infection, damage your taste buds, and you may be forced to vomit.
The best way to make it safe and beneficial for drinking is to dilute it. The most beneficial way to drink apple cider vinegar is to add 1-2 tablespoons in a glass (250 ml) full of pure water (preferably filtered water, bottled water, or distilled water). You can also add a tablespoon of honey, maple syrup or a few drops of your favorite flavor to improve its taste. You can also consume apple cider vinegar with salads or as a dressing for your meals, vegetables, and fruits. It gives your meals a unique taste. You can also add a couple of lemon wedges or lemon juice in your drink to give it a different taste and reap more benefits.
What Happens When You Drink Apple Cider Vinegar in Water?
We will be covering the health benefits and disadvantages of drinking apple cider vinegar in water in this section. Please note that there is no proper and authenticated research on the effects of drinking apple cider vinegar. The pros and cons mentioned below have either been discussed with people who drink apple cider vinegar or included as the traditional health benefits associated with it.
Benefits of Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar
Antimicrobial Dose – Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid as a primary ingredient. Acetic acid is known to attack bacteria, fungus, and other microorganisms. It helps in dealing with intestinal infections and fungal infections on your skin.
Get Rid of Bad Breath – By drinking a dose of apple cider vinegar in the morning every day, you can kill all the bacteria in your mouth and esophagus that cause bad breath. Make sure that you add the vinegar in warm water to get the most out of it. Brushing your teeth with your regular toothpaste after a glass of vinegar water helps in removing its taste from your taste buds.
Helps in Controlling Blood Sugar Levels – Vinegar is associated with helping to control the blood sugar levels. It helps in increasing insulin sensitivity. When you drink it right before meals or before bedtime, it slows the process of emptying your stomach. Research has been carried out on this aspect of drinking apple cider vinegar, but nothing concrete and actionable has been proved till yet. Acetic acid is used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat blood sugar problems. It helps control the sugar levels even if you consume a high carb diet.
Aids in Weight Loss – For people following a diet program, a glass of apple cider vinegar helps in suppressing appetite, reducing digestion rate, increasing fat burning, and it also slows down the release of hunger hormones.
Improves Cardiovascular Health – Acetic acid fights against cholesterols and triglycerides in your body. Apple cider vinegar helps in removing free radicals. It also stops cholesterol particles from oxidizing. All the researches related to this benefit are being carried out on animals. It is believed that people who drink acetic acid in water regularly and consume less junk and oily food have better cardiovascular health.
Better Absorption of Nutrients – Drinking apple cider vinegar helps in improving the process of nutrient absorption in your blood. The human stomach has a pH level of 1-2, which is highly acidic. When you drink apple cider vinegar, your stomach will respond to the food intake more rapidly, and it will increase the absorption of minerals, vitamins, energy molecules, and other nutrients in your diet. It helps in calcium absorption as well. If your body does not have enough calcium in it, it starts to take calcium from bones, and it results in weak bones.
Balancing the Body’s pH Levels – Most of the food we eat is alkaline. This is the reason why we have acidic pH in our stomach. Sometimes your diet may result in an imbalance of pH in your system. Apple cider vinegar has a dual impact when it comes to the pH of your body. Firstly, it makes digesting the alkaline foods easy; secondly, it is digested by your system in the same way as it is digesting an alkaline diet. Many viruses and bacteria are unable to survive in an alkaline environment.
Read more: pH Levels In Drinking Water: Facts You Shouldn’t Miss Out
Helps in Period Regulation – Apple cider vinegar is associated with controlling abnormal menstrual cycles. It helps in regulating androgen hormone levels, and drinking one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in half glass of water after dinner enables you to get this benefit. If you are suffering from this problem, consider drinking this amazing liquid for 2-3 months, and your menstrual cycle will be regularized.
Reduces Risk of Cancer – Apple cider vinegar is associated with the killing of cancerous cells in your body. It removes free radicals and dead cells, which can lead to cancer. It is very helpful in killing bacteria in your gut and promotes the growth of good bacteria in your intestines.
Gives strong Muscles – Apple cider vinegar helps in making your muscles stronger and more powerful. A lot of athletes use pickle juice to stop cramping and increase body strength. The main ingredient in pickle juice is vinegar. Excess of pickle juice can hurt your throat and cause infections; Apple cider vinegar does not hurt your throat as compared to pickle juice. Vinegar contains a heavy dose of potassium, and potassium is an important nutrient for muscle strength. Acetic acid also helps your muscles to turn carbs into energy.
No More Smelly Feet – Apple cider vinegar also helps you in keeping your feet free from smell. Dip towel in a warm mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. Wipe your feet a few times or place towels on your feet for 20-30 minutes. All the odor-causing bacteria will die soon.
Side Effects
It is a universal rule that excess of everything is bad. If you drink too much apple cider vinegar or consume it in a concentrated form by reducing the amount of water or increasing the volume of apple cider vinegar, it will hurt you instead of improving your health. You must not drink more than two glasses a day.
Erosion of Tooth Enamel – Excess of Apple cider vinegar is harmful to your tooth enamel. Acetic acid can hurt the enamel of your teeth and cause discoloration. To avoid it, you need to make sure that you do not drink in excess or a concentrated solution. You can use a straw for drinking apple cider vinegar to avoid contact with your teeth.
Throat Burns – Highly concentrated solution can cause burns in your throat. Acetic acid is a strong and powerful acid. If you drink it without diluting it, it can hurt your throat and tongue.
Interference with Medicines – People who are on medications for a chronic disease must consult their doctor before starting to consume apple cider vinegar. The acetic acid can interact with the chemical compounds in the medicines.
Delayed Stomach Emptying – Acetic acid can reduce the speed of digestion. While it may be beneficial for a few people, it can also hurt people suffering from gastroparesis. If someone suffering from this disease consumes apple cider vinegar, the symptoms can aggravate. The common symptoms include vomiting, nausea, acid reflux, and abdominal bloating.
What’s the best time to drink?
There is no fixed time to drink apple cider vinegar water. You can drink it in the morning or right before going to bed. It depends on which benefit you want to get from it. Experts, however, recommend that the best time for drinking is in the morning on an empty stomach.
Conclusion: How to get more out of your Apple Cider Vinegar drink?
We have seen that the benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar outnumber the disadvantages. We recommend that you mix it in pure and filtered water to get more out of it. If your water is not pure and fit for drinking, you will not be getting the benefits properly. Water filtered from reverse osmosis filtration systems is best for mixing in lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
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