The Health Benefits of Water with a Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
Have you ever wondered what the properties of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar might be? You’ve probably heard that this liquid could help supplement a weight loss strategy, but what else could it be useful for? Find out in today’s article!
Also known as “apple cider vinegar,” this liquid stands out not only as an excellent vegetable disinfectant, but also as the basic ingredient in many salad dressings. However, it also has had multiple applications outside the kitchen.
According to popular wisdom, water with a spoonful of apple cider vinegar could help improve digestion and purify the body. In addition, it could provide an extra supply of essential nutrients, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium, among others.
Bearing this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the popular benefits of this mixture.
The benefits of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
Fasting
According to the detox current, after having spent several hours without eating, it’s possible to “boost” the functioning of the body through a habit as simple as drinking water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Specifically, it may help to:
- Detoxify the intestines, which could favor digestion and waste elimination.
- Balance the alkalinity of the body, since some claim that it has properties very similar to those attributed to lemon. However, it should be noted that the most recent scientific studies cast doubt on this function. They argue that it’s not possible to modify the pH of the blood through diet.
We think you may be interested in reading this, too: Lemon, Olive Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar: An Ideal Remedy for Kidney Stones
Before a meal
Drinking some water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before a meal could promote weight loss, according to some popular beliefs. This is because the acidity of the vinegar is believed to help stimulate the elimination of brown tissue.
There are trials that corroborate this property in rats, such as the one published in the Journal of Medicinal Food . However, no solid evidence has been obtained in humans. Nevertheless, the consumption of water with vinegar clearly increases satiety when it’s consumed before a meal, which leads a person to eat less.
Of course, for this drink to have an effect, it should be included as part of a healthy and balanced diet, according to your doctor’s or nutritionist’s indications. You should also have an exercise routine according to your body’s needs and objectives. By itself, it will not help to lose weight.
It’s important to emphasize that it’s not advisable to consume large amounts of vinegar diluted in water, as this can irritate the stomach mucosa and cause discomfort. Therefore, it’s best to have a punctual consumption, according to the indications of a specialist.
Other contexts of application of vinegar water
In addition to before eating and fasting, there are other contexts in which apple cider vinegar can be useful.
In case of bad breath
Have you woken up with a bad taste in your mouth? Do you notice that your breath doesn’t have a pleasant odor?
In that case, you could take advantage of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar both as a drink and as a mouthwash. It would have a similar effect as water with lemon or mint.
Here’s a recipe for you to try its benefits in case you have bad breath.
Ingredients
- Half a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (10 ml)
- Half a glass of water (100 ml)
How to make it:
- Dilute the vinegar in the glass of water and then gargle.
- Keep this mixture in your mouth for 10 seconds without swallowing and then pour it out to take another sip.
We think you may be interested in reading this, too: 6 Side Effects of Excessive Use of Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar with water for an acne outbreak
According to some hypotheses, the compounds in apple cider vinegar could help fight the bacteria behind acne. However, it should be noted that this is still being studied, as there are several questions about it. Evidence suggests that the consumption of polyphenols could be helpful.
Although science has not indicated with certainty that apple cider vinegar works to fight acne, there are those who have decided to try it. At this point, it’s worth clarifying something: not all skin is the same and acne is a complex dermatological disorder. Therefore, the application of apple cider vinegar is not always favorable for everyone, as stated in a research published in Natural Therapy.
To avoid a worse acne outbreak, skin irritation or injury, it’s best to consult a dermatologist before applying apple cider vinegar (diluted or not). If the specialist gives their consent, it would be best to ask them at once if it’s possible to follow the following recipe as it is, or if it would be necessary to make some modifications in the quantities of the ingredients.
Ingredients
- One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (20 ml)
- Two tablespoons of water (40 ml)
How to make it:
- It’s very easy. Just put the vinegar diluted with these two tablespoons in a cup and take a cotton disk.
- Perform a deep facial cleansing as soon as you wake up and when you go to bed, wiping your moistened cotton pad over your face.
- Let it act for a few minutes and then rinse with cool water. Finally, apply your usual moisturizer.
Apple cider vinegar to prevent infections
Finally, it should be noted that vinegar stands out for its concentration of acetic acid. This element works as an excellent antimicrobial agent. It not only manages to increase the shelf life of food, but is also able to prevent the development of pathogens that proliferate inside the body.
To take advantage of this benefit simply dilute 5 milliliters of the product in water and consume it before breakfast. This will generate a protection against the colonization of undesirable microorganisms. As always, however, make sure to talk to your doctor first to determine if this is right for you.
Use apple cider vinegar to improve your health
Finally, remember that all these problems may be due to more complex conditions that, of course, will not go away with just these simple tips. If you feel that the symptoms warrant a professional consultation, don’t hesitate to do so as soon as possible.
Keep in mind that to benefit from the positive effects of apple cider vinegar, it has to be introduced in the context of a healthy diet.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Arakelyan HS., Beybutyan A., Apple cider vinegar; health benefits and unwanted effects. Natural Therapy, 2019.
- Cheng L. J, Jiang Y, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis: vinegar consumption on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Febrero 2020. 76 (2): 459-474.
- Halima BH, Sonia G, Sarra K, Houda BJ, Fethi BS, Abdallah A. Apple Cider Vinegar Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Reduces the Risk of Obesity in High-Fat-Fed Male Wistar Rats. J Med Food. 2018 Jan;21(1):70-80. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2017.0039. Epub 2017 Nov 1. PMID: 29091513.
- Medline Plus. Vinagre de sidra de manzana. Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina de Estados Unidos. Abril 2022.
- Saric S, Notay M, Sivamani RK. Green Tea and Other Tea Polyphenols: Effects on Sebum Production and Acne Vulgaris. Antioxidants (Basel). 2016 Dec 29;6(1):2. doi: 10.3390/antiox6010002. PMID: 28036057; PMCID: PMC5384166.
- Shmerling R. Apple cider vinegar diet: does it really work? Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. Octubre 2020.
- White A. M, Johnston C. S. Vinagra ingestion at bedtime moderates waking glucose concentrations in adults with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. Noviembre 2007. 30 (11).
