The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
How to Take
Posted by Lady Day (Somewhere, In) on 12/13/2011
★★★★★
My daughter turned me on to apple cider vinegar (ACV) a while ago. I would like to suggest a WONDERFUL way to consume it. You will look forward to your daily cup if you will try the following:
Add 2 teaspoons of ACV to a hot cup of green tea. I sweeten with Sugar in the Raw (turbinado sugar). Add a couple sticks of cinnamon and voila!
Trust me... (1) cup won't be enough. You 'll think you're drinking apple cider and not only are you getting lots of antioxidants, you're lowering your blood pressure, glucose and acidity.
General Feedback
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 12/13/2011
PLEASE EVERYONE start your experiments with VERY SMALL dosages!!! 1/4 CUP of vinegar is a BOMB!!! You should start with more like 1/4 TEASPOON!!!! And build up slowwwwwly!!
And this goes for MOST new things one may want to try, unless you are given a very specific dosage for YOUR ailment and condition!!!!
General Feedback
Posted by Deborah (Houston, Texas) on 12/12/2011
Today, I decided to start taking acv, to help lower my blood sugar level, so I drank about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar by itself on a large serving spoon, then at that instant it took my breath away, it made me gasp for oxygen, so I grabbed the closest glass and poured water in it and tried to drink it, while still gasping for my breath, finally the water did help, although now the back of my throat has a burning sensation, so I ate some tomato soup and now, the burning has stopped.
Recipes
Posted by Billie (Melbourne, Australia) on 12/10/2011
I found the best way to take Apple Cider Vinegar is as follows.. In a large glass add the below then top up with hot water and let it all brew for a few minutes before drinking.
1 tbsp ACV
1 tsp Manuka honey
half lemon squeeze
1 teabag of peppermint
1 teabag of rosehip
I drink it this and have done for abut 5 yrs... even my husband likes it this way and drinks it all winter to avoid getting sick...
I call it my magic long life potion :-)
General Feedback
Posted by Joyce (Warwick, Ri) on 11/30/2011
★★★★★
My cousin is a big apple cider vinegar and water drinker, we did a 26.2 mile walk to raise money for cancer, and she was sipping on the concoction all day. When I asked her about it she explained to me that ACV helps with water absoprtion. In doing some further investigations I found that a popular hangover cure in several Northern European countries is to drink pickle brine, the primary cause of hangover pains being dehydration (and vitamin depletion). I drink it after the gym now, it has the added benefit of helping my acid reflux as well! I can eat tomato sauce again! Luckily I like the taste of vinegar, so no suggestions on how to mask the flavor.
Making Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Susan (USA)
If you live in a country where apple cider vinegar is difficult to find, try making it at home. Click
here for the recipes.
Nutrition Snapshot
Posted by Susan (USA)
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar Nutrition Snapshot
Apple cider vinegar is very low in calories and macronutrients. According to USDA data, 1 tablespoon (15 g) of cider vinegar provides approximately:
- ~3 calories
- Less than 1 gram of carbohydrates
- Negligible protein and fat
- Small amounts of minerals such as potassium
These values are for standard cider vinegar; artisanal or organic brands may vary slightly but remain very low in calories and macronutrients. The benefits of ACV appear to come more from its acetic acid, organic acids, and plant compounds than from its vitamin or mineral content.
Recipes
Posted by Fitness Funatic (Hohenwald, TN) on 01/21/2011
I have recently found Apple cider vinegar to be a great "dressing" on my lunch salad. I simply pour 2-3 T apple cider vinegar on the vegetable salad and toss to coat all ingredients before leaving for work in the morning. I seal my salad in an air tight container and pop in the frig when I get to work. Because I need a little sodium in my diet, I sprinkle ever so lightly with sea salt when I make it, and it's scrumptious at lunch! For those trying to follow a plant-based diet, it really adds a little pizzazz to those raw veggies. Enjoy!
Warnings
Posted by Sangeetha (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) on 05/10/2009
*** THYROID MEDICATION AND APPLE CIDER VINEGAR WARNING!
Deirdre, apple cider vinegar (ACV) is wonderful, but may be you should post a warning for people with thyroid (and may be other conditions) to give a gap of at least 4 hours between taking thyroid medication and ACV, because otherwise ACV seems to interfere with the absorption of thyroid medicine and the results are not what we would like to see. This might also be true for iron supplements.
Regards, Sangeetha
EC: *** APPLE CIDER VINEGAR SIDE EFFECTS
We have compiled a list of ACV side effects here.
Apple Cider Vinegar and pH Balance
Posted by Susan (USA)
★★★★★
It's suggested that Apple Cider Vinegar has such curative abilities because it causes one's pH levels to become more alkaline. If you are going to try apple cider vinegar for allergies, or even to prevent sickness, we suggest you do an investigation of your own by buying a pH test kit at a local pharmacy, garden nursery, or even pool supply store. You can use these kits or pH strips to test your urine to see if you are more alkaline or acid during an allergy attack, virus or bacterial infection. Once you ascertain your pH levels, you can adjust adjust your dosage of Apple Cider Vinegar accordingly.
If you live in a highly polluted area like we do (Los Angeles) where allergies and sinus infections are rampant, your system may better balance itself with a small dose of apple cider vinegar each day. Ultimately we suggest you experiment with a kit to find the pH balance your body functions optimally at. Want to know more about pH? Click here.
Our Bangkok contributor Ted tells us, "Apple Cider Vinegar in itself is alkaline because of its "ash" content, which means if the apple cider vinegar was burned, what is left over becomes ash. When you check for the pH of that ash and dissolve it with water, the content is alkaline. Whenever our body digests anything, it undergoes oxidation, which is similar to burning and the end result is that you can determine whether the end product was alkaline or acid. Apple Cider Vinegar has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties, primarily coming from the malic acid and acetic acid portion of the vinegar. Apple cider vinegar acts as a buffer in the body because the acetic acid reacts with base or acid compounds to form an acetate, therefore rendering them chemically bioavailable for the body's utilization. Additionally, Apple Cider Vinegar can reduce the toxicity of certain compounds by converting the toxin into an acetate compound, which is less toxic. This is why they are ideal for insect bites and certain skin allergies. While Apple Cider vinegar in itself is considered alkaline, a chemically pure vinegar (acetic acid) is neither acid nor basic forming as it leaves no ash as the entire portion, when burned evaporates completely. Ted
General Feedback
Posted by Yebbo (Callahan, Fl) on 11/26/2011
Does it have to be organic ACV? I have a 2 quart bottle of White House ACV. The bottle says it's all natural from fresh apples. I'm trying to use it for very oily skin and low libido. lease let me know how to use this product.
Apple Cider Vinegar Ice Cubes
Posted by Jack (Stockholm, Sweden) on 11/26/2011
★★★★★
I make tsp ice cubes (5 ml) out of ACV and swallow 3 X 3 in order to spare my enamel.
General Feedback
Posted by Kim (Winsted, Ct) on 11/23/2011
Hello. Ive been reading a lot about the benefits of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and just as many articles on solutions for masking the taste to help overcome the vinegary palate. Orange juice, molasses, honey, grapefruit juice... And the list goes on. Is it just me... Or hasn't anyone else thought of taking good old raw unfiltered apple cider with the mother (or is that the grandmother? ;) and adding it back to it's relative? Is this Like kissing your sister? Canibalism? Lol. I tried it, (also shaking the apple cider so that the sediment on the bottom got into the mix) and I lived! Wasn't sure if I would, seeing it seemed like overkill. Any ideas? At first I thought it was not suggested because lots of sugar, or acid, but that's the same with orange or grapefruit juice. Why don't they just make raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar tablets with the Mother? They could use all the "mother" they filter from clear cooking vinegar. Do I think too much?
General Feedback
Posted by Marwa (Toronto, Canada) on 11/21/2011
Hi Loraine,
I have been searching for posts on ACV and most posts are from 2008-2009 but I finally found yours. I have a question I take a table spoon of apple cider vinegar in a half liter water. I wonder if it is better to take the vinegar on its own.
I want to use it for acid reflux or just reflux. I avoid most foods that are acidic and know which ones are alkaline but I get reflux as soon as I eat what is normal meal for most people... If I want to stay away from trouble I need a child meal or very little food and also drinking water far away from meals. I went to the restaurant yesterday and it was bad but I didn't want to leave tasty and expensive food on my plate!
Anyone who is reading this let me know if taking ACV without water would be better for me since having water around lunch and dinner makes me regurgitate.
Also, is it good to mix my honey with the ACV. So far I take honey on an empty stomach.
Thanks
General Feedback
Posted by Mary (Hyderabad, Ap/india) on 11/21/2011
Got it in QMart
Shingles
Posted by Kev (Toowoomba, Australia) on 11/19/2011
★★★★★
35 yr old male, I too got a bout of shingles on my back. Doctors said it was too late for cream treatment. It blistered and pain became unbearable so I tried ACV swabs 5 times a day. It stopped the pain and in a couple of days it had cleared up. Amazing!!
General Feedback
Posted by Surekha (Pune, Maharashtra / India) on 11/19/2011
Heart failure and diabetic people also can take this ACV every day? Any side effect?
General Feedback
Posted by Mary (Hyderabad, Ap, india) on 11/18/2011
Where do I get apple cidar vinegar in India, especially Hyderabad? I had a hard time finding it in stores.
General Feedback
Posted by Millie (Memphis, Tn) on 11/18/2011
Actually, for those of you saying that you should not take vinegar orally, there are three well done, peer reviewed studies in recognized medical journals such as Diabetes Care. These show an improvement in blood sugar and insulin levels taking either at bedtime or before a meal. These studies were done with both apple cider and white vinegar. I wouldn't mix with baking soda as I saw no studies on that, but to say that it is harmful to take vinegar by mouth (I think 2 tbsp was the dose) is not backed up by research. (No studies were about toe fungus, however, they do promote the use of vinegar by mouth for systemic effect)
General Feedback
Posted by Katy (Alexandria, Virginia ) on 11/16/2011
★★★★★
My great great aunt takes 2 tsps ACV straight every morning. She is 89 and still going strong. As soon as I turned 20 I started taking a "shot" of ACV in the morning. The vinegar was much too strong on my stomach first thing so after a few days I started mixing it with some local honey and water and would mix it all in a glass. It is so good it tastes like apple cider with a kick.
Yeast Infections
Posted by Liz (Boston, Massachusetts) on 11/15/2011
The non-organic ACV should work just as well for you. In fact, in my case, the non-organic ACV worked better for me than the organic brand did.
Yeast Infections
Posted by Nazir (Lahore, Punjab Pakistan ) on 11/15/2011
Hi every one I have thyroid disease- hyperthyroid. I want to use apple cider vinegar. If anyone can tell me, is there any difference between apple cider vinegar and organic apple cider vinegar because in my culture it is only one kind of Apple Cider Vinegar- not organic. Thanks plz help me.
