A recent weight-loss trend is to drink apple cider vinegar before meals or at the beginning of the day to promote weight loss.
Apple cider vinegar has been used for centuries. The home remedy was believed to have several health benefits, including the ability to kill certain bacteria.
The idea of using it for weight loss became popular in magazines and weight-loss blogs only in the past few years.
Does the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet Work?
The truth is that there are little to no studies that link fat loss to apple cider vinegar consumption.
Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic, and should not be consumed on its own as a beverage. Even when diluted in water, it can still cause harmful side effects, including erosion to your tooth enamel and damage to the lining of your esophagus.
Apple cider vinegar pills have also been advertised as an alternative, but just like the liquid form, there is no evidence that they promote weight loss. It’s also unclear if the pills’ ingredients are true what is advertised. In general, beware of diet supplements, as their claims are often too good to be true.
Make Other Small Changes to Aid Weight Loss
While consuming apple cider vinegar is unlikely to lead to weight loss, the practice might remind you to make healthier choices throughout the day. Small changes in habits can lead to more thoughtful choices regarding your diet.
In this case, there are other habits that can be much more beneficial — and not harmful to your body — when compared with drinking apple cider vinegar.
Take the following small steps instead:
- Become more mindful of portion control
- Consume high protein, high fiber, and low calorie foods
These lifestyle changes can be a lot more meaningful in the long term and set your up with more reasonable goals when it comes to weight management.
Are There Any Benefits to Apple Cider Vinegar?
When it comes to weight loss, there is no single food that will be responsible for your progress. So, using apple cider vinegar consumption as a weight loss tool likely won’t work. However, it can be added to your diet in healthy ways.
Use apple cider vinegar to add extra flavor to foods by using it as a salad dressing, pickling vegetables, or even making homemade sauces.
Vinegar and spices can promote a healthier diet by adding more flavor to foods without extra salt.
Balanced meals, along with consistent, healthy eating habits will make the biggest impact on your weight management and relationship with food.