Do you love apple cider vinegar? It seems like everybody’s talking vinegar!

I’m always researching new nutritional studies and learning about diet and nutrition.  I’m currently doing another round of certifications at Precision Nutrition, having a lot of fun with it.

I love to feel and look my best and learning more about my body and diet is a great way to do just that, in my opinion. While Googling around recently, I found this article from MindBodyGreeen that makes Apple Cider Vinegar sound like a magical substance that can cure ills, keep your home sparking, and even make you skinny.

Some of the ways to enjoy the benefits of apple cider vinegar are great tips that I either already make use of or definitely plan on trying out. For example, I often use this vinegar to clean my home. I love how well it deodorizes stinky things like drains and toilets. I also like to mix apple cider vinegar with some water and pour it into a spray bottle. I sometimes use the all-natural cleaner to clean windows and wipe surfaces like microwaves, counters, tiles, you name it. It feels really good to replace gross chemicals with such a harmless and inexpensive product.

I’d love to try out rinsing my hair with a apple cider vinegar and water solution! It’s reported that it gives your hair body and crazy extra shine. I do wonder whether it makes you a bit…fragrant, though, haha! No girl likes to smell like salad dressing.

I have used diluted apple cider vinegar as a gargle to help with sore throats. Although it’s a bit intense, it does really help with the discomfort when you have a yucky cold. I’ve also tried using the vinegar on a rare case of heartburn, but found it actually seemed to make it worse. Have any of you used vinegar to help with heartburn and had positive results?

But what about the really big claim we’re all wondering about? I’ve heard many people claim that apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight if you drink it before meals. And indeed, studies have shown that it can dampen a rise in blood sugar after eating starchy foods in addition to helping you feel more satiated. The New York Times article discussing this vinegar consumption and weight loss quotes Carol S. Johnston, associate director of the nutrition program at Arizona State University, on the subject. Dr. Johnson says, “The vinegar is taking the starch and making a portion of it fiberlike, so some of the starch will escape digestion.” The NYT continues on to say that “test tube studies have shown that the acetic acid in vinegar inhibits enzymes that help in the digestion of starch.”

However, buyer beware because the NYT article also says “despite its newfound Internet fame as a diet aid and appetite suppressant, she [Dr. Johsnon] said, taking vinegar will help you lose weight only ‘if you’re a very, very patient person.’ “

And what I think Dr. Johnson is getting at here is that although it might help lower your blood sugar levels a bit, there’s no magic substance you can eat or drink that can cancel out consuming a meal that’s high in calories, unhealthy carbs, and starch.

If you do want to try the apple cider vinegar trick for yourself, here are the tips suggested by Dr. Johnson from in the NTY article: ” ‘I always tell them to dilute it in water, one tablespoon to eight ounces of water, and ingest it with the first bites of the meal. You want the acid to beat the starch into the intestines.’ Any kind of vinegar will do, as long as it contains at least 5 percent acetic acid, though she noted that some fancy vinegars contain added sugar, which can increase calorie counts.”

Additionally, if you don’t dilute vinegar it can be really hard to drink. Please be aware that gulping straight vinegar could cause you to cough, choke, or even breathe sharply in and aspirate the vinegar into your lungs. So please don’t quickly chug down straight vinegar. The NTY article also warns that, “Published case reports have linked vinegar consumption to vocal cord spasms, fainting and injury to the esophagus. And Dutch physicians reported on a case of a 15-year-old whose teeth eroded because she had been drinking a glass of apple cider vinegar every day for weight loss.” Yikes!

So if you’d like to try consuming apple cider vinegar, please use good common sense and caution. Always dilute your vinegar with plenty of water and practice moderation.

What are some of your favorite ways to use apple cider vinegar? Have you ever tried drinking diluted apple cider vinegar for weight loss? Do you think it helped? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments!