Here is a little update on my addition of Apple Cider Vinegar into our diet! Since starting incorporating ACV as a daily supplement into our diet, Aaron & I have seen great improvement to our energy levels! A side benefit: it seems to be greatly alleviating my lovely monthly pain (you know what I mean…I can’t seem to attribute it to anything else!). I found the key to drinking this successfully and covering up the powerful taste is to drink it as a tea first thing in the morning. I have been serving it together with breakfast in the morning. I recommended previously drinking it with juice as a good alternative, but I have changed my mind! This is far better!
Here is the recipe again:
8 ou. hot water
2 tsp. ACV
1 tsp. honey
There you have it! A wonderful potassium tonic!
See related posts below for more information on this wonderful health product!
I recently started on daily raw ACV. Here’s our trick for enjoying it: put it in apple cider instead of water. Except for a tiny extra “kick,” you can’t even taste it! Even my toddler gulps it down (for her, I dilute about 2/3 cider and 1/3 water.) Hope this suggestion helps someone else!
I just started drinking ACV, I heard it will help me loose weight. Does anybody have any sucess stories?
We like to mix up a gallon of acv drink and we really like it with meals. i mix a cup of raw vinegar ( thats the only kind you should use)and a cup of raw honey. Mix those two thoroughly together and then add the water to make a gallon, i mix in a gallon jar. For quick drinks, or if I don’t have the other mixed up I put a teaspoon in a lg. glass of water and it is diluted enough and tastes smooth I think. Diana
I just wanted to say how much I admire your blog! you inspire me each and every day… and I must admit since I found you, I tend to just get lost in your blog! Better start setting my timer, and get my work done! haha!
I really wanted to thank you for this great idea of the apple cider vinegar, as I’d never heard of it before! I’ve been having great results, now to convince my hubby to drink it! My 2 yr old daughter drinks it with me, but with way less vinegar, and absolutely LOVES it! She calls it juice! To sweeten it I use a few drops of liquid stevia.
Thanks again for all you do!
I want to make sure that everyone is using good quality ACV. I tried to cut cost and buy the supermarket brank or familiar names, but the best I have tried (taste included) is Bragg’s. It is unfiltered, and tastes like fresh apples. I also purchased some at Trader Joe’s, but it wasn’t quite the same. I began using it after seeking help for Ulcerative Colitis. It does wonders for so many issues!
Lindsay,
My family has enjoyed many of the natural living tips and recipes you have posted. Our budget and our bodies have benefited greatly.
I have a four year old and a two year old and was wondering if you give the ACV to your kid(s)? Also, I’m pregnant with our third and was wondering if you knew if ACV was equally safe/beneficial for pregnancy?
I have already got my husband drinking it in the morning as he has high cholesterol as well. I would like to join him – just wanted to do a little research to make sure it was safe for baby to come.
Thanks Again,
Jinger
Apple Cider Vinegar is definitely safe for consumption for all stages of life as long as it is diluted well. The fermentation process that it undergoes imparts valuable nutrition for anyone. Although you want to make sure to select vinegar that is unprocessed, organic, and unfiltered that has the ‘mother’ in it (cloudiness). If not diluted well (as I recommend above), it can break down the enamel on your teeth. But I wouldn’t be too concerned about that. It will definitely boost your immune system and energy levels. We have kind of gotten out of the routine of using it lately, but we do drink it regularly during the winter. And yes, my little girl likes to drink it too. I would just recommend use in moderation. We usually do not drink more than 1-2 teaspoons per day in 8 oz of water. I use it in all my homemade dressings to increase their nutrition.
Hello Lindsay, I have a two year old daughter. She suffers from uritricaria. I heard a lot about acv as a remedy for this. Can she drink it and how often and how much or how long. Thanks very much. I am worried about possible side effects on her.Lucia
I love ACV, but I take it straight by just quickly downing an ounce – I actually have come to enjoy the taste! I also like the slight flush I get after taking it, followed by an energy surge. I’ve had the same experience with Aloe juice; at first it seemed awful, but now I find it refreshing. And since I’m also drinking red raspberry leaf tea and mother’s milk tea for pregnancy, I don’t think I could handle one more required beverage – doing a fast, straight shot ensures that I actually take it each day.
Lindsay,
Do you still take this while you are pregnant or possibly conceiving? Is it helpful or harmful in either situation? Just curious… wanting to know for my own knowledge. Thanks!
Emily
Yes! It greatly helped during early pregnancy when dealing with excessive tiredness. I found the ACV to be a great energy booster. It is by no means harmful for you…it’s nutrients are great for every season!
Apple Cider Vinegar is also good for acid reflux, allergies, and asthma. My daughter drinks the tonic daily and it does wonders. We also love it on our salads with olive oil. I enjoy reading your blog containing lots of healthy recipes and tips. Love your whole wheat millet bread. I am going to try making the deoderant. Hope it works. We’ve been struggling to find something that really works.
I could never get my girls to take a whole 8oz of the ACV mix, so we finally just diluted it with about an ounce or so of water, just enough to make it tolerable to gulp down real quick. It is a lot easier to gulp that down than to try to force yourself to drink 8oz of the mix.
Oh, and it helps if you bribe them (or yourself) with a spoonful of raw honey afterwards
Apple Cider Vinegar is also thought to help blood sugar/insulin levels. In the book “The Insulin-Resistance Diet” it talks about the benefit of drinking 2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar with 8 oz. of water before a meal and how it helps blood sugar/insulin levels.
Lindsay,
I’ve tried this in the past with no success (couldn’t deal with the ‘bite’ of the ACV) and so I tried your tea. I don’t mean this to sound gross, but it reminds me of how it tastes and the burn that you get when you throw up. Does anyone else find this and if so, how do you get past that? I just couldn’t do the tea. I’d like to incorporate ACV, but I need help!
Jen,
My suggestion would be to gradually work up to taking 2 tsp a day. Try just a 1/2 tsp in 8 oz water and gradually increase to develop a taste for it. Don’t forget a little sweetener to help it go down easier! If this doesn’t work, try using it in your salad dressings (replacing other vinegar) and other recipes to incorporate it more in your diet. Here is the salad dressing we use almost daily with ACV (the Italian one). Sorry your body is not liking it so much! Hope this helps!
Keep me informed.
Lindsay
I heard putting baking soda kills the “burn”. Haven’t tried it yet, but its worth looking into.
Has anyone considered the kind of damages vinegar might have on the lining of your esophagus/stomach,etc due to its acidic level? Would it not create a hole in the stomach or ulcer if taken for a period of time? My mother use it to clean stain on pots and pans. As much as i want to try it, i’m very concern of the damage it will have. Please advise as to the potential damage of ingesting acv. Thanks.
I believe overall that moderation is the key with anything…ACV in large doses, undiluted, could cause possible problems, as you mention, but I haven’t heard much proof for that. We are drinking two teaspoons daily diluted by 8 ounces or more of water. I have heard of people drinking 3-4 Tbls. a few times a day and experiencing great results. People have been drinking this stuff for ages and it does wonders for the body and many numerous ailments.
Apple Cider Vinegar acts as a buffer in the body. The acetic acid in ACV reacts with the stomach to render them usable in our body. ACV is alkaline which means the acetic acid it contains is not really considered acid. This is because the whole compound is burned leaving no residue to sit in the stomach.
My brother wants me to update my comment and say that he likes to drink it plain now!
And just a side note–since I’ve been drinking the tea/tonic daily, I haven’t been sick, though most of my other family members have. Hmmm…
I enjoyed reading several of your posts. I came via your post at Tammy’s Recipes! Whenever sickness strikes our house or I feel like I’m coming down with something I take a tsp of ACV about every 4 hours. I have yet to have the flu this year and my hubby and kids have all been sick. (can’t get them to try ACV, yet! : ) I have an idea about the person who said it made her feel blah all day. ACV is going to do really good things in your stomach. It will kill some of the bad bacteria and help the acid adjust to a normal level. Bodies need an adjustment time to “level” out. Just like you have to take a medicine for several days so it can do its job, I believe you have to give the ACV several days to do its job, too. Hope this info helps a little! Great site, thanks for the wonderful topics.
I wanted to respond to Miranda’s comments: I totally agree with her thoughts on the stomach issue’s. I just stopped drinking it for quite a few months and just started again. I got some stomach irritability from it the first couple of days, and I know it was taking care of all the yuck!! As a side note, my parents-in-law add 1 tsp. of unsulfured blackstrap molasses to theirs add it adds a nice flavor as well as the all important iron we women need, especially during our “childbearing” years.
I’m a big ACV fan myself! I drink mine cold, but I had to start out with a bit more honey to help me get used to it. My girls drink it and love it. The younger one can drink it without honey, though we don’t usually do that! And I replace all vinegar in recipes with ACV and it rarely affects the taste (not that I’d notice now, but I think I would have at first!)
I love Sue Gregg cookbooks too. Almost all I use!
Have you tried Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for cooking? It’s so healthy for you too! I’m glad to find your blog.
My brother and I tried the tea. I think it’s tasty! It has a tangy sort of sweetness…a little addictive! My brother said, “Well, it is good, but I don’t know why anyone would want to drink it.”
I’m going to add it to my morning routine.
Hey Lindsay,
Thanks for the update. I want to add this (back) into my daily diet in the future. Maybe I can even get Joel to start it too!
Go for it! Aaron doesn’t seem to mind it at all…especially now that I just make it as a tea. Aaron is pretty easy going though, as long as I explain the health benefits of each new addition to our diet, he is very supportive. I greatly appreciate that about him!
I have a question. I read your post about the ACV a while back and decided to try it. The first day, I had to add it to apple juice, cause otherwise it made me gag. The rest of the day I was blah feeling and had tummy problems. I attributed it to eating at McDonalds the day before. The next day, I drank my 2tsp of ACV and apple juice, and the same exact thing happened!
I suffer from irritable bowel as it is, and so I decided to stop the ACV. Is that supposed to happen? Is this the toxins leaving my body, and it would get better after a few days? Or did I just have a bad reaction?
Thanks!
Emily
Emily,
I am sorry to hear of you reaction. I forgot to include the important tip that it is best to take it on an empty stomach (30 minutes before your meal). Have you tried this? I experienced a reaction in the stomach at first as well, but the more I took it, it went away. I can now take it at any time, and be fine.
A few other ideas:
1. Take 30 minutes after a meal.
2. Dilute it further (16 ou. to 2 tsp)
3. Try it as a tea instead of juice! This seemed to work better for me as well.
4. Add 1/4 tsp baking soda. This is beneficial in other ways as well!
Hope that gives you some help. Let me know how it goes.
Lindsay