I previously wrote about how apple cider vinegar (ACV) can help you to lose weight. You can check out that article here:
https://chestsculpting.com/can-apple-cider-vinegar-really-help-you-lose-weight/
In this article, you'll discover 4 of the best ways to take ACV, to ensure as much as possible, that you get the weight loss results you are after.
If you want to be as sure as possible that you'll lose weight with ACV, I'd say you should take it in the same way they take it in well-designed, large clinical trials where ACV has proven successful for dozens of other people.
Methods #1 & 2 below are the exact same way subjects in clinical trials took ACV and lost weight with it.
Methods #3 & 4 are not exactly the way they take ACV in the studies, but they work for countless people online, they work in my own experience, and more importantly, these methods are a lot more palatable, and you're more likely to persist with these methods long enough to see results in your waistline.
Method #4 is by far my favorite, and the one method that works consistently well with my clients.
But we're all different, so I advise you experiment with the methods below and see which works best for you.
Method #1: Take ACV With Water
In a 2009 study, 155 participants were randomized into a group given 30 ml ACV, a group given 15 ml ACV, or a control group who were not given ACV.
By the end of the 12 week study, the ACV groups were found to have lower body weights, lower levels of body fat, and slimmer hips and waists than the control group.
Also, the 30 ml ACV group experienced better results in all of these measurements than the 15 ml ACV group.
The 30 ml ACV group also experienced results faster, with slimmer waists and hips found at the 4 week mark, while the 15 ml ACV group were found to have slimmer waists and hips later at the 8 week mark.
So we're only interested in the 30 ml ACV group here, since they saw better and faster results.
The 30 ml ACV group took 15 ml ACV with 250 ml of water, twice a day, once just after breakfast, and once just after dinner.
That equates to 1 tablespoon's worth of ACV with a glass of water, twice a day.
For better results, I would drink the ACV-water mixture 20-30 minutes before your meal, so the appetite-suppressing, insulin-sensitizing, and other fat reduction properties of ACV come into play for that particular meal.
If you’re super-dedicated, you can also add in an extra dose at lunch time, so you’re having 3 tablespoons of ACV a day instead of 2.
Method #2: Take ACV With A Salad
In a 2018 study published in the Journal of Functional Foods, 39 subjects were put on a calorie restricted diet. They were randomly allocated to either a group receiving ACV, or a control group who were not receiving ACV.
By the end of the 12 week study, the ACV group had significantly lower body weight, BMI, hip girth, and visceral fat levels than the control group.
Measurements were taken after 6 weeks as well, at which point the differences in the above measurements were already significant between the two groups.
So how did these guys take their ACV?
They were given 15 ml of ACV twice a day with a salad. Once at lunch and once at dinner. 15 ml equates to about one tablespoon's worth.
Now, you can make a fancy vinaigrette with ACV, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, and a healthy sweetener like erythritol. Or you can just add straight ACV to your salad like they did in the study.
——
So the trend we're seeing here, is people who are having success with ACV in scientific studies, are taking one tablespoon of ACV twice a day.
Rather than drink ACV straight from a tablespoon, they are mixing it in something, either a salad or a glass of water.
This is important, because ACV is acidic, and drinking it straight could damage your teeth and cause chemical burns to your oesophagus.
It's best also to combine ACV with a cold drink/food, because too much heat would destroy the healthy bacteria and enzymes in raw ACV.
ACV helps you to lose weight via multiple different mechanisms, and one of those mechanisms is thought to be by changing your gut microbiome.
Studies show that your gut microbiome plays a big role in deciding whether you are lean or overweight. It isn't just the acidity of ACV that changes your gut microbiome, the enzymes and bacteria in raw ACV would have a role here also, which is why it's important to both purchase a raw ACV, and to avoid heating the ACV.
My favorite raw ACV is one that a lot of people rave about online, you can get yourself a bottle here:
https://chestsculpting.com/links/ACV/applecidervinegar.php
How To Take ACV Without Putting Up With The Horrid Sour Taste
I never found success with method #1 above, because I could never keep the habit up for long enough to see results. I'd always dread downing that sour drink, so I'd do it for up to a week at most before I gave up.
Adding ACV to a salad as with method #2, is less punishing on your taste buds, but I don't always have the time to prepare a salad 2 or 3 times a day.
Methods #3 & 4 below are tastier and more convenient options, with method #4 being my absolute favorite.
Method #3: Add ACV To A Tasty Cold & Healthy Drink
What's awesome about this approach, is the right drink can completely mask the taste of the ACV, so you don't even know you're having any ACV.
The challenge however, is to find a healthy drink that is cold, and is sweet enough to mask the sourness of ACV, but isn't sweetened in a way that will give you an insulin spike and undo the benefits of the ACV.
It's important to avoid drinks with added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Avoid standard store-bought fruit juices, even if they don't contain any added sugar or sweeteners, because they are pasteurized, which destroys all the healthy enzymes, bacteria, and many of the micronutrients, and you're left with a bunch of natural fruit sugars without the fiber, which will cause an insulin spike and cancel-out the benefits of the ACV.
Here are 3 different types of drinks I recommend you have ACV with.
1. ACV + water with added ingredients
There are countless different drinks you can make with ACV, you'll find dozens of recipes online, with people adding lemon, ginger, honey, and a whole host of other ingredients in an attempt to make the ACV drink more pleasant.
2. ACV with cold-pressed juice
The only type of juice that is worth having, that is good for your health, and can help you lose weight, is a cold-pressed juice that retains all of the live nutrients of the fruit/vegetable.
You can buy these at the grocery store nowadays, or it's better if you make your own using a cold press juicer like this one.
3. ACV with blended fruit
With blended fruit, all the fiber of the fruit is retained, so you get less of a sugar rush from the drink, and you get all the benefits of consuming soluble fiber.
The trouble with using a blender is the heat generated by the blades will destroy some of the nutrients of the fruit.
Cold pressed fruit vs. blended fruit each have their advantages and disadvantages, but both are healthy and good options for adding your ACV to.
Method #4: By Far The Most Convenient Way To Take ACV
Method #1, taking ACV with water, is disgusting. It's hard to keep up with this for very long.
With Method #2, it's hassle having to prepare a salad 2 or 3 times a day.
Method #3 is really cool, those cold pressed juices are so micronutrient dense I'm going to write an article in future about why everyone should be having these drinks daily.
But again, it's not easy. Both cold pressed and blended fruit last a few days at best, so you have to constantly be juicing/blending or popping to the store to buy more.
By far the most convenient way to take ACV is in the form of a capsule.
I recommend all of my clients to take ACV capsules for at least 4 weeks, preferably 12 weeks, to see if ACV will work for them.
It's the easiest way to take ACV for long enough to see results in your waistline.
But not all ACV capsules are created equal.
Most of them don't work.
I tried a whole bunch of different ACV capsules before I finally found one that worked.
You can get yourself a bottle of the exact same capsules I use myself and I recommend to my clients, here:
https://chestsculpting.com/links/apple-cider-vinegar-capsules.php
I'd say 2 capsules of ACV are equivalent to 1 tablespoon's worth of liquid ACV. So though the bottle may say take 2 capsules once a day, feel free to take 2 capsules 2 or 3 times a day.
——
Who says you have to pick just one of the above methods?
The main thing is that you get 1 tablespoon's worth of ACV into your body 2 to 3 times a day, being sure that you dilute it and that you don't heat it.
You might pop a couple ACV capsules in the morning, then in the evening take 1 tablespoon liquid ACV with a glass of water.
Maybe the next day you're in the mood for a homemade fruit smoothie, so you can add ACV into your drink.
The day after that, maybe you'll pop to the store and buy yourself a hassle-free ready-made salad, so you can have ACV with your salad for dinner.
The 2 main things to do is to:
- Get yourself a good liquid ACV and keep it on your kitchen countertop, ready for use regularly throughout the day.
- To make sure you never MISS a dose of ACV, be sure to also have some ACV capsules handy, so you can pop the capsules any time you're in a rush and just want your dose of ACV fast and without any hassle.
Give these methods a try and let us know which works best for you in the comments section below.
Hi Garry,
What do you do on the 2 days that you are fasting? Will taking ACV affect your fast in a negative way?
Kind Regards,
Max
Hi Max
Taking a tablespoon’s worth of ACV (or two or more ACV capsules) with water won’t break your fast. If anything, it will accelerate the fat loss you get with your fasts, so I highly recommend taking ACV on both your fasting and non-fasting days.