Source: Food Matters
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could find a tonic that helped us reduce our appetite, control our sugar cravings, and improve our digestion? Apple cider vinegar may be just the thing!
Let’s explore what the current evidence shows:
It Helps Reduce Blood Sugar Levels After a Meal
Research published in the Journal of Functional Foods showed that drinking apple cider vinegar before a meal may help lower your blood sugar. Study participants who drank a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with 8 ounces of water prior to eating had lower blood glucose levels compared to participants who didn’t consume the tart solution, meaning that apple cider vinegar may actually help control blood sugar levels.
This may be why there’s an ancient remedy suggesting you drink 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in 6 ounces of filtered water when a craving hits! It helps you moderate your blood sugar levels, and with better blood sugar control, you’re less likely to crave quick energy hits like sweets! Not to mention the tartness on your tongue helping to snap your brain’s focus away from the foods you’re craving.
It Slows Digestion, Helping You Feel Full Faster, And for Longer
Vinegar also helps keep food in the stomach for a longer period of time so the hunger hormone, ghrelin, is reduced, helping you feel fuller faster and for a longer period of time.
It Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Research shows that consuming apple cider vinegar during a high-carb meal actually helps to improve insulin sensitivity by 19-34% and significantly lowers blood glucose and insulin responses. This means your blood sugars won’t spike as much, keeping your energy stable. Plus, you’ll be less likely to go looking for more food or craving seconds shortly after eating your meal.
But Can We Drink It to Stop A Craving In Its Tracks?
The most effective (and healthiest) way to reduce your cravings for sweet foods is to avoid refined carbs and sugary foods, but apple cider vinegar may also have a beneficial effect.
Vinegar has been shown to have numerous benefits for insulin function and blood sugar levels, helping your body deal with higher carbohydrate meals, but it still needs to be researched further to determine its ability to curb sugar cravings directly. So while we can’t give a definite yes or no to this question just yet, there’s an abundance of amazing reasons why you should add apple cider vinegar to your diet regardless. See 8 awesome (and proven) reasons here!
Plus! A 2009 study in the Journal of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry found consuming acetic acid (found in vinegar) for 12 weeks led to significant declines in body weight, abdominal fat, waist circumference and triglycerides.
So despite the uncertainty about it keeping your cravings at bay (we’ll keep you updated on that!), apple cider vinegar is an energy and blood sugar stabilizer, a digestion improver, an appetite crusher, and also a weight loss helper! What’s not to love?!
Have You Stopped Any Cravings with Apple Cider Vinegar? Let Us Know!
Not sure what dose to try? See here.
Wanting to try it but not sure if you will use the whole bottle? Here are 25 other ways you can use apple cider vinegar too!
Looking for a recipe? Try Berries in Apple Cider Vinegar with Cashew Cream.
Which one should you try? There are many available, but we like to use Bragg’s
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar or Kevala Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.
