Vinegar Solutions for Weight Loss

There are many health benefits that come from consuming vinegar, a practice traced back to 5000 B.C. when vinegar, made from wine, was first used to flavor or pickle food. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates, known as the father of modern medicine, gave patients apple cider vinegar with honey to cure many illnesses. Losing weight was and continues to be one of apple cider vinegar's pleasant side effects.

How it Works

• Apple cider vinegar is alkaline. Taking it in water causes your body's pH levels to become more alkaline, which is necessary for health. The pH levels measure acidity and alkalinity of a product, food, or your blood.

  A 2005 study led by Carol S. Johnston, Ph.D. at Arizona State University demonstrates how the increase of blood sugar is slowed down when apple cider vinegar is taken internally, before eating meals that are high in carbohydrates. This study shows that apple cider vinegar helps to prevent type-2 diabetes and helps to lose weight.

Recipe

• For weight loss, take one to two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in eight ounces of water before each meal. If you don't like the taste, take one apple cider vinegar capsule before each meal instead. Each capsule equals two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Tablets are also available.

  As an option, add "raw honey, blackstrap molasses or pure maple syrup" to sweeten your apple cider vinegar and water, according to Patricia Bragg, life extension nutritionist, author and health and fitness expert.

  Sweeten your vinegar with 2 to 4 drops of stevia if you're diabetic, Bragg also suggests. Stevia is a natural herb 300 times sweeter than sugar with no side effects, which you can find in all natural health food stores and online.

  Buy organic apple cider vinegar bottles or capsules at a natural health food store. Regular apple cider vinegar from your grocery store works also but the cloudy, organic variety contains more vitamins and antioxidants, which help strengthen your immune system.

  During cold, winter days, take your apple cider vinegar in hot water and sip it.

Weight Loss

• You'll lose weight taking apple cider vinegar daily on a steady basis and at a healthy rate. According to D.C. Jarvis, M.D., the author of "Folk Medicine": "If a woman whose dress fits tightly will sip two teaspoonfuls of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water at each meal, generally she will find at the end of two months that she can take her dress in one inch at the waistline. At the end of two more months, she will be able to take it in another inch, and by the end of the fifth month one more inch...The loss of weight will be gradual."

  Dr. Jarvis says you don't need to change your diet, just avoid foods you know will add weight. Eat a healthy, balanced diet for the best results.

Warnings

• Use caution when purchasing apple cider vinegar tablets. In 2006, researchers from the University of Arkansas School of Human Environmental Sciences found these tablets may not contain any apple cider vinegar, but rather citric acid. Also, the researchers discovered yeast or mold in many of these tablets, which are harmful to your health.

  Consult with your doctor first before taking apple cider vinegar internally, especially if you have a history of medical illnesses.

  Avoid apple cider vinegar if you take blood thinners like warfarin (Coumadin) since this vinegar also thins your blood.