Drinking apple cider vinegar is a healthy trend, but what’s really behind it?
In a world where new “miracle health hacks” appear every day, it’s not always easy to figure out what’s really worth it and what’s not. One could interpret this as an indication of an effective hack if stars posted it on social media. Especially when it comes to well-known wellness and health enthusiasts, such as Victoria Beckham. The entrepreneur is known for her healthy dinners and passionate sports routine. So it’s no surprise that her followers immediately prick up their ears whenever she gives her a piece of wellness advice. Her latest recommendation: apple cider vinegar. According to an Instagram story from last weekend, she drinks it (in the form of Bragg’s “organic apple cider vinegar” every morning) on an empty stomach.
Even before Victoria Beckham’s Instagram story, I had noticed that apple cider vinegar seemed to be sparking a new buzz on social media as a health promoter – this was demonstrated by the sharp increase in Google searches and over a million views on the page. ‘apple cider vinegar on TikTok. As a result, as a health and beauty editor, I felt like I had an obligation to test what the trend really was and report on it.
What exactly is apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is a type of vinegar and is produced through a fermentation process. Simply put, it involves converting chopped apples into acetic acid using yeast and sugar. The acid in vinegar is said to have beneficial effects on health, but above all the so-called “mother” has many benefits. This is the cloudy mass floating in unfiltered vinegar. It contains fibers and probiotic substances that are good for our intestines.
“Apple cider vinegar is a powerful remedy that has been used for hundreds of years and truly stands the test of time,” explains Simoné Laubscher, naturopathic nutritionist and founder of Rejuv. She was one of the first experts to enthusiastically talk to me about apple cider vinegar many years ago. “Apple cider vinegar is great for gut health due to its probiotic effects. It also helps balance blood sugar levels, aids digestion, lowers cholesterol, and strengthens the immune system. It is also said that the Apple cider vinegar helps with acne and scars and these may improve too.” After this list of benefits, you might think that even the biggest wellness cynics would start fermenting their own apples.
It actually makes sense that apple cider vinegar has reemerged as a popular wellness trend. In one Studying since 2021 Those who included lots of fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, and sauerkraut in their diets were found to have greater microbial diversity, lower levels of inflammation, and better immune systems. Experts therefore recommended consuming six servings of fermented foods a day. Combined with the current growing understanding of how important gut health is to our overall well-being, this creates the (justified) hype about apple cider vinegar that we’re seeing right now.
The benefits of apple cider vinegar
I started incorporating apple cider vinegar into my diet last year when I followed a nutrition plan Artah Cheers following. Nutritionist and naturopath Rhian Stephenson often uses the ingredient in her recipes, also to enhance the taste. Even though I knew that apple cider vinegar could balance my blood sugar levels (which I desperately needed at the time given my starchy, high-sugar diet), I didn’t know what effect it would have on my digestion (less bloating in the stomach) and on hunger. .
