“WHAT are you drinking, Ellen?” I asked my niece.
“Apple cider vinegar or ACV drink with sliced cucumber, Uncle,” she replied.
“Is that yet another fad diet?”
“It is a new diet, and it helps me curb my hankering for sweets,” Ellen replied.
My aunt Tita Blitte joined us. She told Ellen to be extra careful when following a fad diet. “Be wise when using vinegar to control your weight. The prime concern is the vinegar itself. Be sure to use real and natural ACV and none of those chemically created vinegars.”
I sneaked out of the room when other members of the family started discussing the pros and cons of the vinegar diet. I worked with my fingers quickly.
There are die-hard followers of the acidic fad diet. One dieter said she takes two tablespoons of cider vinegar morning, noon and night.
There are a lot of websites supporting the diet. One such is Prevention. Although the online magazine’s feature on the subject gave instructions on how to take ACV, it also cautioned people about the product. The acidity could irritate the throat and erode tooth enamel.
Prevention told readers to limit ACV in the diet to a tablespoon twice a day and to dilute it with a glass of water. As with most medications, Prevention carefully told readers not to take ACV on an empty stomach.
By now I think I am the last man to know about this fad diet. I’m sure readers have soaked up on the topic and have followed it religiously. However, it is always good to look at the other side of the coin, or maybe cup, from which you drink your ACV.
CNN didn’t outright debunk the ACV diet. It discussed studies made on the fad diet. The oft-quoted study was done in 2009 on “75 obese Japanese, 25 to 60 years old.” They were divided into three groups. For 12 weeks, one group had a drink with one tablespoon of ACV. The two other groups either had two tablespoons of ACV or none at all. At the end of the period, those who had vinegar did lose weight. But the feature said that only two to four pounds of weight were lost. The feature noted that there are better and more effective ways to lose weight.
Harvard Health also cited the 2009 study. The feature noted that the result of taking ACV or some other natural vinegar “is not compelling.”
All I can say is read, read and read. In the end, it’s really up to the reader to make an educated choice. Shall we drink to that? Bottoms up from your cup of good health?