Apple Cider Vinegar has achieved an almost mythical status on the Internet. A quick search on Pinterest or Google will find all kinds of uses for it—some backed by studies, some backed by a blogger who heard it from her cousin's witch doctor's dog groomer—which is why, when people started waving it around as a cure-all for bloated stomaches everywhere, we called snake oil. At first.
To be fair, there are some claims that can't be backed up (sadly, it probably won't clear up acne or whiten your teeth). However, it can aid in your digestion: If you're having heartburn from something you ate, the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar could help neutralize the acid in your stomach, Carol Johnston, PhD—who has been studying the effects of vinegar for years—told Cosmo.
It can also keep your body from absorbing some of the starches in the carbs you've eaten, and if you drink a little (diluted in water) before a meal, it can slow the rush of sugar to your bloodstream, so your energy levels don't spike and crash as dramatically, she says.
Johnston cautions that you shouldn't have more than 1 to 2 tablespoons per day, and that you should dilute it with about 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per cup of water.
To transform this into a drink we wouldn't mind downing by the mugful, we added a little apple cider and warm water. More specifically, here's what the drink, which some have dubbed the "Apple Cider Skinny Tonic" for the way it makes them feel post-super-indulgent meal:
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- About 3-4 ounces of apple cider, just to sweeten it a bit and mask the vinegar's tanginess
- Topped with another 4-6 ounces of hot water
You don't have to stir it with a cinnamon stick, but we liked the subtle spice it adds.
We can't promise that it will give you abs like Kate Hudson or Jessica Alba—spoiler: it won't—but it may make you feel a little better if you've single-handedly downed a casserole dish of buffalo chicken dip (or are on the verge of doing so).
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