The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet?
Lately, the Internet is abuzz with new claims that apple cider vinegar can help us shed excess weight. Are they true? Pritikin registered dietitian and educator Kimberly Gomer, MS, RD, looks at the science.
Lately, the Internet is abuzz with new claims that apple cider vinegar can help us shed excess weight.
“But there’s no credible science backing this newly packaged promotion of an old wives’ tale,’” says Pritikin dietitian and educator Kimberly Gomer, MS, RD.
It’s yet another version of the American-style penchant to pursue a “magic pill” – a quick-fix that will erase the need to improve our lives with good overall food choices and everyday fitness.
Downsides
And there are downsides to downing a lot of apple cider vinegar. “Drinking a glass of water with vinegar before meals, as some so-called ‘experts’ are prescribing, will contain a lot of acid, which can aggravate GERD [acid reflux] and other forms of indigestion,” warns Kimberly.
Apple cider vinegar plus lots of good veggies
If you’re set on trying apple cider vinegar daily, and you don’t have digestion issues, go ahead, suggests Kimberly. “There’s nothing inherently bad about apple cider vinegar. But use it, not poured into a glass, but as a topping for a nice big veggie salad.
“What will help you lose weight is not the apple cider vinegar, per se, but the fact that you’re filling up on very-low-calorie-dense vegetables.”
Plus, with all those veggies, you’re getting a vast array of health-promoting substances like vitamins, phytonutrients, fiber, and more – something you wouldn’t get with an apple cider vinegar diet, no matter how much you drink.
Apple cider vinegar Pritikin-style
In addition to pairing apple cider vinegar with big green salads, another tasty combination of vinegar and veggies is Pritikin Chef Anthony’s recipe for Pickled Carrots. It bursts with flavor without bursting your blood vessels with a lot of sodium – which is what you’d commonly get in pickled foods.
Bottom Line:
Enjoy apple cider vinegar, if you’d like, as part of an overall healthy diet like Pritikin, a diet that is based, not on a single food or drink, but on a complete package of whole, naturally nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
These foods are perfect not only for health but for shedding weight. That’s because their low calorie density (low calorie intake, per bite) means that you can enjoy lots of good satisfying food without going overboard on calories. Your day doesn’t have to be filled with hunger and deprivation anymore.