VINEGAR
HOW TO USE VINEGAR TO STEADY YOUR GLUCOSE:
THE ULTIMATE 2024 GUIDE
This is a complete guide to learning how to use vinegar to steady your glucose levels and feel amazing.
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So if you’re looking to:
→ Manage your glucose.
→ Reduce cravings and hunger.
→ Feel amazing.
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Then you’ll love this guide. Let’s get started.
CONTENTS
Chapter 4:
Chapter 5:
Chapter 6:
Bonus chapter:
DISCLAIMER: If you have any medical conditions or take any medication, speak to your doctor before using vinegar.
CHAPTER 1
HOW DOES VINEGAR WORK?
The science behind glucose and vinegar
Adding vinegar to our diet is an excellent way to flatten our glucose curves. But how does it works?
Vinegar slows down the breakdown of starches into glucose, and it tells our muscles to soak up glucose as it arrives in our bloodstream. This is how it reduces the glucose spike from something we just ate.
Now, let's get a bit more sciency...
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In the last decades, different research teams studied the effects of vinegar on our bodies, and their studies showed that simply adding vinegar before meals leads to weight loss, steadier glucose levels, reduced visceral fat, and reduced triglyceride levels. A small study also showed that vinegar consumption could help reverse PCOS symptoms.
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Scientists found that the acetic acid in vinegar temporarily inactivates alpha-amylase, a digestive enzyme in saliva that breaks down starch. As a result, sugar and starch are transformed into glucose more slowly, and that glucose hits our system more softly. Then, once acetic acid gets into the bloodstream, it penetrates our muscles and encourages them to make glycogen faster than they usually would, leading to more efficient glucose uptake.
These two factors – the glucose being released into the body slower and our muscles uptaking it quicker – mean less free-flowing glucose around, so less of a glucose spike.
Acetic acid
The acetic acid in vinegar temporarily inactivates alpha-amylase.
The acetic acid penetrates our muscles and encourages them to make glycogen faster, leading to a more efficient uptake of glucose.
The acetic acid decreases the amount of insulin released, which helps us get back to fat-burning mode.
The acetic acid tells our DNA to reprogram a bit so that our mitochondria burn more fat.
Another fundamental aspect is that acetic acid decreases the amount of insulin released - by about 20% in one study - which helps us get back to fat-burning mode.
This is a very important point: the more insulin there is in our body, the more our liver, muscles, and fat cells work to remove any excess glucose from the bloodstream and quickly store it away. However, although insulin brings glucose levels down, it also increases inflammation and weight gain. What we really want to do is flatten our glucose curves without increasing the amount of insulin in the body. Which is what vinegar does.
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The acetic acid contained in vinegar reduces the amount of insulin around, and it also has a remarkable effect on our DNA. It tells our DNA to reprogram a bit so that our mitochondria burn more fat.
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One tablespoon of vinegar diluted in water before meals is a real game-changer.
What's the best time to have vinegar?
The best time to drink vinegar is less than 20 minutes before eating. If you forgot to drink it, you could also drink it right after finishing your meal -less than 20 minutes after.
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Some people drink vinegar before every meal, and some just before they eat something sweet or high-carb. That's a personal choice.
How much vinegar can I drink daily?
There's no specific limit. Most people do perfectly fine drinking a tablespoon of vinegar diluted in a tall glass of water every day.
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Some time ago, a 29-year-old woman who consumed sixteen tablespoons of ACV every day for six years was admitted to a hospital because of deficient potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate levels. So, sixteen tablespoons - 1 cup or 240 ml per day - is too much.
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But drinking one tablespoon of vinegar before meals is fine.
CHAPTER 2
ADD VINEGAR IN YOUR LIFE
How to use vinegar to flatten your glucose curve
If you want to use vinegar to reduce your glucose spikes, mix a tablespoon of vinegar into a tall glass of water and drink it with a straw (to protect your teeth) before your meals. The acetic acid will do the rest. ​
Protect your teeth: dilute in water and use a straw
Vinegar is acidic, so it can damage our teeth if not diluted correctly. I always recommend diluting the vinegar in a tall glass of water and even using a straw to be extra cautious and protect your teeth.
Use the vinegar as salad dressing
Another excellent way to use vinegar to flatten our glucose curves is by adding it to our food.
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You can do two hacks in one by adding a vinegar dressing to your veggie starter. I usually add one tablespoon of vinegar mixed with one or two tablespoons of olive oil, and a bit of salt and pepper.
Have some pickles
If you love pickled dill or pickled vegetables, you can have a handful of them as your vinegar hack. If you go for shop-bought, make sure they weren't pickled with sugar (check the ingredients on the label). Or you can make your own by adding 1 cup of vinegar to any vegetable you like. You can also add in a little extra taste with fennel seeds, coriander seeds, or za'atar. Homemade pickles usually keeps in the fridge for up to four weeks.
CHAPTER 3
CHOOSE YOUR VINEGAR
How to choose vinegar
The good news is that you can choose the vinegar you like the most.
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Even though the most popular is apple cider vinegar, all kinds of vinegar have acetic acid, so all of them help flatten our glucose curves. Wine vinegar, rice vinegar, coconut vinegar, just choose the one you prefer. The only catch is to avoid syrupy vinegar (like balsamic glaze) or vinaigrettes with added sugars.
Sometimes some flavored vinegar, some dressings, and some vinegar-based sauces have sugar in them. So make sure to always to check the labels.
Is apple cider vinegar better than other kinds of vinegar?
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is one of the most popular vinegars. But, from a glucose standpoint, it works exactly the same as any other vinegar.
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The thing is that if unpasteurized and raw, ACV also has other benefits, and that's why it is so popular.
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Here are some of benefits of ACV:
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It contains helpful nutrients like magnesium, iron, antioxidants, amino acids, etc.
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Some studies have shown that apple cider vinegar reduces LDL -bad cholesterol- and increases HDL -good cholesterol- due to its natural antioxidants.
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It improves digestion and reduces bloating.
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It contains natural probiotics, which may help your immune system and gut health.
Contains nutrients like magnesium, iron, antioxidants, and more
Reduces LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases HDL (good cholesterol)
Contains natural probiotics, which may help your immune system and gut health
What about balsamic vinegar?
Balsamic vinegar is slightly higher in sugars than other vinegars, so it's not the best option if you're trying to drink vinegar to flatten your glucose curve. But it's still fine to include in your diet.
Important: do not mistake balsamic glaze for balsamic vinegar.
Balsamic vinegar is a liquid dark vinegar; balsamic glaze instead is more like dark syrup, and is very high in sugars. I do not recommend it.
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Balsamic vinegar
(fine!)
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Liquid dark vinegar
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No added sugar; only natural sugars
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Approx 3 gr sugar per tablespoon
VS.
Balsamic glaze
(not recommended)
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Dark syrup
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It has added sugar
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Approx 8 gr sugar per tablespoon
CHAPTER 4
THE TRUTH ABOUT ACV GUMMIES & PILLS
Do ACV gummies work to lower blood glucose?
Unfortunately, all the studies so far show that vinegar gummies don’t work for lower blood glucose.
When people “package” ACV, they change its structure. This makes sense because you’re not swallowing a liquid anymore—it’s solid now. In this new form, ACV loses all glucose-lowering effects.
The other issue with gummies is that they also contain 1 gram of sugar each. So not only do they not flatten your glucose curve, they lead to glucose spikes.
Do ACV pills work to lower blood glucose?
If you want to try them, you might need to swallow three vinegar pills to get the same amount of acetic acid than in a tablespoon of vinegar (about 800 milligrams). But the jury is still out about whether they work as well as liquid vinegar to lower our glucose spikes.
CHAPTER 5
LEMON & KOMBUCHA
Does lemon steady our glucose as much as vinegar?
Recent studies showed that lowering the pH of a meal can slow down starch digestion by inhibiting salivary alpha-amylase. And it seems that lemon can have a similar glucose-steadying effect as vinegar.
Even though lemon can have a similar effect as vinegar, it doesn't have acetic acid, so it uses a different mechanism which is good but not as effective as acetic acid.
If you don't like the taste of vinegar, lemon juice can be a good option for you. Ideally, squeeze half a lemon for 1 cup of water.
Everything about kombucha
Kombucha is a fermented drink, usually made from tea. It has some acetic acid, but it's less than 1%. So, kombucha doesn't curb glucose curves as effectively as vinegar.
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Like other fermented foods, kombucha has some health benefits, and it's good for gut health.
One big issue with kombucha is that almost all store-bought kombucha brands have added sugar or fruit juice. So it's essential to check labels because even if they are labeled as "no added sugar" they often have added fruit juice, which is just as bad.
CHAPTER 6
DELICIOUS VINEGAR DRINK RECIPES
Add flavors, not sugar
Let's say it: water with vinegar sounds awful, but you know what? It's not.
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Diluted vinegar tastes better than you may think; but if you don't like it, don't worry, there are a few things you can do to make it more palatable:
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Add flavors you like to your water with vinegar, for example, lemon, lime, mint leaves, cucumber slices, etc.
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If you want to make it sweet, choose a sweetener that doesn't impact your blood sugar, like stevia, erythritol, allulose, or monk fruit.
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Mix your vinegar with other beverages like sparkling water, tea, some homemade kombucha, cinnamon tea, or others. Just be sure to avoid sugary drinks like fruit juices, carrot or beet juice, or soda - even diet soda which increases cravings, causes microbiome problems and usually contains aspartame, a sweetener known to potentially increase insulin levels.
CHAPTER 7
ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, drinking a tablespoon of vinegar diluted in water before your meals is an easy way to reduce your glucose spike. This is a really cool, science-backed hack. I was really impressed to see all the scientific studies on the topic!
Use this as a tool, when it's easy, and remember there are many more just as powerful hacks that I share.