Apple cider vinegar (ACV) can do wonders for your body by boosting your heart health and also making you easily lose all those excess pounds. But, it certainly comes with a little trade-off as despite of its all sorts of health advantages, it tastes awful.
So, if you are the one, who drinks it after sufficient dilution and then, immediately consume something else to mask its unpleasant taste; you are doing more harm to your body than good. Read on to know 8 things you must not do if you are consuming apple cider vinegar.
8 Things You Must Avoid If Consuming ACV
Avoid doing the below-mentioned if you want to get the best out of your daily dose of apple cider vinegar.
1. Drinking It Without Diluting:
Matt Weik, a health expert and author, explains that it is best to consume apple cider vinegar by diluting it. He further says that diluting it will effectively protect your stomach and throat from the acid. Experts suggest using one part apple cider vinegar to ten parts water to prevent any damage.
2. Consuming It Right After Eating:
If you drink apple cider vinegar right after having your meal, you really need to amend this habit. Consuming ACV when you wake up is actually the best way.
Certain foods you eat can reduce the efficiency of apple cider vinegar. You can also drink it before you consume your meal to boost digestion. Experts recommend waiting for about 20 minutes before eating anything, so as to allow ACV to digest properly.
3. Taking Swigs of It:
ACV is still extremely acidic even after you dilute it. It can potentially damage your tooth enamel, according to expert. To prevent this don’t sip or swig it from a cup or glass.
Instead, use a straw to drink it, so that it doesn’t directly affect your teeth. You must also avoid brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes after consuming apple cider vinegar.
4. Sniffing It:
When sniffed, ACV can be seriously harmful for your lungs. This is why you should never inhale it while you are drinking it. Inhaling apple cider vinegar can cause mild to moderate burning sensation in your lungs.
5. Drinking Large Quantities of It:
While you might be thinking that more ACV means more health benefits, unfortunately this is not true. If you have recently started consuming ACV, you should not take too much of it. Start with a little quantity, if this gives you a burning feel or an upset stomach, you should reduce the quantity until you don’t feel any sensation.
Increasing the quantities gradually would also help you adjust to its taste. Experts recommend never to go beyond 2 tablespoons each time you consume it.
6. Consuming It If You Have Helicobacter pylori:
While ACV can significantly boost your digestive health, there are certain stomach conditions that ACV might only worsen; especially, if you have Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which is the bacteria associated with ulcers.
ACV can lead to even more irritation. You should consult your doctor before you begin drinking apple cider vinegar each day if you have this condition.
7. Applying It Directly on to Your Skin:
Drinking ACV is not the only way to extract all of its benefits. You can also use it to prevent acne, cure dandruff, treat sunburn and for various other skin-related benefits.
However, you must know that there is a correct and an incorrect way to use it on your skin. It is crucial to dilute apple cider vinegar before applying it to your skin and minimizing the contact with your skin.
Prolonged exposure to ACV can actually kill your skin cells and might even leave almost permanent chemical burns. The best is to use one part apple cider vinegar with either 8 or 10 parts of water.
8. Consuming It Right Before You Sleep:
Consuming apple cider vinegar immediately before going to bed is not advised because it can possibly creep back up in your esophagus.
Even if you consume diluted apple cider vinegar, it can still potentially damage your esophagus if it creeps up back while you are lying down. Thus, whenever you consume it, you should remain upright or seated for around 30 minutes after consuming it to prevent any reflux and esophagus irritation. Experts recommend drinking apple cider vinegar minimum half an hour prior to hitting the sack.
We believe, you all would avoid these common mistakes while you drink ACV for actually reaping myriads of its health benefits.
