The best time to drink apple cider vinegar is in the morning with an empty stomach, before meals, and 30 minutes before bedtime. Drinking ACV at these times gives you the maximum benefits associated with it.
The intake on an empty stomach helps to lose weight and drinking at night is beneficial in controlling blood glucose levels. The recommended dose of apple cider vinegar is 1 to 2 spoons three times a day.
Apple cider vinegar will serve in the best way if it is taken at the best times. Depending upon the benefit that you want to gain from apple cider vinegar, different times can be regarded as the best to take times for maximum benefits.
1. How to make apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is a product well-known for its benefits in weight loss, controlling blood sugar levels, burning belly fat, and detoxifying the body and skin.
Not only it’s available in liquid form but also apple cider vinegar gummies, pills, capsules, and powder are present in the market.
Well, as far as the synthesis of apple cider vinegar is concerned, it’s a product of fermentation. Fermentation is the process that takes place in the presence of yeast.
Fermentation yeast that is used in baking is different from the yeast that is used to prepare apple cider vinegar. While preparing the ACV, the champagne yeast or yeast for white wine is used.
1.1. Extracting Apple juice
Apple juice that is used in the synthesis of apple cider vinegar is made from fresh apples. Mostly, if you are going for the best apple cider vinegar, the apples that are used to extract the juice are purely organic.
Apples are crushed and juice is obtained. This juice being rich in sugars is undergone a fermentation process to proceed in the formation of ACV.
Apple juice with sugar
1.2. Fermentation process
Fermentation is a process in which sugars are converted into alcohol by the activity of some microorganism.
The microorganism that is used in the fermentation of apple juice to make the apple cider vinegar is champagne yeast or yeast for the white wine.
It’s different from the regular users in the fermentation of bakery stuff. Yeast converts the sugar of apple juice into alcohol.
1.3. Acetic acid formation
The third and final step that happens in the synthesis of apple cider vinegar is the addition of acetic acid bacteria. These bacteria convert the alcohols that were generated by the fermentation process to acetic acid and malic acid.
The pungent taste and smell of apple cider vinegar are because of that acetic acid. Now the apple cider vinegar is ready to use but it’s a bit difficult to use the raw ACV.
It can be diluted with water, juice, or some other drink. Rather than liquid ACV, people often go for some best apple cider vinegar pills or apple cider vinegar gummies.
1.4. What is the mother of vinegar?
Vinegar is half beneficial if used without a mother. Mother of vinegar is the part of vinegar that contains all the enzymes, health-friendly bacteria, and mainly probiotics.
Mother is the part rich in the beneficial components and it’s far better to use the apple cider vinegar with the mother than without the mother.
Thus, while going to buy apple cider vinegar either in liquid form or pills, capsules, powder form, prefer to buy the one with mother.
2. What is the best time to drink apple cider vinegar?
Anything, when taken at the best time, gives the best-desired outputs. The same is the case of apple cider vinegar.
When considering the best time to drink apple cider vinegar, you must be focusing on the purpose for which you are using apple cider vinegar.
The three best times to drink apple cider vinegar are:
In the morning
30 minutes before bedtime
10-20 minutes before the meals
2.1. Best time to drink ACV for all-day freshness
Early in the morning – with an empty stomach – can help you if you are concerned about weight gain.
Drinking 1-2 tablespoons of ACV either raw – although it’s a bit gross – or by mixing in the water can help you in several ways:
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Make you feel full and curb the appetite.
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Make you feel fresh and healthy
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Helps to detox and cleanse the body
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Helps to get rid of dandruff
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Kills the harmful bacteria in the ■■■■ cavity
Never try to drink apple cider vinegar in undiluted form. It can burn the esophagus, induce heartburn, and can cause erosion of tooth enamel because of its acidic nature.
2.2. Best time to drink apple cider vinegar for weight loss
Well, another best time to drink apple cider vinegar is 10-20 minutes before the meals. If you drink it after meals it will be of no or very little benefit.
Drinking it before meals helps in the following ways:
- Makes you feel full and hence you eat less – a step to weight loss
- Helps to burn the belly fat
- Helps to control the post-prandial blood sugar
- Helps to lower the blood glucose level by delaying the digestion
- Helps in the detox of the body
2.3. Best time to drink ACV for fasting blood sugar
The third best time to drink 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar is about half an hour before going to bed. One of the most important uses of ACV at night is that it helps to control the fasting blood glucose level.
Secondly, as it makes you feel fresh, thus taking a diluted dose of apple cider vinegar just before going to bed can help you to refresh and have a sound sleep.
Drinking the apple cider vinegar these three times gives you the maximum benefits associated with it.
The intake of ACV on an empty stomach helps to lose weight and drinking it at night – before going to sleep - is beneficial in controlling the fasting blood glucose levels.
2.4. Dosage of apple cider vinegar
Not only the best time but also the best dose matters to get the desired effects. The recommended dose of apple cider vinegar is 1 to 2 tablespoons 2-3 times a day.
If you are taking ACV in form of pills or capsules, the dose will be different depending upon the amount of dried apple cider vinegar that the product contains.
2.5. How to dilute apple cider vinegar?
As raw and undiluted apple cider vinegar is the least recommended, so it must be diluted with water or some other drink. Dilution can be done in the following way:
One tablespoon apple cider vinegar + 8 oz of water
As it doesn’t taste so good – even in a diluted form – you can add some tastemakers such as honey, cinnamon, or maybe ginger.
3. Benefits of apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar will serve you in the best way if it is taken at the best times. Depending upon the type of benefit that you want to gain from apple cider vinegar, different times can be beneficial in different ways.
Several benefits are associated with the regular use of apple cider vinegar. But the thing is, it will benefit you most if you know that what is the best time to drink apple cider vinegar.
Other than the timing, the correct dose is also an important milestone to achieve the best benefits that are provided by ACV.
Apple cider vinegar is known to have the following benefits although there is the least scientific study data that support these health benefits.
1. Helps to get rid of extra weight
2. Manages the blood sugar levels
3. Helps to detox skin and the body
4. Improves the gut performance and helps in digestion
All these benefits are discussed in detail so that you may not regret it while going to buy apple cider vinegar. However, I repeat! Nothing can e beneficial until it’s not used in the right way.
So, the best time to drink apple cider vinegar will result in the best results that are manifested by the regular use of this pungent apple drink.
3.1. Helps in managing the weight
Staying healthy with the ideal body weight is the dream that everyone has – either by closed eyes or open eyes. So, the manufacturers and even the users of apple cider vinegar claim that it helps to lose extra body weight.
Now how does it proceed to help you lose weight? Several ways through which ACV works are enlisted below:
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It makes you feel full – but only if you drink it before the meals
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Curbs the appetite
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Helps to get rid of extra belly fat
Review: Natalia Peterson – A fashion blogger – claims that she lost 30 pounds within 5 months and you know how? By daily shots of apple cider vinegar.
So, although there is little scientific evidence that ACV helps in losing weight, people’s experience is rather different.
The recommended dose for weight loss = 15 ml to 30 ml while 1 tablespoon = 15 ml, so 1-2 tablespoon 2-3 times a day
3.2. Maintains blood sugar levels
The use of apple cider vinegar has been observed to be beneficial in the maintenance of blood sugar. Mostly in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus, there is the least body responsiveness to insulin.
It helps to lower the blood glucose level in the following ways:
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Increase the responsiveness of body cells towards insulin.
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Lower post-prandial blood sugar levels
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Increase the production of insulin from beta cells
According to the study: using 30 ml of ACV before bedtime – that is equal to 2 tablespoons – helps to lower the fasting blood sugar. Using before meals helps to control the random blood sugar.
Precaution: Carefully use apple cider vinegar with the medications that are used to lower blood sugar. Both of them decrease the glucose level and the interaction can be deadly.
3.3. Helps in detox and cleansing of the body
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There are innumerable reactions always taking place in the body. Most of them result in reactive oxygen species that are harmful to the body.
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Apple cider vinegar helps the body to get rid of these harmful products of metabolism and that is known as detoxification.
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When the body removes all these undesired agents, it gets clean and the effect also reflects in form of healthy and glowing skin.
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Acne scars and emerging acne can be controlled by recommended use of apple cider vinegar.
3.4. Improved digestion by apple cider vinegar
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Apple cider vinegar improves the functioning of the gut. It helps to stimulate digestion and food components to get better absorbed in the body.
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Some people have low acidity in the stomach that delays the digestion process. Apple cider vinegar is acidic and it helps to make an acidic environment in the stomach.
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This acidity then improves the digestion process in the stomach. In this way apple cider vinegar - if taken at the best time - helps to get rid of stomach gas and bloating.
4. Side effects of apple cider vinegar
Well, where there are benefits there are harms. There are no life-threatening issues associated with apple cider vinegar yet some major disadvantages have been listed below.
These side effects can be prevented if the quantity and quality of apple cider vinegar along with the best time to take apple cider vinegar is considered.
4.1. A decrease in the potassium levels in the body
Potassium is one of the major components in the body and helps in several body processes including the following:
- Maintains a regular heart rate
- Helps in the movement of nutrients and wastes to or from the cell
- Maintains blood pressure by keeping the sodium levels in control
Too much consumption of apple cider vinegar can lessen the levels of potassium in the body.
4.2. Can cause osteoporosis
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A woman was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of osteoporosis – brittle bones – and it came out that she had been consuming apple cider vinegar for the last 6 years.
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It suggests that too much use of apple cider vinegar can result in bone loss although no controlled studies are available in this regard.
4.3. Delayed digestion
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As apple cider vinegar is also used for blood sugar control, this side effect belongs to this. When apple cider vinegar is taken before meals, it delays the movement of food from the stomach to the large intestine to control the glucose level.
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As diabetes is also associated with gastroparesis – a condition with low stomach movements – ACV can aid in this effect. Gastroparesis then results in heartburn, acidity, and bloating. Thus using too much apple cider vinegar can be harmful in this way.
4.4. Damage of tooth enamel 
As apple cider vinegar is acidic, and all the acidic products seem to interact with the tooth enamel resulting in the erosion of enamel.
Some lab evidence suggests that consuming too much apple cider vinegar can result in dental erosion.
4.5. Esophageal burning
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Another important side effect of apple cider vinegar is that it can cause esophageal burning.
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Some people have complained that when they drink apple cider vinegar in liquid form, especially undiluted – it causes a throat burn.
4.6. Interaction with the drugs
Drug-drug interactions are one thing drug-food interactions are the other one. Several drugs when taken along with the apple cider vinegar, result in interactions. Some of them have been given below:
1. Anti-diabetic drugs: Drugs used to control the blood sugar level helps in lowering the blood glucose. The same is done by apple cider vinegar. Thus if not carefully monitored, it can result in life-threatening effects.
2. Diuretics: Diuretics are the drugs that help to increase urination. They have the potential to interact with apple cider vinegar in this way that both tend to lower the potassium level in the body.
3. Digoxin: An important agent used to treat cardiac diseases also lower the potassium level. When working synergistically, Digoxin + ACV can result in extremely low potassium levels in the body.
Frequently asked questions
There are a lot of questions that people want to ask other than the best times to drink apple cider vinegar. Some of them have been answered below:
1. What happens when you drink apple cider vinegar every night?
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Although apple cider vinegar has been proved to be beneficial in controlling the fasting blood glucose levels when taken at night, yet too much consumption can be associated with some side effects.
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Drinking 1-2 tablespoons of ACV at night, before going to bed can help to make you fresh resulting in a peaceful sleep.
2. What time of day should I drink apple cider vinegar?
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The best time to drink apple cider vinegar is in the morning, on an empty stomach and then before the meals. In the morning and before the meals can help to make you feel full thus decreasing the appetite.
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Secondly, it helps to control the blood glucose level. In this way, you can lose weight if drink these two times.
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The third best time is just before sleep as drinking apple cider vinegar at night also helps you to have a good sleep and control fasting blood glucose level.
3. Is drinking apple cider vinegar before bed beneficial?
Yes!
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Drinking the diluted 1-2 spoons of apple cider vinegar before going to bed is beneficial. Especially if you are diabetic and want to control your fasting blood sugar, drinking at night is best for you.
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According to a study, 2 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, when used 2 tablespoons of ACV for 2 consecutive days at night, reduced their fasting blood sugar to 6-7%.
Conclusion
Drinking apple cider vinegar at the best times will serve you in the best way, depending upon the type of benefit that you want to gain. The best times to drink apple cider vinegar are given as:
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In the morning – at an empty stomach
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Just before the meals – for weight loss
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Just before going to bed – for controlling fasting blood sugar
Drinking ACV in undiluted form is not recommended. Always use it in diluted form by using water or some other drink. Take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and dilute with 16 ounces of liquid.
The main uses of apple cider vinegar include weight loss, blood sugar level maintenance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, detox and cleansing of the body, improved gut functioning, and reducing the cholesterol level.
Side effects of apple cider vinegar include the following:
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Erosion of tooth enamel.
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Lowering the levels of potassium in the body
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Delayed gastric emptying
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Increased gastroparesis
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Interaction with digoxin, diabetes medicine, and diuretics
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Throat burning and heartburn