The Vinegar Diet

Do you want to lose weight?  What is it worth to you?  How about taking three tablespoons of vinegar before each meal?  That is the crux of the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet, known as the vinegar diet to its friends.  Here are the details.

This is yet another fad diet, if you can consider a diet that's been around for over 50 years a fad.  There aren't any research studies validating the results.  It hasn't even made it on Dr. Oz yet.  But message boards are abuzz with people who swear that they have lost 10 pounds in two weeks on the vinegar diet.  That's pretty great, isn't it?

Dr. DeForest Jarvis first proposed the vinegar diet in his book of folk medicine, "Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health" back in 1958.  The book was a huge success and has been making a come-back.  The diet has no meal plans.  You are invited to eat anything you want.  There is just one rule: drink three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before eating.   Many people have some difficulty drinking straight vinegar, so they work their way up to three tablespoons over a few days or mix the vinegar with a glass of something with a strong flavor to disguise the vinegar's taste.  There are also vinegar capsules available if you just can't handle the vinegar.

In theory, the apple cider vinegar helps your body to burn fat.  It is also said to suppress your appetite.  Clearly, drinking straight vinegar won't boost your appetite, but proponents claim nearly miraculous powers.  The vinegar will give you a pretty acidic stomach, so this may not be for you if you suffer from acid reflux or heartburn on a frequent basis.

Is the vinegar diet a good diet for you?  There's no scientific proof that it works, but it has a lot of fans.  It fits into the "cleanse" sector of dieting, with rapid weight loss and no real maintenance mode meal plan.  Apple cider vinegar is not expensive, and many people have it in the kitchen already.  That makes it an easy "try before you buy" kind of diet.  You should know within a few days if you can tolerate nine tablespoons of vinegar a day.  If so, go out and buy some really nice apple cider vinegar.  If not, no real investment has been lost.

Doctors do point out that this diet can cause short-term stomach and esophagus irritation and longer-term use can rob your body of precious calcium and potassium.  Remember your multivitamins!

Have you taken the vinegar challenge?   Click on the Comment button and tell us about it!

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