Kickstart your day with a blend of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, a drink known to detox the body, lower blood sugar, support weight loss efforts, and improve digestion. Add some fruit juice or spices for extra flavor.
Apple cider vinegar drinks are lauded for their health and wellness benefits, especially for weight loss, but also for digestion, gut health, the immune system, and balancing blood sugar. The drink can be consumed hot or cold, and is also used as a natural remedy for various ailments such as colds, headaches, acid reflux, heartburn, and acne.
Making the drink with both apple cider vinegar and lemon juice has many benefits, but what stands out for me is the feeling of wellbeing within 15 seconds of drinking. The feeling is said to be from moving the body from acidic to the more comfortable alkaline range. The drink is a useful detox tool when you want to feel better, just like my ginger shots, homemade ginger tea, and aloe vera juice.
Why You'll Love This Drink
Delicious and nourishing. Apple cider vinegar by nature is sour to taste, so I soften the flavor with lemon juice, apple juice and a touch of cinnamon for an extra kick. [source]
Easy drink to make. This apple cider vinegar drink with lemon juice is made from easy-to-find ingredients, and can be tossed in a glass and stirred. No equipment is needed, not even a blender.
Benefits include weight loss & more. Apple cider vinegar with lemon juice is known especially for the ability to promote weight loss thanks to natural probiotics and healthy bacteria found especially in the unfiltered version containing 'the mother', fibrous sediment and debris containing useful enzymes and proteins. Other benefits include a boost to the immune system, balance of body's pH levels, inflammation reduction and lowering of blood sugar levels. [source]
Body detox & immunity. Combining lemon juice with apple cider vinegar not only helps make the drink more palatable, but also boosts its vitamin C levels so this apple cider vinegar drink becomes a powerful immune booster with other body detox capabilities.
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
ACV is the star of the show, the main ingredient in any apple cider vinegar drink. It is a vinegar made by fermenting crushed apples, yeast, and sugar. The mixture is then broken down into alcohol by yeast and converted into acetic acid by natural bacteria. The resulting tangy and pungent vinegar can be found in most supermarkets in clear, pasteurized, and filtered forms. However, the unfiltered form with 'the mother' is considered to be the most beneficial.
Ingredients
Apple Cider Vinegar. Use the unfiltered version containing 'the mother' for the strongest detox effects. Once you open the bottle of ACV, keep it refrigerated to keep the proteins in 'the mother' viable.
Lemon juice. Use fresh or pure bottled. Citric acid buffers the acrid flavor of apple cider vinegar, and makes it easier to drink.
Apple Juice. Use pure and unsweetened. The best choice for a fruity refined sugar free sweetener, although you can opt to leave off a sweetener.
Water. Warm the water to room temperature or warmer to assist in general absorption of the ACV's beneficial substances.
Cinnamon. A pinch goes a long way. Adding this spice gives the drink the illusion of a sweet aftertaste, and thus makes the drink more palatable, especially if the apple juice is left off.
Tools Needed
- Glass
- Spoon
Steps to Make
Here is a quick summary of the steps, but the detailed recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Fill a glass with water (1 cup/8 ounces). Make sure the water is not cold, but room temperature or slightly warmer.
Step 2: Stir in 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar from your refrigerated bottle.
Step 3: Stir in 1 tablespoon of apple juice, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and a pinch of cinnamon.
Step 4: Drink at once, or refrigerate for up to five days.
When & How Often
There is little agreement on when is the best time to drink this detox drink as each timing has advantages.
- Drink first thing in the morning: Drinking ACV and lemon in the morning as soon as awaking helps convert the body's less-desirable acidic state to the more comfortable alkaline.
- Drink on empty stomach. Drinking it on an empty stomach is said to more efficiently allow the body to absorb the nutrients and enzymes effective at detoxing.
- Drinking it before bed. A study actually shows that drinking apple cider vinegar before bed more effectively lowers blood sugar levels. I suggest asking your doctor which situation is best for you.
How often to drink ACV detox drink. Because of the high level of acidity, there is a general consensus that it is best and mostly healthfully valuable to drink this ACV detox drink only once a day.
Drinker's Warning
(1) Drinking this acidic drink regularly can wear away tooth enamel, so consider using a straw and drink a bit of water after to rinse your teeth of residual acid.
(2) Never drink apple cider vinegar undiluted as it is too acidic and can damage your mouth, throat and stomach tissues.
Recipe Tips & Variations
Make ahead. This drink can be made ahead in a jar and stored for up to five days. So you can effectively make five of these apple cider vinegar drinks ahead, one for each weekday.
Vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free. The ingredients are naturally dairy-free and gluten-free. Some apple cider drink recipes on the internet call for using honey to sweeten, so those recipes are not vegan. Mine is though, using apple juice as the sweetener.
Flavor variations.
- Swap the lemon juice with lime juice for a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Sweeten with maple syrup or monkfruit or date paste instead of apple juice.
- Drop into the drink a fresh rosemary sprig or a basil leaf for a different herbal essence.
FAQS
How to drink apple cider vinegar for weight loss?
Some studies show that 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily, especially when consumed with lemon juice, can trigger fat burning. The drink also supports a feeling of fullness that leads to less consumption. Significant weight loss is best accomplished in combination with a healthy diet and exercise.
Can I drink apple cider vinegar everyday?
ACV is generally safe if no more than 1 to 2 tablespoons are consumed daily. But drinking more than that on a regular basis can raise potassium levels unhealthily. Also beware that ACV may interact with some medications, including diuretics, laxatives, and certain medications for blood sugar and heart regulators.
What happens if I drink apple cider vinegar every morning?
Goodbye morning breath. An apple cider vinegar drink in the morning clears your mouth of overnight bacterial growth due to anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. Also drinking it first thing in the morning before food is thought to have a detox effect on the digestive system and a beneficial alklyzing effect on your body which became acidic overnight.
What is the mother in apple cider vinegar?
The mother found in unfiltered apple cider vinegar are thin brown strands of proteins and enzymes that give the vinegar it's probiotic power. You can buy apple cider vinegar filtered (without the mother) and unfiltered (with the mother.). The filtered version is more useful for housekeeping cleaning purposes, while the unfiltered version is best for consumption and more effectively supports body detox.
How much of this drink should I consume?
The recipe makes one cup or 8 ounces which is one typical daily serving of an apple cider vinegar and lemon juice drink.
Is it OK to mix lemon and apple cider vinegar?
Mixing lemon with apple cider vinegar helps make the ACV easier to drink, and boosts its vitamin C and immune-boosting content.
More Detox Drinks
- Ginger Shots
- Turmeric Shots
- Ginger Tea
- Ginger Juice
- Lime Juice
- Celery Juice
- Aloe Vera Juice
- Turmeric Golden Milk
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📖 Recipe
Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon Juice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar Use unfiltered version with mother.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple juice
- 1 cup water room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
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Instructions
- Fill a glass with water (1 cup/8 ounces). Make sure the water is not cold, but room temperature or slightly warmer.1 cup water
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar from your refrigerated bottle.2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of apple juice, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and a pinch of cinnamon.1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon apple juice, ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- Drink at once, or refrigerate for up to five days.
Storage
- Drink right away or refrigerate for up to five days. If storing and when ready to drink, stir again as ingredients will have settled.
Video
Notes
- Drink first thing in the morning: Drinking ACV and lemon in the morning as soon as awaking helps convert the body's less-desirable acidic state to the more comfortable alkaline.
- Drink on empty stomach. Drinking it on an empty stomach is said to more efficiently allow the body to absorb the nutrients and enzymes effective at detoxing.
- Drinking it before bed. A study actually shows that drinking apple cider vinegar before bed more effectively lowers blood sugar levels. I suggest asking your doctor which situation is best for you.
AudreyLover92
Does this have a very strong vinegar flavor?? It would have to be very diluted for me.
Dee Dine
I don't find the vinegar flavor too strong, probably because the cinnamon actually sweetens. But since the taste will be subjective, you probably will want to be ready to add more water. The recipe calls for a cup; you will benefit from the drink even if you double the water.
Bernard Duckworthth
I drink 2 to 4 ounces of the following every morning. 1 part apple cider vinegar, 2 parts purple grape juice, and 4 parts apple juice. (Once called jogging in a jug) I have been doing this since 1990, and have never experienced and bone joint problems. I still walk 3 three miles 4 to 6 times a week. I will be 83 years old 19 August 2023.
Dee Dine
Thank you for sharing this! Wonderful combo!
Donnova Kinlaw
This is a morning and night 4 oz drink which equals to 8 oz for each day. I rinse my mouth each time with mouth wash. Woohoo!
Lorraine Knight
This is DEFINITELY a laxative! I used to have trouble with Constipation on A DAILY basis. Please keep the HELPFUL hints and information coming...
Dee Dine
Sure! Yellow dragon fruit works too!
L. P. L
What about local grown honey
being used instead or added to lemon juice?
Dee Dine
Keep the lemon juice, but use the honey instead of the apple juice.