Does apple cider vinegar help with bloating?
Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Caley Scott, ND
If you’ve ever dealt with bloating before, you know firsthand how uncomfortable it can be. Bloating can leave you feeling disempowered, distracted, and not fully like yourself. Whether it’s taking extra trips to the bathroom or just struggling to fit into your favorite pair of pants, a bout of bloating can throw you off for hours or days at a time.
It’s no wonder why so many people are now looking for reliable ways to combat the bloat and everything that comes with it. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is one of those possible remedies, but does it really work?
Because Sunmed takes a holistic approach to health and wellness, we’re always looking for ways to make your body and mind feel better.
We’re here to figure out if ACV does the trick for reducing bloating and other forms of gastrointestinal discomfort. We’ll look at the science behind ACV and its acidic components and help you decide whether to add it to your routine. We’ll also offer some tips to safely consume ACV and recommend some other ways to handle bloating in a sustainable way. Let’s begin.
What really causes bloating?
Bloating is a catch-all term that refers to uncomfortable feelings of fullness and swelling in the stomach and abdomen. For some, it’s caused by poor digestion, which results in gas accumulation, constipation, and other related symptoms. For others, bloating might result from fluid retention, which could indicate issues related to hormones, metabolic health, and or excess sodium in the diet.
Because bloating has so many possible causes and interconnected issues, it can be hard to pin down exactly what’s going on — and therefore determine a fix. Gastrointestinal issues are common in our modern world, and bloating is just one of many issues to contend with.
That’s why we recommend taking a big-picture view of health as you seek solutions to problems like bloating. You may discover on your journey that something bigger is at play, whether that’s digestive issues, stomach acid imbalances, or even a buildup of harmful gut bacteria in your microbiome.
Thankfully, there is scientific evidence that suggests apple cider vinegar may help with these concerns and more. As we explore the benefits of ACV and talk about how to harness its power, remember that bloating is just one piece of a bigger puzzle. More importantly, when these issues are resolved, ACV may help you unlock higher levels of health and wellness overall.
What is apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is a popular ingredient made from fermented apple juice. Through a process of double fermentation, producers use the juice from fresh apples to create a substance with a unique composition and many beneficial health properties.
ACV isn’t your typical cooking vinegar that might be called for in a recipe book. The flavor is more complex and layered, and the compounds contained in each tablespoon are living and thriving. Along with acetic acid, which gives ACV a distinctive sour taste and smell, it is loaded with other acids, minerals, vitamins, and digestive enzymes.
Unfiltered and unpasteurized ACV also contains a biomass of bacteria and cellulose called “the mother,” which separates from the liquid during the fermentation process. It holds some of the most potent health benefits that ACV is known for, including beneficial bacteria that support the digestive system.
While taking any form of apple cider vinegar is better than nothing, we recommend looking for the purest, organic, and unfiltered version available. The price is low, and a little goes a long way. Our goal today is to pinpoint the benefits of ACV for bloating, but this superfood can do so much more, including helping in weight loss, metabolic health, and beyond.
How does apple cider vinegar help with bloating?
ACV might seem like an odd thing to keep in your cupboard, but if you’re dealing with bloating on a frequent basis, it might just be the remedy you need.
ACV might help with digestive discomfort through a number of different pathways. For starters, the high acetic acid content of the vinegar can support healthy digestion and absorption. That’s because the compounds work in cooperation with your natural stomach acid and enzymes to pack a one-two punch for digestion, whether it’s before, after, or during a meal.
Even if your digestion process is generally smooth, a bit of ACV can support the process and help your system work efficiently.
ACV also contains probiotic properties, specifically with help from “the mother.” This bacterial mass helps propagate the “good bacteria” in your gut microbiome, which for many, is ground zero for gut issues and the many problems related to bloating.
When your gut is working properly, everything in your body just runs better. Now, more than ever, the scientific community is making new connections on the importance of gut health, with ACV commonly cited as a source of support. A balanced gut allows you to better absorb the nutrients in food, combat indigestion, and may even have a positive impact on mood and cognition. This prebiotic powerhouse is one of the core benefits of apple cider vinegar you shouldn’t overlook.
Finally, ACV shines as a way to maintain balanced blood sugar and keep mineral stores — including potassium levels — in check. This combination of natural hydration and metabolic regulation is key to your health, whether your aim is to lose weight or just deal with carbohydrates properly.
To sum it up, there’s no single way in which apple cider vinegar helps with bloating. It’s the synergistic nature of all these benefits that add up to something bigger! Besides, just one tablespoon of ACV can give you these health benefits and more, so why not make it part of your daily routine?
How should you take apple cider vinegar to help with digestion?
The upsides of apple cider vinegar are plentiful, but how should you actually take it to get the benefits we’ve outlined? Let’s be real — it’s not a very appealing proposition to drink apple cider vinegar, especially if you don’t like harsh sour flavors.
To help you make the process more palatable and stick with your regimen, here’s an example of an average day with apple cider vinegar as part of your balanced diet.
In the morning
You wake up, and your body needs real hydration, fast. As you reach for your morning glass of water, mix in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to wake up the body and jumpstart digestion after a night of rest.
What’s better than waking up to a natural remedy that helps your digestive tract start moving and supports your blood sugar levels? Add some lemon juice for an added boost of vitamin C and maybe some CBD tincture for energy, and you’ve got an amazing morning mixture to start your day on the right foot.
With meals
After your morning ACV and water, you’ll likely feel fewer cravings for carbs or sugar. But eventually, you will need to satisfy your appetite with a healthy meal. In this case, you can use ACV in one of your go-to recipes, whether as a marinade, a dressing, or a smoothie ingredient.
Using ACV before meals can boost satiety, making you desire less food. Alternatively, a post-meal ACV drink like tea can support digestion dramatically, helping you get on with your day comfortably.
There are so many ways to incorporate ACV as an ingredient in your favorite recipes, so don’t hesitate to experiment with the traditional approach to cooking! ACV is surprisingly versatile, and you often don’t even notice the harsh flavor when mixed with other ingredients. If you don’t like drinking ACV with water or other beverages, simply make it part of your whole food diet and keep things simple.
Before bed
When bedtime rolls around, you might feel stressed and bloated after a long day of work and digestion. You aren’t alone — many people experience the peak of their digestive issues right when they’re about to wind down for the day. As you might have guessed, it’s the perfect time to bring some ACV into the mix.
You can return to your go-to mixture of water and ACV for some day-end hydration, or better yet, mix ACV with an optimized evening tea. Herbal blends like lavender or chamomile will naturally relax the body, and ACV will add some tang and soothing benefits.
To make your evening concoction even more effective, consider adding some hemp extract tincture with CBN. This “sleepy cannabinoid” will prime the body for sleep and make your end-of-day routine much more enjoyable.
How else can you alleviate bloating and its effects?
While there are many benefits to ACV, a single serving of apple cider vinegar isn’t going to eliminate bloating in the blink of an eye. Instead, you need to adapt an overarching strategy for health and well-being that applies to all areas of life, not just relying on a single ingredient.
To help make bloating a thing of the past, here are some additional tips that will improve gastrointestinal health, comfort, and everything that goes along with it.
Diet and hydration
Apple cider vinegar supplementation falls under the diet and hydration category, but that’s just one aspect. Your goal is to find the diet that makes sense and feels good for your body, with digestive health as a primary part of your decision-making process.
This might mean cutting out certain foods that consistently leave you feeling bloated or constipated, even if you love eating them. Also, hydration is part of the deal here, and not just drinking more water. You need vitamins, minerals, and other natural elements to go along with the fresh water that your body requires for electrolyte balance and signaling.
Lifestyle adjustments
Bloating is often accompanied by lifestyle issues that can be fixed with some planning and intention. If you’re sedentary for most of the day, aim to get at least 30 minutes of movement to jumpstart the system and get things moving. Try stretching and other types of conscious movement that will free up the body and improve digestion from within.
Sleep and recovery are other points of focus in the lifestyle department. Fix your circadian rhythm if it’s out of sync, and know when to hit the brakes regarding stress and work-related goals.
Remember, everything in the body and mind are connected, so get to the root, and you’ll see improvements in your gastrointestinal wellness over time.
Herbal remedies and CBD
Nature has so much to offer for our health and well-being, from digestive support to bloating relief. Check out remedies like dandelion root and chamomile to accompany your ACV intake and get more from phytochemicals in general.
Meanwhile, cannabinol and other cannabinoids can soothe your system and minimize some of the discomfort that comes from bloating. Be sure to use CBD intentionally and take a measured approach to any compounds that may boost your appetite.
THC-V is one compound that can help with appetite management, so we made it the central focus of our Trim line of hemp extract products. ACV and full spectrum hemp go hand in hand, provided you have the right formula that supports your goals.
The bottom line
There’s a lot to like about apple cider vinegar, from supporting digestion to balancing the gut microbiome and regulating blood sugar. We offered plenty of convenient and tasty ways to make ACV a part of your day, and gave some simple tips to get more from the compound with CBD and others.
While there might be an intimidation factor when trying ACV for the first time, that wears off quickly when you experience the benefits for yourself and develop a taste for it. Sunmed is here to help you master health and wellness, and ACV is definitely part of the formula.
Sources:
Apple Cider Vinegar for Digestion. What’s the Deal? | CDHF
What Apple Cider Vinegar Can (and Can’t) Do for You | Health Essentials
The Short-Chain Fatty Acid Acetate in Body Weight Control and Insulin Sensitivity | NIH