A 2004 study published in Diabetes Care found that taking apple cider vinegar (ACV) right before eating a carbohydrate-rich meal improved the body’s insulin sensitivity. While this was a small study, it is one of several that indicates vinegar can help Type 2 diabetics control blood sugar spikes.

For diabetics eager to use every tool in the arsenal towards the goal of staying healthy, ACV could be an easy addition to daily meals.

What Is Best Kind Of Apple Cider Vinegar?

ACV is made from fermented apples. It has a pungent, sour taste almost reminiscent of the fruit from whence it came, a strong vinegar smell, and a slightly sparkling feel on the tongue. If you are just looking for a little help controlling your blood sugar, you may be able to use the pasteurized ACV found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. However, ACV also has other portended (though possibly unproven) benefits, such as:

• Weight Loss
• Restoring Gut Bacteria
• Improving Digestion
• Lowering Cholesterol
• Fighting Cancer

All of which are usually attributed to ‘the mother’ or bacteria that helps create the ACV during the fermentation process. For this good stuff, you’ll want to get unfiltered, unpasteurized ACV.

How To Take It?

Since ACV is a vinegar, it can cause nausea and upset stomach when taken undiluted. Plus, a little bit goes a long way. Most studies only use about a tablespoon of ACV to determine the effects.

To help counter the stomach problems, try mixing a tablespoon of ACV with a glassful of water. Drink it right before you eat each meal to reap its blood sugar control benefits. If you find that the taste is still off-putting, you might mix in a little artificial sweetener or honey.

Some people also like to use it in a homemade salad dressing, such as the kind by DebS #2 at Food.com. Shake together a 3:1 ratio of olive oil to ACV, with a little added water, honey, salt, and pepper. This mix is tasty on a salad topped with apple slices, goat cheese, and walnuts.