Lemon and ACV for Weight Loss - Does it Work?
You have probably heard many stories how drinking lemon and ACV can boost your metabolism, reduce bloating and help burn more fat.
But is any of that true? Could apple cider vinegar and lemon really help you lose weight? Should we add honey, or not?
Let’s explore what this drink could realistically do for you.
Table of contents
When it comes to weight loss drinks, one ingredient is always on duty - apple cider vinegar. This simple ingredient is often praised for its weight loss and detox effects.
Though most claims are very exaggerated, there is some scientific evidence that ACV could help with weight loss. This can happen in several ways:
Reduces appetite
Slows down the digestion of carbs
Helps regulate blood sugar
Could help burn more fat
Most notably, consuming ACV can really reduce your appetite, but this works by making you feel nauseous. So it is not a responsible way to reduce appetite, though it works.
You can find more detail about the scientific evidence behind these claims, in this article.
To summarise, the evidence that vinegar can help you lose weight in any other way, than making you nauseous, is not rock solid at the moment. But there are indications that this could be the case.
Some studies indicate, that vinegar can help lower BMI, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, body weight, and even reduce waist circumference. The precise mechanisms how this happens are still not fully understood.
This article discusses the science behind the ACV health claims in much more detail.
Adding lemon juice to apple cider vinegar, does not bring any real weight loss benefits. Lemon juice water can help stimulate your digestion, but so could ACV. Combining the two does not bring additional weight loss benefits for most people.
However, what some freshly squeezed lemon juice can do, is add vitamin C to the mixture. According to research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, vitamin C is important for your ability to oxidise fat during exercise.
So if you are low on vitamin C, a squeeze of lemon juice in your drink could help with fat loss.
There is no good reason to combine lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
Most people like to combine lemon juice and ACV to boost their metabolism and detox their liver. But in reality, this does not really work.
Still, there are two reasons why you may want to try this:
Adding lemon provides you with extra vitamin C. This could help some people burn more fat.
It can improve the taste of the drink.
So don’t expect too much. Feel free to leave out the lemon juice if you want to.
Honey contains sugar. It does not help you lose weight. On the contrary, it can make you gain weight. So why do people add it to weight loss drinks?
Weight loss drinks can be quite disgusting, and people are looking for ways to make them more drinkable. So they often add honey. This does add sugar, but can also have potential health benefits.
The honey here is completely optional, and the drink should be more effective without it.
The number one reason this drink could support weight loss is that it makes you feel nauseous and in this way helps you eat less. So if you add honey, this will counter some of the effects of the vinegar and the drink becomes significantly less effective.
Now, if you are curious if lemon juice and ACV will work for you, here is a recipe you can try.
This lemon juice and apple cider vinegar recipe is easy to prepare. The addition of honey makes this just good enough to drink, without being too sweet.
Ingredients:
1 cup of water (lukewarm if possible)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey (optional)
How to prepare:
Combine all ingredients in a glass and stir.
Once the honey is dissolved, the drink is ready.
Expert tips and tricks:
To lower the sugar content, try stevia for example.
Use raw honey if you can.
For a vegan version, use maple sirup instead of honey.
Make this recipe more effective by adding herbs or spices, such as mint or cayenne pepper.
Consume within 24 hours, because the lemon juice will lose its vitamin C over time.
Instead of lemons, you can use lime juice.
The main problem when taking ACV and lemon for weight loss is its horrible taste. For many people this is an obstacle they can not overcome. One solution to this is to add honey or some other sweetener to the drink, or alternatively to prepare another apple cider vinegar drink (see below).
At the end, if you have tried this drink and you don’t like it, maybe it is not for you. There are many other drinks that could help with weight loss, like green tea, mate, and white tea.
To make this drink even more effective, you could use lukewarm water, instead of cold. This should help stimulate your digestion and decrease bloating.
For even better results, don't add honey. If you can drink this unsweetened, at least.
The main problem with this drink is that it is quite acidic, which can be bad for your teeth and sometimes burn or irritate your throat and gums.
Here are a few things you can do to minimise the risk of side effects
To protect your teeth, drink through a straw.
Drink some water after finishing the drink and brush your teeth.
Most scientific studies on ACV use only 1-2 tbsp of vinegar per day. It is not well researched what effect higher doses can have on your health.
People with certain conditions, such as diabetes, should avoid this drink.
Do not consume if you have a sore throat, since the acid in the drink can burn your throat.
Yes, you can. Many people mix lemon and apple cider vinegar, because they believe it helps them lose belly fat and detox more effectively.
To avoid burning your throat, do not forget to dilute the mixture.
The most important thing is to dilute the vinegar and lemon in enough water. This is to reduce the risk of the acids burning your throat and causing irritation in your mouth.
It is even better to use a straw when drinking and rinsing your mouth afterwards.