A lot of people are confused by exactly how and when to consume ACV. So, I did a little research and figured out how to use apple cider vinegar on keto diet.
Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 8 ounces of water, stir and drink every day, first thing in the morning. You can also use it in your cooking, baking, salad dressings, and protein shakes to disguise that strong vinegary taste. I reveal 2 more drink recipes and 2 salad dressings below.
Apple Cider Vinegar is a fantastic, natural way to increase ketosis in your body and is especially important if you’re just starting a ketogenic diet.
There is also evidence to suggest taking 2 tablespoons of ACV immediately before a meal can help with digestion by increasing the acidity of your stomach. This results in your body creating more of an enzyme called pepsin, which breaks down protein.
Drinking apple cider vinegar daily helps regulate your glucose levels and reduces your overall blood sugar, resulting in improving your body’s insulin sensitivity, which is your main goal when on a ketogenic diet.
Here’s how to make some of my favorite apple cider vinegar drinks I learned from Thomas DeLauer and when best to drink them throughout the day. (Recipes below)
Morning Kickstarter ACV Drink
Reduce nerve and joint pain by drinking this first thing in the morning. It also helps with overall circulation and digestion.
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ juiced lime
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- Add stevia to taste
- 10 – 12 ounces of water
Night Detox ACV Drink
This drink is best consumed immediately after eating your evening meal.
- 3 or 4 frozen strawberries
- 1 full lime squeezed
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Add stevia to taste
- 8 – 10 ounces of water
Slightly defrost the strawberries and mash with a fork at the bottom of your glass. Add the juice of one fresh squeezed lime, 2 tablespoons of ACV and 8 to 10 ounces of water.
Low-Calorie Apple Cider Vinegarette Salad Dressing
Another way to consume apple cider vinegar if you absolutely hate the taste in the drinks I’ve mentioned above is by using it as a base in salad dressings.
This simple 5-minute recipe stores nicely in the fridge for about 5 days and makes ¾ of a cup (approximately 8 servings).
- 1 small shallot
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp natural honey
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
Puree the shallot, oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a blender, immersion blender or mini food processor until smooth (30 seconds). You can also add oregano and garlic powder to change things up from week to week.
Store this salad dressing in the fridge and shake well before using.
Keto Apple Cider Vinegar Creamy Salad Dressing
If you want to move away from using mustard or dijon mustard as a base for your salad dressing recipe, then you will love this keto version.
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ tsp grated fresh lemon peel
- ¼ tsp poppy seeds
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Put all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend for about 30 seconds or so.
Once everything is well mixed, pour into a mason jar or salad dressing bottle and refrigerate for 1 hour. Shake well before serving.
This recipe yields about 14 servings and can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Additional Thoughts
Whichever way you decide to consume apple cider vinegar you can be sure you’re getting a lot of benefits in lowering your blood sugar levels and increasing your weight loss efforts by staying in ketosis longer without all those wild carb cravings.
One very important thing I should mention about ACV is that it’s very strong so don’t ever just take a shot glass and consume a shot or two, you’ll just end up choking.
Trust me, it’s not pretty.
Keep in mind, there are a lot of different brands of ACV to choose from but not all of them are created equal.
When choosing an apple cider vinegar you want to make sure it has these 4 characteristics in order to have the full benefits.
- Organic
- Raw unfiltered
- Unpasteurized
- With the “Mother” (A biologically active component that helps with digestion)
The best quality of Apple Cider Vinegar I have found and one that you can get just about anywhere like grocery stores, health food stores, supplement stores and definitely Amazon is a brand called Bragg.
Currently, Bragg offers three different sizes of its apple cider vinegar ranging in price from $4.99 to $40.96 depending on where you get it from.
- 16oz $4.99
- 32oz (1Quart) $5.28
- 128oz (1Gal) $40.96
One last thing, pay attention to the expiry date on the side of the bottle. Even though I have never found an expired bottle of Bragg on the shelf it is something to watch for.
And, just so you know, it’s normal to have brown particles floating around in the bottle, that’s the residue and pectin known as the “mother”, which is very beneficial and can improve insulin sensitivity, balance stomach acid and give your immune system a boost.
