It’s recommended you take one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per day to get the full weight loss benefits.
These should also be spread out throughout the day, particularly before meals.
Mixing it in with water is a popular way to take it, but many people dislike the taste of it.
But rather than missing out on its proven health benefits, there is another way you can take it – virtually taste-free.
Apple cider vinegar tablets are available to buy, and are consumed like any other tablet – down in one followed by some water.
Taking it in tablet form means the sour after taste is also eliminated.
But is taking apple cider vinegar in tablet form the same as drinking it?
Natures Plus Nutritionist Martina Della Vedova, reckons it is exactly the same.
She said: “Apple cider vinegar tablets contain the same nutrients as the liquid, according to the Health Services at Columbia, but the quantities may vary from brand to brand.
“Personally I prefer to go for the live, unpasteurised and organic option. The unpasteurised and unfiltered options have naturally present minerals which are pre- and pro-biotic metabolites, which have a positive impact on our gut function.”
Nutritionist Cassandra Barns doesn’t have a definite answer, as most studies on apple cider vinegar seem to have been done with a liquid vinegar rather than tablets, but her instinct is that tablets would not be as effective.
She explained: “This is because apple cider vinegar’s main effect when it comes to weight loss seems to happen in the stomach: it’s been found to slow down emptying of the stomach, which then slows down the absorption of sugars from your food into your blood. This can help you feel fuller or more satisfied for longer and help with blood sugar control, which could then aid weight loss.
“But if you take a tablet rather than the liquid, it could take a while to break down in the stomach, by which time some of what you’ve eaten and drunk has already left the stomach and is being absorbed.”
Apple Cider Vinegar tablets are available from a range of stores, including Holland & Barrett and online.
Hannah Moffatt, nutritionist at Holland & Barrett, said: “Apple cider vinegar has been reported to aid with facilitating weight loss due to its inclusion of trace vitamins and minerals. Minerals such as chromium may aid with the control of blood sugar levels, leading to a cravings or feeling the need to snack.
“It has also been reported that the use of the apple cider vinegar may make us feel fuller which may help us with not over eating at meal times to reduce our calorie intake. Other trace minerals and vitamins such as B vitamins may aid with regulating metabolism to also facilitate weight loss. There are other benefits to the use of apple cider vinegar such as possibly lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, as well as the health of the digestive tract.
“In the liquid products a lot of these will be unpasteurised and will contain the component called ‘the mother’ which can make the product more potent to facilitate the benefits. Some tablet forms may also contain this product to aid facilitate the benefits described above.
“The liquid form may also have a more soothing effect on the digestive tract instead of using the tablet form if you have digestive issues. Neither the liquid or tablet form has been shown to be more or less effective in weight loss, however it should contain the mother to promote the highest benefits.”
Too much apple cider vinegar though can cause these side effects.