How To Sweeten Up Your Daily Apple Cider Vinegar Drink

By now, you probably know that you should be drinking apple cider vinegar every day. It's loaded with health benefits, from gut-friendly probiotics to essential vitamins and minerals. It has been shown to reduce cholesterol and is antimicrobial. But, it's also vinegar, so the prospect of slugging back something so profoundly acidic may not exactly be appealing. Luckily, apple cider vinegar needn't be taken in its unadulterated form; it can be mixed with other ingredients to mitigate its harshness, add flavor, and ramp up its nutritious and healthful properties.

Let's get sweetening apple cider vinegar out of the way first, as the overwhelming sourness can be a major hurdle. You could simply add a bit of sugar, but what's the fun in that? Sugar just adds staid sweetness. Rather, think about the incumbent flavor of apple cider vinegar, namely apple. A natural pairing is maple syrup, and a half teaspoon or so of the sticky pancake topper is all that you'll need for every one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, which is the recommended daily dose. In the same vein, an equal amount of honey can be used, and you'll get the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits it has to boot.

Outside of those conventional sweeteners, fruit and vegetable juice can also smooth out apple cider vinegar's rough edges. Consider doubling down on the apple or mixing it up with a bit of pineapple, mango, or even carrot juice for a burst of color and flavor.

Adding some extra sweetness to apple cider vinegar is a fairly straightforward proposition, but if you want to really transform the healthy practice, consider making it a part of a larger healthy beverage. Smoothies and juices can elevate and complement apple cider vinegar, making for a beverage that is as delicious as it is beneficial. Smoothies are a great way to pack loads of nutritious ingredients into an easy-to-consume package. Leafy greens, fruit, protein powder, and more can be quickly pureed together in a blender, and the combinations are limitless. Consider adding apple cider vinegar to smoothies that have plenty of fruit to offer a sweet balance to the tartness it brings. Honey or maple syrup can be worked in for a boost of natural sugar.

If you have a juicer, you likely know the joy of creating curious and appealing elixirs from the extracted liquids of fruits, herbs, and vegetables. Though the word juice conjures up a sweet liquid, homemade juices can be sweet, savory, spicy, and bitter all at the same time. Carrots, which create an earthy sweet juice, play well off apple cider vinegar, as do less-sweet cucumbers, which up the anti-inflammatory properties of the concoction. The moral of the story is to follow your preferences and aim for a beneficial combination when sweetening your dram of apple cider vinegar.