"Apple Cider Vinegar"

Review

A few vinegar pills probably won't hurt you or your baby, but they won't do one bit of good in helping you lose weight either. By Elizabeth Somer , MA,RD

Question:
I had a baby 6 months ago and would like to lose some weight. I know that if you're nursing, you're not supposed to diet. I have been eating healthy foods high in nutrients, and I have lost a little weight. Would it be harmful to the baby if I started taking apple cider vinegar pills to help with weight loss?

Answer:

March 12, 2001 -- A few vinegar pills probably won't hurt you or your baby, but they won't do one bit of good in helping you lose weight either. This old diet fad dates back to the 1970s, when a combination of apple cider, kelp, vitamin B-6, and lecithin was touted as the miracle cure for weight loss. The rationale for this concoction was that it tricked your body's metabolism. According to the claims, lecithin emulsified body fat, B-6 metabolized the loosened fat, kelp supplied iodine to stimulate the thyroid gland to manufacture more thyroxin to speed metabolism, and vinegar supplied potassium. Like salad dressings where oil and vinegar don't mix, this was supposed to help rid the body of fat.

There is no scientific basis, or even rational reason, for any of these claims. For example, a teaspoon of vinegar contains only five milligrams of potassium, a meager amount compared to the 400 milligrams in a cup of grapefruit juice. Swallowing more iodine will jump start a thyroid gland only if you are deficient in this mineral (you'll know if you are iodine-deprived because you will have developed a goiter, or an enlargement of the thyroid gland). When people lost weight on this regimen it was because they also followed the accompanying low-calorie diet. Like all the other diet fads, from starch blockers and collagen products to herbal diet teas and hydroxycitric acid (HCA), the vinegar pills fit most or all the criteria of a useless gimmick:

They promise to melt away fat.
They promise fast and effortless weight loss.
They promise weight loss greater than one to two pounds a week.
They focus on one or a few foods and limit or exclude whole food groups.
They are based on pills or "secret formulas."

Save your money and follow the advice of thousands of people who have not just lost weight, but maintained the weight loss. Consume daily a wide variety of nutrient-packed vegetables, fruits, whole grains, extra-lean meats and beans, and nonfat milk or yogurt. Watch your portions, and, most importantly, exercise each day. You also are right about not dieting while breastfeeding. It took nine months to gain the weight during your pregnancy. Plan to begin your weight-loss plan after you've stopped breastfeeding, and give yourself at least nine months after that to regain your figure.