Things You'll Need
Glass
Apple cider vinegar
Lemon or pure lemon juice
Cinnamon
Raw honey
Tip
Add a dash of cayenne pepper to the mix to help reduce blood pressure, increase your metabolism and add a spicy kick to the drink. [3]
Apple cider vinegar with flaxseed or olive oil, a dash of sea salt and a splash of lemon juice also serves as healthy and tangy salad dressing. [1, 2]
If you're mixing lemon juice and vinegar in the kitchen, you're probably whipping up a detox drink or trying to balance your pH levels. Apple cider vinegar has long served as an all-natural detoxification agent; in addition to packing vitamins and minerals, its acetic acid content cuts through toxins and bolsters circulation -- but has traditionally been taken by the spoonful, like bitter medicine. Mixing the time-tested elixir with lemon juice and other common ingredients makes vinegar more palatable, and you'll pick up a few additional health perks along the way.
Step 1
Add about two spoonfuls of organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to a glass of water. [3, 5] In addition to detoxing, apple cider vinegar aids weight control by stabilizing blood sugar and helps ease digestive discomfort. [1, 2]
Step 2
Squeeze or pour in pure lemon juice, in an amount equal to the vinegar. Lemon juice packs vitamin C and also helps your body regulate its pH levels. [3, 5]
Step 3
Sprinkle in a spoonful of cinnamon. Cinnamon not only lends the drink a warm, spicy flavor, it offers plentiful antioxidants and helps normalize blood sugar levels. [3]
Step 4
Stir in honey -- another antioxidant-packed addition that gently sweetens the drink --- [4] until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Take this drink every morning to help encourage healthy pH balance, or drink the mixture three times daily -- about 20 minutes before each meal -- for two weeks as part of your detox routine. [3, 5]
- Dr. Frank Lipman: Seven Reasons to Love Apple Cider Vinegar
- Lauren Conrad: Tone It Up: Five Reasons Your Body Needs Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dr. Axe: Secret Detox Drink Recipe
- Care2: 10 Health Benefits of Honey
- YouTube: Drink This Every Morning! -- Lemon Juice and Apple Cider Vinegar by Lee Hayward
- Slate: When Life Gives You Lemons, Put Them in Everything
- Gaiam Life: Five Natural Detox Drink Recipes
Crystal Mercado
Crystal Mercado enjoys writing and began writing professionally in 2010. She holds a vision-care assistant certificate and focuses her writing toward the dispensing of eye-wear. Mercado is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Miami-Dade College.