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Can You Drink White Vinegar Straight? (Quick Facts)

Vinegar, which stands for “sour wine” in French, is very famous as a shared kitchen ingredient worldwide for thousands of years. White vinegar is considered the strongest among all kinds of vinegar as it is capable of containing up to 20% acetic acid.

White vinegar, also known as distilled or spirit vinegar, is made up of around 4-10% acetic acid and 90-95 percent water.

With having a pure, crisp, intense flavor, white vinegar is known as a great preservative. It is also commonly used for cleaning, gardening, household needs like baking, cooking, and one or two teaspoons of white vinegar is perfect for salad dressing.

This sour wine has also a beneficial role in human health as it is used for weight loss, weed control, and lowering blood sugar and cholesterol.

Can you drink white vinegar straight?

No, you can’t and should not drink white vinegar straight. White vinegar is an aqueous solution of water and acetic acid that is used for cooking, cleaning, and mainly as a preservative. As it has a good number of acids in it, drinking white vinegar straight can lead to various health issues.

Is it ok or bad to drink vinegar straight?

When the question arises whether it is ok or not to drink vinegar straight, the answer will always be negative.  White vinegar has 4-10% acetic acid in it and is capable of containing up to 20% of acetic acid. It is never safe to drink that amount of acetic acid directly.

White vinegar has a high density of acetic acid in it. This distilled or spirit vinegar is harmful and not okay to drink straight for humans. People can only use white vinegar in making salads, cooking, gardening, baking, cleaning, preserving foods but it is harmful to direct oral usage.

Drinking white vinegar straight can harm various organs as it contains acetic acid. When you are drinking the vinegar directly, the acids present in the vinegar harms your teeth very badly, it erodes the enamel of your teeth.

With having a very low pH level, 2.5, you can see how acidic white vinegar is, and it can affect you very badly if you just drink it straight, without using it on something.

Keeping the health risks in mind, it is safe to not drink white vinegar straight. 

What happens if you drink white vinegar straight? 

When you drink white vinegar straight, it causes much harm to your body, sometimes slowly, and sometimes it does not take time to show the symptoms of side effects.

The possible outcomes of drinking vinegar straight are:

Destroying teeth:

Many dentists believe that “prolonged contact” between teeth and acidic foods or drinks, such as white vinegar, can cause enamel erosion.

The thin outer layer of a tooth’s enamel is called enamel. Drinking white vinegar straight every day might even cause your teeth to be super sensitive and cause pain and discoloration of teeth.

Bad digestion:

Vinegar contains a modest quantity of acetic acid, which irritates the stomach and causes a loss of protective mucus in the intestines, paving the way for ulcers, gastritis, and vitamin b12 deficiency.

A portion of white vinegar every day also causes unwanted side effects, such as not keeping food in the stomach. Many individuals felt nausea and indigestion after drinking white vinegar directly in the morning, although vinegar can reduce hunger.

White Vinegar intake is now thought to play a role in the development of cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract because it causes alterations in the cells that line the stomach.

Causing burn:

Drinking vinegar may sometimes cause significant internal burns in children, as any quantity of acid can damage a child’s delicate body.

Causing problems in the blood circulation and hormones:

The Acetic acid of white vinegar stimulates the thyroid gland to draw phosphorus from the adrenal glands, counteracting acetic acid’s effects.

Adrenal gland function is harmed when phosphorus levels are low in the blood.

Can you get sick from drinking vinegar?

The question of whether you can get sick from drinking vinegar depends on the amount you are drinking.  If you drink a limited amount, it is not a problem at all, rather it has some health benefits. But if you drink it regularly, it is a matter of concern.

Drinking too much vinegar can create a bad effect on your stomach and create problems like diarrhea and nausea.

It has been found that vinegar is responsible for delaying gastric emptying, which means the ability of your body to move food from the stomach into the intestines. This can make you sick.

How much white vinegar is safe to drink?

Vinegar is powerful and good to use with some caution. A little amount of vinegar is enough for health purposes, but when it crosses the limit, it becomes a health risk. This safe amount of vinegar also depends on your tolerance.

Maximum 2 tablespoons of vinegar per day are considered safe for general people. 

Drinking vinegar with water also limits the harm, if you have gastroparesis, you need to drink a maximum of 1 tablespoon of vinegar with water. If you have allergies to vinegar, you should avoid drinking it.

Can you drink white vinegar to lose weight?

With 4-10% acetic acid and 90-95% of water, white vinegar is known for cleaning, baking, cooking, and preserving foods. It is also said to help in burning weight, but is it really useful for weight loss? Yes, drinking white vinegar can help you lose weight.

A study has found that by drinking white vinegar you can digest quickly, and your calorie intake decreases by 200-270 calories a day.

If you can eat less by drinking distilled white vinegar before your meal, you can lose weight.  White vinegar consumption slows down the process of emptying the stomach, and that’s why white vinegar works as a weight loss agent.

Which vinegar to drink for weight loss?

ACV or Apple Cider Vinegar is considered the best vinegar for losing weight.  Apple cider vinegar is made from apple in a two-step fermentation process where acetic acid is the cider’s main element.

A study done on Japanese obese people shows that the people who consumed 1 tablespoon(15ml) apple cider vinegar for 12 weeks, lose 1.2 kg weight, and those who consumed 3 tablespoons(30ml) lost 1.7 kg.

So, 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with water before a meal every day can lead to weight loss.

Can I drink white vinegar instead of apple cider?

The main differences between the two kinds of vinegar are that one is made from fruits, and the other one isn’t. In cooking, you can use both kinds of vinegar. But when it comes to drinking and health purposes, apple cider vinegar is much healthier than white vinegar.

Raw, organic, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar has the ‘mother’ enzyme in it which contains vitamins and minerals that make this vinegar healthy.

White vinegar might be better for cleaning, cooking, gardening, but for health purposes, AVC is better to drink. So, you cannot drink white vinegar instead of apple cider.

Can you drink vinegar with water?

Yes, you can drink vinegar with water. Vinegar has a 2.5 pH level, which determines how acidic it is, you should not drink it directly. Drinking vinegar alone might damage your tooth enamel, inflame your stomach and create health issues.

To prevent these problems and keep yourself healthy, you should drink vinegar with the perfect amount of water. It is much safer and better than drinking vinegar straight.

How much vinegar should you drink a day?

Vinegar is the fermented form of 4-10% acetic acid and 90-95% water, which makes this a lot acidic. Too much vinegar consumption per day might have side effects and can be very risky for your health.  So, it is better to avoid large consumptions and instead have small doses.

It is considered that the regular doses of 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) to 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) every day stirred in a glass of water before a meal is safe and healthy.

Which vinegar is the healthiest?

While there is still an argument over whether apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar is the healthiest, balsamic vinegar wins the game.

Balsamic vinegar is a dark, concentrated, and intensely flavored Italian vinegar made from grapes. The antioxidants found in this vinegar target the toxic ‘scavenger cells’ to maintain lower cholesterol levels. 

Balsamic vinegar supports healthy digestion and improves gut health. It is also good for weight loss. This anti-glycemic vinegar is said to be diabetics friendly and good for blood circulation.

Final Thoughts:

Drinking white vinegar straight is not a wise decision as it contains acetic acid, which is harmful to the skin and organs. Drinking white vinegar directly, our oral organs, teeth, throat, and stomach hurts. So, we should avoid drinking white vinegar directly to prevent these health issues.