When I found myself coming across multiple blog posts about the health benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar, I decided to give it a try. (Make sure you buy the organic, raw, unfiltered kind — I purchased mine from Bragg.)

I told Paul about my plan and he made a face — he’s very supportive of my healthy endeavors as long as I don’t force him to join in. When the bottle arrived in the mail, I walked into the kitchen the next morning and found this note waiting for me:

(Funny guy!)

I left the bottle on the kitchen counter for a few weeks while I tried to get up the nerve to actually use it. I happened to mention this predicament to my mom in an email and received this response from her:

I have been using Bragg’s for 3 or 4 years now! I stumble into the kitchen and pour 2-3-4 tablespoons in a glass of water FIRST THING every morning. I drink it down and go about my business. I’m used to the flavor of it and look forward to it. You can add a touch of raw honey or REAL maple syrup to make it more palatable (both are also good for you).

I used to have really bad heartburn EVERYDAY. Now I seldom have it and if I do it’s mild. Hard to believe I used to eat Tums every day, as bad as they are for you! I’m sure it’s helped with my feet swelling, too. They’ll get puffy when it’s hot and humid but not double in size as they used to. Vinegar has so many medicinal values.

Well, that was enough of a recommendation for me to give it a try. The first day, I put 1 tablespoon in a cup of cold water and found it to be very strong — I sipped it for a while and ended up adding more water to my cup several times to make the taste less noticeable. I know it’s something I have to keep drinking if I ever want to get used to the taste, so I was determined not to give up.

(As a word of warning, ACV is very acidic, so you shouldn’t drink it straight — which means there’s no “getting it over with” quickly.)

I tried it again this morning, adding just 1/2 tablespoon to my regular cup of water this time, and it was fine — I didn’t have to add any more water, at least. You can add honey or another sweetener to make the taste more palatable, but since I’m doing the Whole30 this month, all sweeteners are out. I had a second cup later with another 1/2 tablespoon of ACV — I’m sure that I’ll gradually build up to drinking more as I get used to the taste.