No, apple cider vinegar isn't the health holy water it's cracked up to be.

I’m a sucker for a health fad. From Meat-free Monday to Sunday Fasting, I have munched down on turmeric lattes, gluten-free bread and wholemeal pasta.

In recent months, I’ve become a staunch convert to the Apple Cider Vinegar Club. I was put onto it by a fellow health-nut.

“You have to try it,” she said. “It’s like a miracle cure. It literally fixes everything.”

As a millennial with a vanity-induced preoccupation with my health, I did what anyone would do, and jumped onto Google for a bit of my own self-diagnosis.

Hot dang, Pete Evans! This apple cider vinegar seemed like the Real McCoy.

All across my social media accounts people were singing the praises of the opaque vinegar, with one girl I know even taking a small portion with her on holiday…

The #seasons are changing, kids are back in school and now its the #perfect time to pull out that #braggs #acv #teamnocolds as soon as you feel that #scratch in your #throat or hear that #baby #sneeze drink 2 nice tblspoons for adults 1tblespoon for #kids 1/2tblspoon for young #toddlers #feelbetter #immediately

A photo posted by Natural HairCare (@sbchealthyhairlounge) on Sep 18, 2016 at 8:18am PDT

It seemed like the benefits of ACV (yuh, that’s shorthand) were infinite. Among others:

• Fights diabetes
• Aids with digestion
• Helps you lose weight
• Lowers cholesterol
• Promotes glossy, healthy hair
• Tones skin

Talk about a super food – this stuff was the nectar of the gods! Off I trotted to my local health food store, buying a bottle with great aplomb.

But then I tried it.

I’m kind of obsessed with apple cider vinegar and with this morning tonic that helps with digestion and detox. Check it out on Scout & Wiles – link in profile. . . #scoutandwiles #blog #restricteddiets #glutenfree #gritandvirtue #bloomyellow #solovelysofree #thatsdarling #darlingweekend #abmlifeisbeautiful #acolorstory #mycommontable #shoplocal #ibs #applecidervinegar #acv #tummyproblems #detox #digestion #iamwellandgood #peoplehopetribe

A photo posted by Emmi Scott (@emmiscott) on Sep 19, 2016 at 5:47pm PDT

Humming as I stirred through a tablespoon of the opaque liquid through a glass of warm water, I took in a deep breath and gulped down a mouthful. Almost immediately, I gagged and spat out the vinegar mix. WAIT, WHAT?

It’s bitter and burns and sits like grease on water on the top of your stomach. Even holding my nose and singing show-tunes in my head, I still struggle to get it down each morning.

While #health isn’t meant to be delicious, I cannot tell you how excited I was to read this article on how apple cider vinegar is potentially a crock of sh*it.

Do you also pray at the Fake Food Fads altar? Watch Monz hilarious (fake) interview with Pete Evans.

Refinery29 locked in Kim Larson, RDN and spokesperson for The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics in the US, to lay rest to the myth of the crazy curing power of apple cider vinegar.

“Apple cider vinegar has long been part of folk remedies. [But] there is very little research on it to show it cures the ailments that it is touted to cure,” she explained.

Hmm.

So it won’t help with digestion, weight loss, cholesterol, or shiny shiny hair?

“These are simply old wives’ tales that get perpetuated. There’s no one food that will bring health or prevent disease; the best way to improve health is by eating a healthy diet and getting physical activity into your life every day,” Kim said.

*Shots fired* (Post continues after gallery.)

What’s worse, Kim reckons that excess or undiluted apple cider vinegar concentrate can actually cause you very real damage.

“[It’s] a powerful acid that can erode teeth and irritate and burn tissues in the mouth and esophagus,” she says.

via GIPHY

Nutrition website Superfoodly goes as far as to suggest that too much apple cider vinegar can lead to ‘acidosis’, a condition where there is too much acid in your body fluids.

“Depending on severity, this can affect your vital organs (cardiovascular system, kidneys, liver, pancreas, insulin levels) and many other parts of your body. There is a large amount of research which suggests an acidic environment promotes tumor growth.”

Yikes.

But before you go tipping that $17 bottle of apple cider vinegar down the drain – wait. There is definitely a silver lining to this hideous sham.

Apple cider vinegar, just like most fruits and vegetables, is highly acidic. However once they’re inside your body and you metabolise them, they promote alkalinity, aka good PH levels. This is due to the metabolic and chemical processes which take place to break down and digest them.

In addition, apple cider vinegar is full of prebiotics, which are basically like fertiliser for healthy gut bacteria.

So there you go. Depending on how much you worship the golden liquid, you’ll either be very happy or very disappointed by now.

As for me? I’ll still drink it.