We are all accustomed to drinking while eating, although we have often heard statements that it is harmful. If we delve deeper into the study of the issue, it turns out that the opinions of experts differ significantly. What is actually the best thing to do – drink food or not, and what happens to our body with different approaches? So, let’s know why to drink water half an hour before meals
Water is necessary for digestion since the work of the digestive tract is built on the constant absorption and release of water by different organs. When eating dry food, the stomach will take water from the intestinal mucosa and mouth, in turn, the body will have to take liquid from the blood, and thick, viscous blood leads to big health problems.
Water Before Meals:
If you drink 200 ml of warm water thirty minutes before meals, your stomach will cope with digesting food faster, and you will also be able to eat a smaller portion.
There is no need to be afraid that water will dilute the gastric juice so much that the stomach will not cope with its work – water does not mix with hydrochloric acid, but quickly runs past. To even slightly change the pH of the stomach, you will need to drink four liters of water, which is almost impossible to do.
Drinking Water During Meals:
During eating, a lot of saliva is produced, which is necessary for digestion. Gastric juice destroys most bacteria that enter the body with food. If you drink some warm water at this time, the stomach will contract and digest the food perfectly until it can pass further into the small intestine. We emphasize, a little and only warm! Why can’t you drink as much as you want while eating?
A large volume of water in the stomach during meals will interfere with the production of gastric juice and bile, which will inevitably lead to slower digestion, because the enzymes that are involved in the absorption of food will not have time to be produced. No matter what you eat, without proper digestion, your body will accumulate toxic waste.
Not only a large volume of ordinary water interferes with digestion, but also alcohol and carbonated drinks since they dry out saliva. Cold water causes stomach cramps and also slows down the digestion process.
How To Drink Water Before and After Meals:
Domestic physiologists explain the harm from drinking large amounts of water while eating as follows:
- The amount of air that a person swallows while simultaneously ingesting food and water increases many times, which leads to bloating.
- Due to frequent swallowing, a person chews food poorly, large pieces are slowly digested, and this leads to constipation and fermentation of food debris in the intestines, which often results in the development of gastritis.
- If you drink food with cold water, your stomach may cramp and digest food poorly, which will lead to gas formation.
And, of course, people with already problematic digestion do not need to wash down their food with water.
Conclusion:
You can drink food, but only with warm water and in a volume not exceeding 200 ml. The human stomach is shaped like a large bean, consisting of several sections. In one of them, called the greater curvature, the food eaten is located and digested, then in a liquid state it enters the lesser curvature and flows down it into the intestines. It is at this moment that people become thirsty because for digestion the stomach uses moisture from the body, and if its loss is not replenished, the body will take water from the blood.