- 1. Effects of Drinking Water While Eating
- 2. Less Than Optimal Digestion Process
- 3. Insulin Increase
- 4. Drinking Water During Meals? Pay Attention To The Toxic Build Up!
“If there is magic on earth, it is contained in water. But being careful is also about being mindful.”
Water is precious. But it still has the ability to combine with a wrong diet and destroy your health over the time. And that’s the reason why Ayurveda recommends refraining from drinking water during meals. It disturbs your digestive system and also messes up the body’s nutrient absorption process.
Should You Drink Water When You Eat? 4 Surprising Reasons Why Not…
1. Effects of Drinking Water While Eating
Water keeps getting absorbed by the surface walls of your stomach and thick gastric juices start to form thereafter. As a result, you experience heartburn and the digestion slows down. Even cold beverages leave the same effect as cold water during or after your meals. However, you can drink a glass of warm water after an hour of having your meals.
2. Less Than Optimal Digestion Process
Is drinking water while eating bad? The practice does more harm than good for your body as it causes indigestion and bloating along with nutrient malabsorption. According to several experts, drinking water during meals makes you feel full and helps control the intake. But, is that all worth the side effects? Ayurveda doesn’t think so!
3. Insulin Increase
Drinking water during meals also causes your insulin levels to increase. So to avoid this spike, drink water only later on. If you feel too thirsty during meals, you can have more soups and daals in your meals, as well as include hydrating ingredients like cucumber and zucchini in the food.
4. Drinking Water During Meals? Pay Attention To The Toxic Build Up!
Drinking water while eating interferes with and reduces the ability of your body to produce enough digestive enzymes. This hinders your metabolism. And that leads to a lot of toxic build up (known as ‘ama’ in Ayurveda). This build up eventually also dries up your saliva and causes excessive cramping in severe cases.
When Should You Drink Water During Meals?
Several Ayurvedic experts have spoke about the negative effects of drinking water while eating. It also leaves a cooling effect to make the person obese over the time. But if you must, then have a glass of warm or at least room temperature water, so that the water quenches your thirst and also helps in breaking down the food particles.
If your food is plain and simple, you must avoid drinking cold water during meals as much as possible. However, if you are having something that’s very spicy, salty, too sweet or too sour, you can surely have a sip or two!
Concluding Words…
It’s interesting to note that drinking water before, during or after the meals can actually moisten the food and soothe the digestion. But here’s the catch – drinking water helps only when there isn’t excessive consumption of it, and if the temperature of the water is maintained at either room temperature or higher. Gulping in larger amounts make you feel full or even bloated at times, just like having large portions of meals. But, a controlled intake can also prevent overeating and regulate your diet!
Note: This article is solely for the purpose of sharing information. Please do not substitute it for professional medical advice. Ingredients discussed can interfere with certain medications. So before using anything to treat yourself, always consult your doctor.
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