By Sushmita Sengupta



There has been a lot of debate on the time
and amount of water you should be
having before, with and after meals. A lot
of people have the habit of downing
umpteen glasses of water along with their
meals, perhaps with the intention of
washing down the food and hoping that
this aids the digestive process. However,
nutritionists across the world dismiss the
idea strongly. Various studies show that
the practice severely hampers digestion by
diluting the essential gastric juices and
causes an upsurge in insulin levels. The
issue here is three-fold: consuming water
before meals, consuming water alongside
meals, and consuming water after meals.
Renowned nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood says,
“It roughly takes two hours to digest
what you eat. The food goes through your
esophagus to the stomach, then to your
colon before being flushed out of your
system. There is a certain fluid-solid
proportion in our gastric system. If you
consume water before the meals, you are
not only disturbing the fluid component
by diluting what you eat, you are also
fastening the digestion process as the
food now enters the large intestine much
sooner than it should. Hence it is not
advisable to have water just before your
meal.”
She also strongly dismisses the idea of
having water alongside meals, as it not
only fastens digestion but also tampers
the natural absorption of nutrients after
digestion. “Some people who drink water
alongside meals have also shown a
tendency to have an expanded colon,” she
said.
Coming to the issue of drinking water
right after your meals, Dr. Sood notes the
ill effects, “Bydrinking water right after
your meals, you are again tampering the
natural time it takes for your food to
digest. This also makes you feel hungrier
faster than anticipated and results in
overeating andbloating.” She
recommends a 30 minute window both
before and after your meals. “In these 30
minutes, your system proceeds to the next
stage of digestion.”
Studies suggest that it is essential to
maintain some gap after your meals as
this helps in absorption of essential
nutrients too. Consuming water right after
the meal tends to dilute gastric juice.
Though, our stomach is adept at
absorbing water, but an excess intake of
water after meal dilutes enzymes that are
essential fordigestion. This is responded
by lesser secretion of digestive enzymes
that in turn can lead to heartburn and
acidity.
(Also Read:Benefits of Vajrasana: One Pose
to Solve All Your Tummy Troubles)
The hindered digestive process also leaves
behind a lot of undigested food behind in
the system. The glucose from this
undigested food converts into fat and is
stored in your body. This process leads to
the upsurge of insulin, which causes a rise
in the blood sugar levels of the body, and
can lead to diabetes and obesity.
Therefore, while it is important to keep
yourself hydrated and consume a
minimum of two litres of water every day,
you must also ensure you follow the right
time to gulp down the wonder liquid
https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/why-you-shouldnt-drink-water-immediately-after-meals-1672124

I don't know that...
Am save tho
I don't do that.
Yeah.

from what you're saying we shouldn't drink water before, during and after meal?? so when should we drink water? after the food has choked us to death??

emae009:
from what you're saying we shouldn't drink water before, during and after meal?? so when should we drink water? after the food has choked us to death??

it seems u eat too much