The Water debate

sapphirewind

I always drink water before or with meals. This helps me eat my food and also I hear that you fill up faster if you have some water beforehand. Not sure how true that is. However, being in Korea.... people here drink water AFTER their meals as it is believed to hinder digestion. I've only known one person here who drinks water at lunch when I do. Well which is true? Or which is better for you overall? I am at a loss.

Lounmoun

I always drink water with my meals and have never had digestion problems. I have never heard that it could cause a problem.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/digestion/faq-20058348/
According to that link, water aids in digestion during or after a meal as it helps to break down food and soften stools. So it doesn't seem like it would make a difference when you drank your water.
I do think drinking water before or during a meal can help you eat more slowly and eat less.

lemurcat12

It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.

queenliz99

Saltine crackers are ridiculously hard to eat without something to wash them down with. OP, I'm going with cultural for you.

jdhcm2006

lemurcat12 wrote: »

It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.

Agreed.

Need2Exerc1se

If water with a meal hindered digestion wouldn't that make soup rather unhealthy?

I always have water with lunch and have never had any digestive or GI problems.

mkastner95

Try, if you don't already, drinking water throughout the day. That can help curb your hunger and stop snacking too.

2snakeswoman

My preference is to drink water between meals, not with them. I don't care which is better for me.

Be_Lively

I drink water before, during and after all of my meals. I drink it all day long.

KiwiAlexP

I don't drink water with meals at all - I feel slightly ill if I do. Instead I drink in between meals

DorkothyParker

I would only drink a little bit of water with meals when I lived in Korea, to wash my mouth, y'know. I tend to drink a lot between meals but not necessarily with meals. But again, this is dependent upon my intake throughout the rest of the day.

I estimate my intake at ~100 oz plus a couple cups of coffee.

mgookin1

It doesn't matter when I drink water as long as I meet my goal of at least a hundred ounces a day. Sometimes I will drink before I eat if it has been less than an hour before I last ate just to see if it's thirst air hunger.

lisashea55

I think one of the reasons some advocate for not drinking with a meal is because it is very easy to use the water to swallow food before it has been well chewed. I was under the impression that digestions begins in the mouth. Chewing food very well and having it mix with saliva reduces the amount of work that the stomach has to do because the enzymes begin the breakdown of the food. If you chew food well enough you technically should not get thirsty. I have tried chewing 20 to 30 times and I found that I didn't need to wash down my food with water. On the other hand when I am famished, I barely chew and often need to chase with water.

bpetrosky

There's no single answer or best way when it comes to water with meals. It just comes down to personal preference and habit, and the prevailing cultural norms in some countries.

It's certainly NOT true that drinking water in reasonable amounts during a meal will affect digestion in any meaningful way.

Theresa_1973

I have a problem with choking, so I need to drink with meals - it also helps me feel full quicker...

EvgeniZyntx

It depends. (It really doesn't matter.)

But if the idea is to improve digestion and reduce hunger then some water may help. Ideally, satiety is affected by how much volume we have in our stomach and how viscous the meal bolus is.

(see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680687/)

So the answer is both, neither and it depends on the meal. It water improving viscosity? Reducing it?
(Seriously, is this a problem?)

tl;dr - it doesn't really matter.

rhtexasgal

I started paying attention to whether I drink or not during meals because I truly did not know! I find myself not drinking much during a meal but rather afterwards. I don't think it matters - personal preference.

ReaderGirl3

I usually drink diet soda with meals, water and tea in between. OP, like the others I'm thinking it's a cultural thing?

DaddieCat

I drink water all the time... independent of my eating schedule. Which means I tend to drink while eating and in the times between as well.

*Shrug* I like liquid.

MommyMeggo

If Im thirsty I drink. If Im not I dont.

cwolfman13

lemurcat12 wrote: »

It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.

yup