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The Water debate

sapphirewind
sapphirewind Posts: 55 Member
in Debate Club
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.

Replies

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    edited March 2016
    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
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Saltine crackers are ridiculously hard to eat without something to wash them down with. OP, I'm going with cultural for you.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.

    Agreed.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    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
    mkastner95 Posts: 1 Member
    Try, if you don't already, drinking water throughout the day. That can help curb your hunger and stop snacking too.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    My preference is to drink water between meals, not with them. I don't care which is better for me.
  • Be_Lively
    Be_Lively Posts: 145 Member
    I drink water before, during and after all of my meals. I drink it all day long.
  • KiwiAlexP
    KiwiAlexP Posts: 186 Member
    I don't drink water with meals at all - I feel slightly ill if I do. Instead I drink in between meals
  • DorkothyParker
    DorkothyParker Posts: 618 Member
    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
    mgookin1 Posts: 72 Member
    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
    lisashea55 Posts: 1 Member
    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
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    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
    Theresa_1973 Posts: 51 Member
    I have a problem with choking, so I need to drink with meals - it also helps me feel full quicker...
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    edited April 2016
    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
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    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
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    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
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    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
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    If Im thirsty I drink. If Im not I dont.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.

    yup
  • Budjola
    Budjola Posts: 148 Member
    12 cups a day, no matter how you spread them as long as u take it. dont take it before bed tho
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.


    Spot on. When we were kids it was an old wives tale. Supposedly, water shortly before a meal "dilutes digestive juices" so you don't digest food properly and run the risk of becoming underweight.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    Budjola wrote: »
    12 cups a day, no matter how you spread them as long as u take it. dont take it before bed tho

    Why 12 cups a day?
  • chellekoren
    chellekoren Posts: 273 Member
    So I was having sever gastritis for a time and they suspected acid reflux and for THaT reason, I was advised to drink after meals not before so the food doesn't rise up. I never understood it because I always figured the food would sink either way. Anyway, that's one thing. It was hard because for dieting reasons, I always drank a glass of water before I ate to fill me up faster.
  • ericatoday
    ericatoday Posts: 454 Member
    Idk. All i know is i drink it all day before during and after every meal. I drink 9-12 cups a day.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Water is good for us, doesn't matter when we drink it. I sip it most of the day and more when I'm eating.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's probably cultural and does not matter. I can't eat without having water or something else to drink.


    Spot on. When we were kids it was an old wives tale. Supposedly, water shortly before a meal "dilutes digestive juices" so you don't digest food properly and run the risk of becoming underweight.

    I was told this as a kid too. Also I think "Dr" Jillian McKeith used to spout this nonsense, which is a fair indication that it is total rubbish.

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