Drinking While Eating: Yes or No?

JosieRawr

Drinking directly after eating does cause food to pass through your system faster. If, say, there was a funnel filled with apple sauce, the drip would be very slow. If you poured water on top of that applesauce, the drip would be much faster.

I would drink before your meals if you're concerned about it and give a short grace period after if you're concerned about it, but it really isn't a big deal. It's mostly a problem with people who have had bariatric surgery.

About this... might be relevant if your gastric system has been altered to something that resembles a funnel(I agree with the part about surgery ), but I don't think that the sphincters(sp?) care.

kimny72

Thanks for the kitten!

Just because something isn't important, doesn't mean it isn't interesting to discuss. I'm curious about everything.

I do suspect that for survival purposes, your body is able to tell the difference between a stomach full of food and a stomach full of water, so I have never given much credence to the water before a meal thing. Honestly I think if you believe it works, it's at least a trick to keep you listening to your body's signals.


i have to take sips of water while I eat, otherwise I feel like my mouth and teeth get icky. But I have heard that some people take in more air when they sip water while they eat, so it can make them gassy and bloated.

So I think they are both "tricks" to help you eat slower and therefore eat less, and if either one helps a person with that, awesome!

Cherimoose

I don't drink water 30 minutes before eating or 30 minutes after eating (or during) because drinking water will dilute the sulphuric acid in your stomach, which will reduce the efficiency of your digestion.

You mean hydrochloric acid. It also functions to disinfect food, so drinking a lot with meals could theoretically flush germs out of the stomach before they have had a chance to get killed by the acid. That's why i rarely drink a lot when i eat out. Call me paranoid, but i almost never get food poisoning.

Need a good trick for eating less? Put the fork down, get your butt up and go do something!!! You can't stuff your face if you're not near food. :bigsmile:

Also chew slowly.. like 20 times per bite. Only swallow liquids, if you know what i mean.

Kitten-free post.

ahoy_m8

That's awesome. The kitten was great, but this made my day. Thanks!

wellthenwhat

For me, eating a meal without drinking water is would be miserable. My family are big water drinkers. Once after a soccer game we visited some people with rather small cups. I drank 7.