Should we drink water before,with or after food?

tasman11
tasman11 Posts: 79
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
Should we drink water before,with or after food? Do explain its affect on health and specially if your on a strict diet!

Replies

  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
    I say drink water before and during eating, this will help you feel full faster and will keep you full longer. If you are on a strict diet, this will help you keep to that diet as you won't be hungry as much.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    Drinking water consistenly throughout the day is so important! I wrote a piece on it a few months ago.

    http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/01/lets-be-clear-or-at-least-light-yellow.html
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    It is a good trick to drink a glass of water before eating, as it can help fill you up. As for any other benefits, I'm really not sure. I just drink when I'm thirsty, which is like all the time. I dehydrate easily so it's no problem for me to drink 13-14 glasses of water everyday.
  • evangpattismith
    evangpattismith Posts: 57 Member
    i've always heard drinking a glass of water before a meal helps you not to eat as much because it helps you feel fuller....but i don't do that unless i'm at a resteraunt waiting on food.....lol..... do drink water during my meal though....
  • TBirdGirl
    TBirdGirl Posts: 96 Member
    YES.... (aka All of the Above)

    Doesn't matter when so much as just making sure you drink it during the day.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    All of the above. Before, prevents you from mistaking thirst for hunger as you are learning or relearning proper body signals, during to help you pace yourself as you eat and prevent over eating, after because it does help aide in digestion, it also allows some carbs and fiber (pastas rice, ect) to "puff up" a bit more allowing you to feel full longer
  • kaytonp
    kaytonp Posts: 15 Member
    Drinking water during and after eating will dilute stomach's acidity and may cause indigestion. Your body might not be able to absorb as many nutrients as well.
  • candiland85
    candiland85 Posts: 2
    You should drink water before, during and after you eat and inbetween eating. Drinking water is key to weight loss and the more water you drink and leave out the sugar filled drinks like soda and other beverages the better you will feel. I used to drink Sprite alllllllll the time. Now I really only drink water and I love the way I feel! Energized! So water is good to drink at all times versus any other drink.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    Drinking water during and after eating will dilute stomach's acidity and may cause indigestion. Your body might not be able to absorb as many nutrients as well.

    Please site a source for this, because I have yet to have a physician or nutritionist go any where near saying that
  • Compass04
    Compass04 Posts: 24 Member
    Drinking water during and after eating will dilute stomach's acidity and may cause indigestion. Your body might not be able to absorb as many nutrients as well.

    Please site a source for this, because I have yet to have a physician or nutritionist go any where near saying that

    I don't have a source for that but I can say that I have heard that same statement from a nutritionist a few years back. What this lady told me is that people should drink water no less than 30 minutes before eating and some amount (I don't remember that length of time) after eating. Her reasoning was because of the digestive enzymes in our saliva which helps us break down food and absorb more of the nutrients in our food. By drinking water we are washing away those enzymes and making the process of breaking down food harder on our system.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/digestive.html#

    http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/salivary+digestion

    So instead of saying "Im a dental assistant and had to study this" I decided to pull a scientific version and a lay-mans version

    Saliva is produced from the salivary glands by them smell of food and more so during the process of chewing and the sensations of food touching the taste buds. Saliva is dumped into your mouth by mutiple glands but 3 major ones exist that are where most notice their saliva coming from. Drinking water before during or after eating has no effect on saliva production (dehydration will cause you to produce less of it). Saliva then travels down the throat with the food aiding in digestion and breakdown in the stomach. Water does not cause the enzymes to die or "dilute" acid actually kills these enzymes. Water is a very necessary part of digestion. It is also a very necessary part of oral health, whether you brush once or 4 times a day drinking water helps rinse remaing food particles and enzymes off your teeth, because if left in your mouth they break down into sugars, which bacteria on your teeth eat (yep naturally occuring bacteria) and the bacteria poop out acid which destroys both the enzymes and your tooth enamel. Enzymes do not prevent or destroy the natural bacteria. water does help rinse them out of your mouth though
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    in a word: yes
  • SKP1986
    SKP1986 Posts: 392 Member
    I drink water all the time... before, during, after. In my diary it usually says I drink 9 glasses, but I almost always have more than that.
  • Bridget28152723
    Bridget28152723 Posts: 372 Member
    :bigsmile: hey there , congrats on exceeding your goal!!! BTW I read for a woman to have a 4 pack she needs to get under 10 % body fat, so you are almost there!
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    :bigsmile: hey there , congrats on exceeding your goal!!! BTW I read for a woman to have a 4 pack she needs to get under 10 % body fat, so you are almost there!

    where did you read that? because I was researching female body fat percentages the other night and anything under 17% is considered unhealthy
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