Health 101: Is drinking water during meals healthy?

It is very common that people drink water during meals. Some people enjoy drinking water while eating. Or others believe that drinking water during meals will help them digest better. However, drinking water while eating has a lot of negative effects.

Five negative effects of drinking water during meals

Digestion problems

When water is mixed with food, it is very difficult for the acids in the stomach to digest properly. In this case, the stomach is less effective at breaking down and absorbs the nutrients from the food. Another important thing to understand is that when there is extra water in the stomach, it can cause the fats and oils in the food to cling together which prevents absorption.

Producing disease

The stomach may produce more acids, which could result in heartburn, one type of gastric acid reflux disease. Drinking water will weaken the gastric acid that the stomach produces. People who have low gastric acid, it will also lead to incomplete digestion.

Interrupting the work of the saliva

Another way to help the stomach digests better is the saliva. If water enters while eating, it will do the digesting instead of the saliva. According to studies, saliva will not only help the food digest fasters, but also kills germs while people are chewing.

Feel weak and tired

People who drink water during meals, they could also feel weak and tired especially after a meal that contains a lot of carbohydrates and fats because of the contracting of the stomach muscles.

Increase of blood sugar and gas problems

Other problems that could develop while drinking water during meals are increase of the blood sugar and gas problems.

As stated in the pervious article, "How drinking water affects your health, " the best time to drink water is before meals or at least one hour afterward. If people plan to drink water before a meal, it is best to drink at least 10 to 15 minutes before the meal starts. Drinking water before meals will also help wash out all the leftovers and acids in the stomach before new food enters.