Drinking Water Before, After Or During Meals

This is a question which has confused all of us for years. Some say drinking water after meal interferes with digestion then there are others who say drinking water before or during meals is not a healthy habit.

Water is certainly great for our health and we need to drink plenty of it but when it comes with meals, timing can play an important role.

So as my glass of water sat and waited for the right time I started exploring when to pick it up. The thing with Google is it will give you 10 benefits of drinking water after a meal and 10 benefits of not drinking after a meal. So before I lost my trust in Google I settled down on two approaches- Ayurveda and modern research. What does these two suggest?

But before that let’s see how does our digestive system actually works?

The Basics

Digestion starts in our mouth, as soon as we start chewing our food the salivary glands start producing saliva. The enzymes in saliva help break down the food and soften it. Once in the stomach, food is mixed with the gastric juice, which further breaks down the food to produce a thick liquid known as chyme.

Chyme moves to the small intestine. In the small intestine, chyme gets mixed with digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile acid from the liver. These further break down the chyme.

Nutrients are then absorbed as the chyme travels through the small intestine. Only a small portion remains to be absorbed once it reaches the colon. The nutrients once absorbed in the bloodstream are sent to different areas of the body.

Digestion ends with leftover materials being excreted from the colon through the rectum. Depending on what we eat this whole process takes anywhere from 24 to 72 hours.

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What Does Ayurveda Say?

Drinking Water Before Or After A Meal

According to Ayurveda, our stomach’s digestive strength is called “Agni”. Before we have our meals we need this strength to be high to have a good digestion. Having water before a meal weakens “agni” by diluting the digestive juices and the digestive power is weakened as water is a coolant.

The weakened digestion leads to indigestion, flatulence, weakness and even emaciation. Even if you take medicines before meals and need to drink water with them make sure you have it 30 minutes before your meal.

Ayurveda also recommends not having water after the meals. Drinking water after meals also weakens “agni” and renders the digestive enzymes ineffective. This practice can be harmful in the long run as this habit prolongs the digestion time. The body absorbs more fat and it causes toxin accumulation in the body.

The chances are you might become obese by following this practise regularly.

Drinking Water During Meals

The third option i.e. drinking water along with meals can actually be beneficial says Ayurveda. Drinking in between meals softens the food and help it break into smaller and finer particles. This aids digestion and also helps quench thirst in between meals.

However, this does not mean that you drink a glass full of water. Try taking small sips in between and make sure your water is either room temperature or luke warm. Drinking cold water along with meals is not recommended in Ayurveda as it weakens the digestive power.

This can also cause acid reflux or hiatus hernia. Also avoid consuming any aerated drinks, coffee or tea during meals.

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The Verdict

So as per Ayurveda drinking room temperature or luke warm water in small amount in between meals is beneficial. However, you should avoid drinking immediately before or after meal. You can drink small amount of water 30 minutes before or after the meal. If you need to drink a lot of water wait for at least 1 to 2 hours after your meal. (1)

What Modern Research Says?

Drinking Water Before Meals

Researchers from the University of Birmingham claim that drinking 500ml of water 30 minutes before meals can help obese adults to lose weight. Obese participants were recruited from general practices and observed for 12 weeks. 41 of the participants were asked to pre load on water 30 minutes before meals and 43 were asked to imagine that they were full before the meals.

Those in the group instructed to 'preload' with water lost, on average, 1.3kg (2.87lbs) more than those in the control group.

Those who reported preloading before all three main meals in the day lost 4.3kg (9.48lbs) over the 12 weeks, whereas those who only preloaded once, or not at all, only lost an average of 0.8kg (1.76lbs).

Drinking Water During Meals

Many experts claim that drinking water with a meal reduces digestion by diluting digestive enzymes. However, this reasoning is logically flawed as this means our stomach cannot adjust to the consistency of our meal which is false. We can digest solid as well as semi-solid food equally well. (2)

Another myth related to drinking water during meals is that it reduces the meal contact time with stomachs digestive enzymes as the food passes quickly through the intestines as the water increases and this results in poorer digestion.

A study which analysed this fact shows that although liquids move faster through the digestive system than solids but this does not affect the digestion speed of solids. (3)

Drinking water during meals help break down food and helps it move through the system smoothly.

Drinking during meals also makes you pause in between and observe your fullness and hunger signals which prevent overeating.

Research also says that drinking water during or before meals improves metabolism, reduces appetite and calorie intake. (4)

Drinking Water After Meals

A lot of experts recommend not to drink water just after a meal as it causes acidity and indigestion due to dilution of gastric juices. However, having a small amount of water 30 minutes after the meal is fine. (5)

Again drinking cold water is not recommended after meals as it reduces the digestive power.

The Verdict

Thus, according to modern research and experts drinking water 30 minutes before or after meals is not a problem. However, as far as drinking along the meals is concerned it is considered beneficial.

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Bottomline

So, we had a look at both Ayurvedic and modern research on the issue and finally, we can put an end to the never-ending confusion. Although there are some inconsistencies between the two approaches but we can reach the conclusion that drinking water in between meals is beneficial.However, before and after meals we should at least keep a gap of 30 minutes.

Lastly, it is a matter of personal choice. Thirst is an urge and you should drink water when you feel thirsty but if its a habit that you have formed over years and there is no relation to feeling thirsty it would be highly recommended you start changing those habits for a better digestion.

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