On television shows about healthy food, they often say that eating and drinking at the same time is prohibited. Some experts explain that water dilutes our stomach acid.
Others think it makes us fat. And some people even think that water pushes undigested food from the stomach! Can ordinary water be so harmful to us?
We finally decided to find out the truth about drinking water while eating and what is simply a myth.
What Happens To Food And Water In The Stomach?
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The digestion process begins exactly when we are thinking about our future food: saliva is produced in the mouth. When we chew food, we mix it with saliva that contains the enzymes necessary for digestion.
Then, the softened food enters our stomachs, where it mixes with stomach acid. On average, it takes 4 hours for the stomach to digest food before turning it into liquid or chyme.
The chyme goes deeper into the intestine, where it provides all the nutrients to the body.
The water does not remain in the stomach for long. It takes about 10 minutes for the stomach to move 10 ounces of water.
Therefore, if you drink while eating, the water does not form lakes in your stomach. It passes through chewed food very quickly, hydrates, and leaves the stomach quickly.
Liquids Don’t Decrease Acidity
Our body is a complicated system, but very well adjusted. If the stomach “feels” that it cannot digest something, it produces more enzymes and increasesthe acidity of the liquid inside.
Even if you drink half a liter of water, it will not influence the acidity level. By the way, water also enters the stomach with food. For example, on average, an orangeconsists of 86% water.
By the way, studieshave shown that some foods can reduce stomach acid levels, but they return to normal very quickly.
Liquids Don’t Influence The Speed Of Digestion
There are no studies demonstrating the misconception that liquid pushes solid food into the intestine before it is completely digested. Scientistssay that liquid leaves the body faster than solid food but do not influence the speed of digestion.
So, Can We Drink While Eating?
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If you drink while eating, it won’t hurt. Rather, water helpssoften solid food. But do not drink before swallowing food: there must be enough saliva in the food that contains the necessary enzymes.
There are certain advantages to drinking while eating. Research shows that when a person takes short breaks to drink some water, it slows down the eating process. As a result, people eat less, which is good.
If you’re used to having tea with food instead of water, there’s nothing wrong with that, either. Research shows that there is no difference in acidity levels after drinking tea or water.
The temperature of the water you drink does not influence the speed of digestion or the amount of nutrients it receives.
Do you ever worry about drinking water while eating? What do you think of this topic? Let us know in the comment section below!
