Many people tend to drink water while they eat. However, this seemingly harmless habit can lead to serious health consequences.
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Never Drink Water While You Eat
The consumption of water during meals interferes with the digestive process. An improper digestion can cause many health problems, including bloating, irritability, indigestion, heartburn, insatiable cravings, headaches, lethargy, and depression. Here is why you should never drink water while you eat.
Drinking Water during Meals Disrupts Your Ability to Digest Foods and to Absorb Their Nutrients
The first phase of the digestive process begins in your mouth. The food you eat should get ready for digestion by up to 25% in the mouth itself before entering the stomach.
This task is accomplished by your teeth. When you chew the food properly, there is a production of sufficient amount of saliva, which easily moves the food into your stomach without causing any obstructions.
The saliva substitutes the function of the water since it consists of 98% water and 2% digestive enzymes.
A sufficient production of saliva is essential for promoting a proper digestion and nutrient absorption. Also, the saliva is helpful in destroying certain types of bacteria that are found in the food you consume.
When you drink water during your meals, a lower amount of saliva is produced. The reduced production of saliva and the increased intake of water hamper the digestive process.
On the other hand, when you chew the food properly, the saliva combines with the food and enables it to move freely into the stomach, which makes the digestive process easy and complete.
When the chewed food reaches your stomach, there is a production of digestive enzymes and gastric juices, which play a key role in the digestion of the food.
If water enters the stomach along with the food, it dilutes the digestive juices. This will impair the completion of the digestive process.
The water will be absorbed through the stomach walls until the substances are concentrated enough for the digestive juices to act. When this occurs, the concentrated substances will be thicker than the food, and there wouldn’t be a sufficient amount of gastric juice to break it down.
As a result, the undigested food will be absorbed through the stomach wall, and it will enter your system.