Why can't you drink cold water after meals? Why can’t you drink immediately after eating and is it always worth waiting an hour?

Many people have repeatedly heard that you should not drink water after eating, but only a few know why. Yes, of course, a person will not get sick if he drinks during or after meals, but this will add extra stress to the body. Liquids after meals, according to doctors, should be taken no earlier than 2 hours later, when the food has already been completely processed by gastric juice. Special attention Those who are watching their figure should pay attention to drinking liquid after meals, since it is the wrong drinking regimen that often prevents you from losing weight. overweight.

What liquid is harmful after eating?

Recommendations to avoid drinking liquid during or after meals are due to the fact that it affects the digestion process, but this concerns exclusively cold drinks. The body will only benefit from drinking a cup of warm or even hot tea. The human stomach is a very complex organ in which food entering the body is digested and in which water does not linger and almost immediately flows into the body. duodenum. She can't change her concentration gastric juice or flush food out of the stomach.

Damage to digestion will be caused if food is washed down with cold, let alone ice-cold, water or a drink. In this case, if it enters the stomach, even if short term, there is a multiple acceleration of food digestion. As a result, instead of spending the required 4–5 hours in the stomach, food is digested in 20–30 minutes and is sent to the intestines not in the most convenient state for absorption. In addition, due to such rapid emptying of the stomach, hunger returns almost instantly, and the person starts eating again, eating significantly more than he needs to live. As a result, excess energy accumulates in the form of fat deposits. It is for this reason that people who like to drink cold drinks after meals in most cases experience increased body weight. In addition, due to the fact that under the influence of cold drinks, food leaves the stomach while not yet in the most convenient form for digestion, there is a risk of developing the process of rotting food in the intestines. In this case, a person may experience causeless diarrhea and bloating. In the vast majority of cases, this process does not pose a threat to life, but it can significantly deteriorate the condition for a while.

It is precisely on the basis that cold drinks speed up digestion and cause hunger as much as possible. a short time after eating, the food system in fast food restaurants is based. The visitor consumes in large quantities in these places fatty foods and washes it down with an ice-cold drink. As a result, 3-4 servings are required to be completely satiated, which is undoubtedly beneficial for the seller and completely unhealthy for the eater. When visiting restaurants regularly fast food weight increases noticeably, and soon obesity turns into obesity.

Cold drinks also negatively affect protein absorption. The fact is that it does not break down into amino acids when washed down with cold liquid. Because of this, the benefits of consuming protein are almost completely lost, since the substances it contains remain in a form that the body is not able to absorb. Thus, from all of the above we can conclude that drinking food with cold drinks is harmful to health and is accompanied by:

  • constant feeling of hunger;
  • obesity;
  • improper absorption of protein.

You can drink cold drinks only 2 hours after eating.

Why is liquid while eating harmful?

While eating, drinking liquid (both cold and hot) is very undesirable. This is due to the fact that the digestion process begins in oral cavity. Under the influence of saliva, a number of substances are released from food, which are immediately absorbed through the mucous membrane of the oral cavity. When a person drinks at the time of eating, the concentration of saliva in the oral cavity rapidly drops, and it takes several minutes to restore it. As a result of this, by continuing to eat, a person loses a number of substances that are not released due to the low concentration of saliva.

How to drink before meals

Saying how harmful it is to drink food cold water, we cannot remain silent about how to drink liquids before meals. In order to get the maximum benefit for the body, 30 minutes before meals you should drink 1-2 glasses of water or any other non-alcoholic and unsweetened drink. In this case, the stomach will begin to adjust to work gradually, without immediately receiving a shock load from the fact that a large amount of food unexpectedly entered it. If a person takes any medications During a meal or after a meal, you should drink a glass of slightly sweetened water. This activates the production of protective stomach mucus, which will prevent negative impact on the organ of a chemical drug.

How much liquid can you drink after eating

The volume of liquid you drink after eating also matters. If there is too much of it, it will lead to excessive distension of the intestines, which will cause discomfort. Besides, excess water It may also be the cause of diarrhea, which turns out to be the body’s reaction to an unnecessary volume of water and will serve to relieve it. A small amount of water also negatively affects digestion. In such a situation, the food remains too dense and it is quite difficult for the body to move it through the intestines. Because of this, there may be pain syndrome of varying intensity.

The optimal volume of liquid after meals is 300 ml. In this case, the person gets completely drunk, the aftertaste from the food goes away, and the intestines do not get excessively stretched. It is best to drink unsweetened drinks after meals. Ideally, you should take your food with you green tea, which is especially good for the stomach.

Proper fluid intake after meals can prevent discomfort and set excess weight, and also ensures healthy digestion.

Water is the basis of life, and it plays a huge role in the human body. Therefore, doctors recommend drinking a sufficient amount of clean liquid throughout the day. But does it matter when a person drinks? Of course yes. It is important to know how long after eating you can drink water.

Why is it harmful to drink food, and what to do if you want to drink while eating

Many people have the habit of always adding water or juice to their food. In previous years, it was customary to wash down lunch with compote or tea. Scientific recommendations of the 40s of the last century were the need to consume one milliliter of water per calorie of food. However, modern nutritionists are against drinking. In their opinion, food should enter the body separately from liquid.

Is it harmful to drink while eating?

When a person eats dry food, he has to chew the pieces for quite a long time. This factor contributes to the release large quantity saliva, which contains a special enzyme that disinfects foods entering the stomach. In addition, well-chewed food is absorbed faster and more completely, which is also beneficial for the body. After all, the load on other organs is reduced digestive tract.

Many people are concerned about the question of whether it is possible to drink food at this moment? This is not worth doing. However, if you haven't drunk water beforehand, you may feel thirsty during your meal, especially if the food itself isn't very juicy. In this case, a small amount of water can help digestion. Remember that if there is a shortage water balance, may begin serious problems with the intestines. It is also important to drink correctly:

  • Drinking water during meals should be done in small sips;
  • You shouldn’t swallow water right away, you need to chew it and mix it with saliva, then it will have the most beneficial effect.

We must remember that you only need to drink water that has a temperature close to body temperature:

  • too cold will simply displace undigested food from the stomach;
  • will be hot irritant effect on its walls, preventing the process of breakdown of products.

After meal

Recent studies show that water drunk immediately after a hearty meal is not very beneficial for humans.

  • Food entering the stomach is broken down by gastric juice and the enzymes it contains. If water gets there at this moment, it reduces its concentration. The digestion process slows down. Without having time to break down completely, the food passes further into the intestines.
  • Due to the increase in digestion time, the load on all organs involved in the digestion process increases, as well as on the heart. With that said, is it okay to drink water immediately after eating?
  • Washing down food with too cool water or drinks from the refrigerator - juice, soda - is especially harmful. Such liquid quickly displaces incompletely broken down food from the stomach. Products that should be digested in it for several hours leave it much earlier - literally in 20-30 minutes. The feeling of hunger quickly returns, and the person snacks again. Therefore, people who wash down their food with cold drinks often gain excess weight.
  • Undigested food that enters the intestines is subject to putrefactive processes and gas formation. The body will not receive the necessary nutrients and energy generated by the breakdown of food. Moreover, the products of rotting through the intestinal walls will be absorbed into the blood, causing toxic effect and extra stress on the pancreas and heart.
  • Water, if drunk in the first minutes after eating, increases the volume of the stomach, as a result of which portions imperceptibly become larger, gradually leading to excess weight.
  • Even green or Herb tea, famous for his beneficial properties, will have an inhibitory effect on intestinal activity, delaying the reactions of food breakdown, if consumed immediately, without waiting some time after eating.

Does it have an effect on weight and weight loss?

Water is invaluable in the fight against excess weight. She dissolves harmful products metabolism that has a toxic effect and removes them from the body. Freed from toxins, systems function more productively. However, you need to know when exactly you should drink water.

Water, drunk before meals, approximately 20-40 minutes, has a positive effect on the body. Experiments have shown that it helps:

  • significantly reduce the feeling of hunger;
  • stimulate digestion processes;
  • remove remaining digestive juices from the stomach;
  • maintain normal water balance;
  • Satisfy your hunger with much less food.

A healthy morning habit would be a glass of water with a slice of lemon, drunk on an empty stomach. You can prepare the drink the night before so that it is imbued with citrus flavor and vitamins. It activates metabolic processes, helping to wake up. Many people are afraid to drink in the evening, fearing swelling. However, they may be caused by salty foods that retain water in the body.

How long after eating can you drink, what exactly and at what temperature?

Is it possible to drink water after a heavy meal? In answering this question, recommendations from nutritionists should be given. They are as follows. After the next meal, enough time must pass before you can drink any drinks. The completion of the digestion process depends on many factors, including the type of food and how it is prepared. Nutritionists recommend different time periods for different foods:

  • after fruits and berries you can drink within 30-40 minutes;
  • after fresh vegetable salads, 1 hour is enough;
  • If a “heavy” dish was served for lunch, you must wait 2-3 hours.

Drinks that are too cold should not be consumed in any case, as they have a negative effect on the body. It is difficult to get enough of your food when drinking such water or compote. This property human body used with great success by establishments specializing in food instant cooking. Only they strive to increase sales volumes, and not to improve the health of customers.

From this article you will learn:

  • Is it possible to drink after eating cold water
  • Is it harmful to drink water immediately after eating?
  • What kind of water is best to drink after meals and in what quantity?

Many people feel the urge to drink a glass of water after a hearty meal. But it is believed that doing this is harmful to health. It is recommended to drink one to two hours after finishing a meal. You will learn about how things really are and whether you can drink water after eating in our article.

Is it possible or not to drink water after meals?

Surely as a child, your parents taught you to wash down your food with tea or milk. The logic is simple: the liquid supplied with food helps soften it and improve the secretion of gastric juice. As a result, food digestion speeds up. It was also believed that drinking food with food could prevent bloating and improve intestinal motility.

There is another opinion: drinking water during lunch is not beneficial. The fact is that the incoming liquid dilutes the gastric juice, disrupting natural process digestion of food. As a result of improper digestion, various diseases appear.

Unfortunately, neither the first nor the second point of view is correct. Therefore, you should not listen to the advice of ordinary people.

To give a reasoned answer to the question of whether it is possible to drink water after a meal, let us turn to the opinion of professional doctors. After conducting various tests and observing patients, they came to the conclusion that it is possible to drink water during meals. However, you need to drink food in a certain way.

So, liquid can be consumed both during and after lunch. The water will not come into contact with the contents of the stomach in any way, because it is not just a container in which everything that goes in is mixed. Physiological structure This organ is such that the liquid almost immediately leaves the stomach along the longitudinal folds, going to the duodenum. No dilution of gastric juice occurs.

Even if we assume that the liquid has a detrimental effect on the processes of food digestion, that is, borscht would be harmful. However, in reality, everything is different: people who regularly consume liquid soups do not suffer from indigestion, they do not have stomach diseases or excess weight.

Still haven't decided whether you can drink water after eating? Yes, you can drink, and any time you feel the need for it.


However, it is worth paying attention to the temperature of the liquid you drink during meals. Russian radiologists during scientific research They came to the conclusion that if you wash down your lunch with cold water, then within twenty minutes the contents of the stomach will leave it. Despite the fact that in a normal situation, food should remain in it for four to five hours.


It is clear that in such a short period the body will not be able to decompose proteins into amino acids, and accordingly, their absorption will not occur. As a result, the poorly digested protein mass will go to the intestines, where the fermentation process will begin. As a consequence, there are various inflammations of this organ: colitis, enteritis, and also imbalance beneficial bacteria. Another unpleasant consequence of drinking cold water is that you will quickly get hungry. This type of unhealthy diet can lead to excess weight gain.

Is it possible to drink water after eating? Summarizing all that has been said, we come to the conclusion that you need to drink juice, water or compote before, during or after lunch. Just drink your drinks room temperature, not cold.

Is it possible to drink cold water after meals?


What could be wrong with your habit of washing down your lunch? As you know, the process of digesting food begins in the oral cavity with the help of saliva.

This special secretion contains enzymes involved in the breakdown. Chewed foods mixed with enzymes are easily digestible. When you drink water while eating, you disrupt this stage of the digestive process. Enzymes from saliva do not enter the stomach. As a result, it does not enter the body great amount useful substances.

In addition to the above, there are other negative consequences:

  1. Any cold liquid reduces the time it takes to digest food. For this reason, your appetite will constantly increase, and the number of calories you eat will increase.
  2. The body cannot absorb low temperature water: it sends it to the pylorus of the duodenum.
  3. Drinking cold water reduces your metabolic rate. As a result, the body cannot get rid of waste and toxins: rot begins in the intestines.
  4. Since little to no nutrients are absorbed, if you constantly drink cold water at lunch, you run the risk of obesity.
  5. And the last one negative side drinking cold drinks - the appearance of gastrointestinal diseases.


Of course, when you eat dry food, a natural desire arises to wash down your food so that it is easier to swallow. However, with such actions you will only make things worse for your body.

To avoid this, follow these recommendations:

  • The digestive process begins in the oral cavity. When you chew your food, salivary glands actively produce secretions. Crushed foods moistened with saliva easily move through the esophagus. Chew each serving slowly, so you won't want to drink it.
  • Sometimes after a hearty lunch you feel unbearably thirsty. In this case, drink a glass of warm water.

Under no circumstances should you drink ice water! After all, it helps ensure that everything eaten leaves the stomach instantly. Necessary nutrients and minerals will not be absorbed. And you will be hungry again: you will want to eat something else. So wrong eating behavior can lead to extra pounds.


Taking into account all of the above, nutritionists recommend drinking water after the process of digesting food is completed. Avoid drinking drinks within two hours after eating. Again, even after the specified time, the stomach will perceive the cold liquid as a new lunch.

Is it possible to drink water immediately after eating?


When is it recommended to drink water after meals? Some people think that you should drink immediately after lunch. Others are of the opinion that you can quench your thirst after 40-60 minutes. The starting point is the beginning or end of lunch. But is it possible to drink water after eating if the portion was larger than usual? Or when your dinner lasts for several hours?

To understand whether it is possible to drink water after eating, it is necessary to analyze another parameter, namely the time during which the food is digested. The fact is that drinking will be beneficial if the liquid enters empty stomach. This is why they drink water after eating. After all, it takes part in all metabolic processes. At the same time, the liquid you drink does not interfere with absorption nutrients, which means a person’s well-being improves.


For example, you had a snack of ice cream (50-100 g). After 20-30 minutes, you can drink water, because what you eat will already be digested. Drinking the liquid will give you a feeling of satiety and keep your figure in great shape. On the contrary, if you don’t drink 1-2 glasses of water, there is a high probability that you will want something tasty, but completely unhealthy: sweets or baked goods.

The same time - about half an hour - is required for digestion fresh berries, vegetables, fruits. If you are a follower of a raw food diet, then the question of whether you can drink water after meals disappears for you. Feel free to drink water 30-40 minutes after eating: this optimal mode drinks for raw foodists. However, if you eat this way all the time, most likely you will not be active and full of energy, and your performance will sharply decrease. All you can do is meditate, do light exercises, play Board games, avoiding strong mental and physical stress.


Medium portion (two fistfuls) of cereals, baked goods and pasta, as well as stewed vegetables, broth without meat will be digested within 40-60 minutes. After this time, you can drink water.

Of course it is light food: veganism, macrobiotics, raw food diet will not provide you with the required energy if you play sports, build up muscle mass. When you are experiencing severe physical activity(bodybuilding, professional sports, fitness), food should be higher in calories than for intellectual work. Cottage cheese and milk should be included in the diet.

As an example, consider infant nutrition. They are fed 6 times a day, every three hours, for a reason, but because it takes exactly that long to digest milk.

An adult also digests milk within 2.5-3 hours. During this period, the number of lactic acid bacteria in our body decreases significantly. Therefore, a glass of already partially prepared lactic acid product (ryazhenka or kefir) will leave the stomach faster. However, such food will be digested for at least an hour and a half (in a calm state). If a person is in stressful situation, is engaged in heavy physical labor or, on the contrary, is immobilized, then dairy products will be absorbed longer. And this means that after drinking water an hour and a half later, you will consume it on a still full stomach.


The optimal nutritional system, similar to the Mediterranean diet, is young vegetarianism. By eating this way, you can play sports, build muscles, and be active. White meat, fish and chicken are allowed. However, protein is completely absorbed in five to six hours. In this case, is it possible to drink water after eating to feel good and full of energy?

Besides, physiological need body - eat food four to five times a day. Therefore, in order to adhere to this diet and drink, you will have to give up sleep. However, even a day will not be enough. Because water must be consumed not only after meals, but also before meals - an hour before meals. Otherwise, the liquid you drink will interfere with the proper production of gastric juice, which will also negatively affect your health.

What kind of water can you drink after eating?


Is it possible to drink water after meals and what liquid is best to drink during lunch? Since water is tasteless and does not irritate the receptors on the tongue and stomach, digestive secretions are not produced. Therefore, if you drink water during meals, you dilute the gastric juice, which results in digestive problems. So, until the water that has entered the stomach comes out of it, food will not be digested correctly. After this, the gastric juice will reach the desired concentration and processing of the contents will begin again.

If you do not want to constantly monitor how properly food is digested in the stomach, then you need to drink water as a secretion enhancer. That is, when entering the stomach, the liquid should stimulate the production of gastric juice, so that after stopping, digestion starts with renewed vigor.


How to make gastric juice secrete not only when consumed delicious dishes, but also when drinking? You just need to drink a cup of espresso, strong tea, fruit drink, compote or uzvar during lunch or immediately after it. These drinks stimulate the production of gastric juice. The digestion process will stop for a while and then start again. In addition, the listed drinks are beneficial for our body. At the same time, you will remain cheerful and full of strength.

Can I drink water after meals or during lunch? Let's consider another point of view on drinking special water during lunch.

Water and liquid are different things. Many of us prefer to drink some kind of beverage rather than tasteless water during meals. For example, compotes, fruit drinks, soda, sweet juices, coffee or tea. As you know, if a liquid contains calories, it cannot be considered water. Our body perceives such drinks as food: the liquid along with the food remains in the upper (proximal) part of the stomach, which tries to break down this entire mass.

Answer this question for yourself: do you often drink drinks during or after meals? Most likely, you like to wash down your food not clean water, but something sweet. It is quite natural that after such a dinner you do not feel very good.

So, the answer to the question of whether you can drink water after eating has been found. You can only drink water at room temperature (or warm) some time after eating. However, how much should you drink?


It is recommended to drink about 100-200 ml of water during lunch. Otherwise, the volume of the stomach will increase, given that the liquid is drunk after a heavy dinner. Drink water in small sips, tasting the healthy liquid, without trying to empty the glass as quickly as possible. Before drinking, rinse your mouth with water. Sometimes you can confuse dry mouth with true thirst.

In some cases, we feel false hunger: this is our body's way of telling us that we are dehydrated. It's not lunch time yet, but you're unbearably hungry? Drink a glass of water, maybe you're just latently thirsty.

Do you always wash down your food? To break this habit, drink water on an empty stomach. Gastric juice will be released in greater quantities, as well as saliva. It will become easier for you to swallow dry food. Chew each piece of food carefully and slowly so that the saliva moistens the food well. Then the need to drink will disappear by itself. Eat slowly, without talking or being distracted by anything.

Where to buy a drinking water cooler


The Ecocenter company supplies coolers, pumps and related equipment to Russia for dispensing water from bottles of various sizes. All equipment is supplied under the “ECOCENTER” brand.

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Doctors and fans healthy image Life never tires of repeating that you need to constantly drink clean water throughout the day. This is good for both health and figure. How much depends on the person’s weight and his lifestyle.

But even this advice has exceptions, one of which states that you should not drink while eating. And after that it’s also not recommended. Although there is no consensus here, and there are several exceptions. Before deciding whether you can drink food or not, it is worth studying all sides of the issue.

Many people still remember the times when mothers and grandmothers forced them to drink food. Supposedly, it softens food and improves the production of stomach acid, which is involved in digestion, which helps prevent constipation and flatulence.

After a short time, the opposite opinion appeared that drinking food down is harmful. Proponents of this idea argue that the liquid dilutes the gastric juice, which again makes it difficult to digest the incoming food.

In reality, both of these theories are wrong. In order to help your stomach work correctly, you should not listen to the advice of your friends, but rather follow what the doctors say. The opinion of experts is based on laboratory research and long-term patient observations. And this gives reason to say that you can wash down your food. The main thing is that you need to do it correctly.

How is it really?

Those who are worried about why they shouldn’t wash down their food can breathe easy. The liquid has no effect on gastric juice. This acid begins to form as soon as food begins to enter the body. Water does not affect this process, since it leaves the stomach quickly enough.

It is also incorrect to say that liquid dilutes the stomach acid that is involved in processing food, thereby making the process of digesting food longer and more difficult. The fact is that water, entering the stomach, is not able to mix with the secreted juice, no matter how much there is. Firstly, this is due different composition. And, secondly, as already mentioned, water leaves the stomach almost immediately, and simply does not have time to mix with anything during this time.

It turns out that the most popular opinions about drinking drinks with meals are just fiction, without any real justification. Therefore, if you really want to drink at lunch, then you can do it. But, as in everything related to the work of the body, in this case there are rules that must be followed.

What to do with water while eating?

Most often, people drink water with food because it becomes difficult to swallow a dry piece. But digestion does not begin in the stomach itself, but even before it gets there. When chewing food, saliva begins to be released, which facilitates the passage of pieces through the esophagus and begins the process of breaking down food. Therefore, it is enough to chew longer, and there is no longer any need to resort to liquid.

But sometimes it happens that you really want to drink just because. In this case, the main point is that you should not drink cold drinks with your food. The fact is that proteins contained in food do not break down at low temperatures. In addition, cold water pushes food out of the stomach too quickly. Because of this, the digestion process is significantly reduced.

As a result, the body does not receive as many useful elements as it needs, and after a short time the feeling of hunger appears again. You have to eat something again, and this is harmful to your health and figure. Problems may arise with overweight, heartburn, flatulence and other troubles.

All these things will not happen if you wash down your food with warm tea, herbal infusion or water at a comfortable temperature. Under such conditions, digestion proceeds correctly and there are no harmful consequences.

But again, you shouldn’t be overzealous with drinks; you can take one or two sips if you really want to. It is unlikely that this will significantly affect the functioning of the stomach. Or, as an alternative, you can put some water in your mouth between meals, rinse the cavity and spit out the liquid. This will help get rid of the feeling of dryness and will not interfere with the natural process.

But before you sit down to dinner, you even need to drink water. Half a glass is enough, and after half an hour you can sit down at the table. The liquid, once in the stomach, will drown out strong feeling hunger, which will allow you not to overeat and not only not to gain extra pounds, but also to feel much better, without stomach pain, bloating and other unpleasant phenomena.

Afternoon drinks

Having understood a little about drinks before and during lunch, it will be useful to understand why you should not drink after a meal. In our country, there is rarely a meal without tea. And usually this happens immediately after everyone has eaten.

But, as in the case of water, it is right to take a short break - at least half an hour before enjoying tea. During this time, the food will have time to digest a little, and aromatic drinks will no longer interfere with the natural process.

In addition, it is not recommended to drink tea after meals for one more reason. This drink contains a lot tannins. They usually have good set positive qualities(relieve inflammation, fight bacteria, etc.), which can be quite beneficial for the digestive system. But, interacting with food, these substances complicate the process of breaking down food, which is quite harmful to the body. This can lead to fermentation of foods in the stomach and, as a result, constipation, flatulence, and gastritis.

In order to avoid such unpleasant consequences, it is enough to wait until 30–40 minutes have passed before drinking a cup of tea. In addition, it is recommended to drink this drink slightly cooled, which will allow you to enjoy its qualities to the fullest.

As for coffee after meals, it is worth taking a break here because this drink can stimulate the production of gastric juice. As you know, when food enters the body, it is already released into sufficient quantity. And coffee drunk immediately after lunch can lead to heartburn and gastritis. Alternatively, you can drink a cup of invigorating drink before your meal (30 minutes before) to stimulate digestion. But it’s better to limit yourself to water.

Conclusion: it turns out that the most correct behavior of those who care about own health– this means not drinking cold drinks with food and not drinking after eating without waiting a while. If you really want to drink at lunch, then only warm liquids and little by little.

But before eating, you can and even need to drink water. But, again, not immediately before eating. You should start eating in about half an hour; you shouldn’t start eating earlier. These very easy to follow rules will help you not to overeat, stay full for a long time and not suffer from various unpleasant manifestations of improper digestion.

The habit of accompanying a meal with tea or drinking a cup of coffee after a hearty lunch is a common norm. But how safe is the food if you replace hot drinks with cold ones? Nutritionists and doctors have been arguing about this for quite some time. So how long after eating can you drink water with ice or carbonated water? Should you give up an aperitif in a restaurant? In an effort to follow the recommendations of nutritionists, some of us try to wash down everything we eat during the day with water. But how correct is this approach?

As such, the ban applies exclusively to cold drinks themselves - regardless of whether it is a pure liquid with a balanced mineral composition or “the entire periodic table” in one bottle in a can of soda. The time that you have to wait before taking them after a meal is at least 2 hours - this is exactly the answer to the question: how long after a meal can you drink water, experts give. This is due to the peculiarities of the digestive process, which under the influence of additional liquid can slow down, causing serious discomfort and leading to problems in the functioning of the digestive organs, constipation, and increased gas formation.

Best time to consume

Not only nutritionists, but also doctors talk about the importance of drinking regime. Almost all recommendations on the topic: how to drink water correctly before or after meals are related to human physiology. Our saliva contains substances that allow us to ensure the primary “processing” of food entering the body. Their concentration must be maintained, otherwise the functioning of the digestive tract will inevitably be disrupted. Moreover, when drinking food, you can reduce the quality of chewing and accidentally swallow larger pieces.

In order not to harm digestion, it is better to clarify in advance how many minutes before meals you should drink water. Moreover, here it is enough to maintain a half-hour interval. This is exactly what is needed to ensure the normal course of digestive processes. An accurate and systematic calculation will help determine how long after eating to drink water. If you have eaten spicy foods or seasonings, or have overdone it with salt, thirst will definitely manifest itself. But you shouldn’t fight it with chilled drinks. It is better to drink a glass of warm (body temperature or about 36 degrees) water. In other cases, it is strongly recommended to maintain the required two-hour interval.

What does the time interval depend on?

How long before meals to drink water, everyone decides for themselves. As for the recommendations of nutritionists, here they are quite clear. A simple calculation will help you find out how many hours after eating you can drink water. Digestive processes, on average, take up to 120 minutes. Accordingly, this is exactly how long you will need to wait. But it’s better to start the morning not with hot porridge, but with one or two glasses of clean, unsweetened liquid. This will start the digestion process and satisfy the need for fluid that every body has in the morning.

During the day, how long before meals should you drink water? It is recommended to maintain the recommended half-hour interval whenever possible. But it’s better to wash down your food with warm tea. This drink is not recommended to be consumed on an empty stomach. And in combination with a meal, it will help provide greater comfort when eating dry food that needs additional moistening. For those who adhere to a diet, the drinking regime must be observed especially strictly. Then the question: how much water should you not drink after eating can be solved with maximum benefit for good health.

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