On TV healthy eating programs, it is often said that it is forbidden to eat and drink at the same time. Some experts explain that water dilutes the acid in our stomach. Others think that doing this makes us fat. And some people even think that water pushes undigested food out of the stomach! Can ordinary water be so harmful to us?
HereWere finally decided to find out the truth about drinking water while eating and what is just a myth.
What happens to food and water in the stomach?
The digestion process begins exactly when we think about our future food – saliva is produced in the mouth. When we chew our food, we mix it with saliva which contains the enzymes needed for digestion. The soft food then makes its way to our stomach, where it mixes with stomach acid.
On average, the stomach needs 4 hours to digest food before turning it into liquid or chyme. The chyme travels further to the intestines, where it provides all the nutrients for the body.
Liquids don’t decrease acidity.
Our body is a complicated system, but a finely tuned one. If the stomach “feels” that it cannot digest something, it produces more enzymes and increases the acidity of the liquid it contains. Even if you drink half a liter of water, it will not influence the acidity level. By the way, water also gets into the stomach with food. For example, on average, an orange is made up of 86% water.
By the way, studies have shown that some foods can lower acidity levels in the stomach, but it returns to normal very quickly.
Liquids don’t influence the speed of digestion.
There are no studies that support the misconception that liquids push solid foods into the intestines before they are fully digested. Scientists claim that liquid leaves the body faster than solid food, but does not influence the speed of digestion.
So, can we drink while eating?
If you drink while eating, it won’t do any harm. On the other hand, water helps to soften solid foods. But don’t drink before swallowing your 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 a good thing.
If you are used to drinking tea with food instead of water, then there is 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 you receive. The stomach can heat or cool the food to the required level. However, scientists recommend drinking ice-cold warm water at 150°F.
