I keep hearing and seeing a recommendation that water or other fluids should be limited at meal times. The only explanation is that water dilutes stomach acid. This leaves some questions unanswered. Is this another urban legend, or has anyone seen any research in this claim? How much is too much water, or how much should be taken with meals? How do they know it actually dilutes digestive juices, or does the body compensate by either producing extra or by absorbing the water?

Water is my most favorite drink. Meal times seem to be a great opportunity to have a couple of glasses. I guess what I’m looking for are more in depth articles/studies. If anyone can point me toward them, I would be grateful.

Lab Rat,

I haven't read any in-depth articles about this topic, but the general consensus is that one should not drink lots of liquid during a meal. The folks at the Weston A. Price Foundation say that researchers from both the East and West claim that too much water during a meal, for example, will indeed dilute gastric juices and the enzymes needed for proper digestion.

They recommend not drinking much water 20-30 minutes before a meal, just sipping the water during the meal, and then don't drink too much for up to two hours after a meal. This is just a rule of thumb, however, since everyone has varying amounts of stomach acid production, etc.

How do you feel after drinking two glasses of water during a meal? I know I would feel bloated. And then again, how do we define "too much" water? We are all different.

The concept of not drinking too much while eating makes sense to me. And I would think that the centuries-old custom of sipping wine during a meal makes a lot of sense as well. The wine increases the body's production of gastric juices, and if the wine has not been pasteurized, it should add some useful enzymes which may also enhance digestion.

Mike

My own system is that I take my supplements with my
meals in am and pm. as most are suggested to take w/food.

I eat a bite or two, then take a few Sups with a few sips
of water, then eat more bites of food.

I don't ever drink lots of water with my meals. I do drink lots of
water and iced teas between meals, all day long. Then more
water during the evening hours. Lots of bathroom runs

Yeah, but I bet your 'pipes' are sparkling clean!

There's a LOT of turnover of fluids during digestion. So we must be well hydrated before a meal.

I don't think drinking water with or after meals would be of any significant harm or disadvantage. But given the choice, I would drink a lot before a meal so that my body is well hydrated for the coming digestive process. Otherwise, we may end up thinking we're still hungry, when in fact, we're just thirsty.

Gerry

I've read before that people that get up in the middle
of the night to raid the 'fridge, are actually thirsty.

If they can train themselves to just drink 8 ounces of
water, they can go back to bed satisfied. (and probably
in better shape, physiologically)