I read on a site (unrelated to IBS) that, though it is obviously a custom, drinking (anything, I don't mean alcohol) while eating interferes with digestion since water and food take different times to digest, etc.Any ideas on this, that perhaps, it might be wise not to drink while eating to help those with IBS by letting the food digest better? Or would it make things worse by not having water mix in or something? Or is it all a crock of irrelevant-to-IBS ####?
Beverages and Digestion
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It would seem that a fluid intake would dilute the digestive enzymes making digestion more difficult.
It would seem that a fluid intake would dilute the digestive enzymes making digestion more difficult.
...which would be a bad thing for those with IBS, right?
...which would be a bad thing for those with IBS, right?
No, it's the other way around. Water does the digesting, not the enzymes. So from that point of view, the more water, the better. In reality, the digestive system ordinarily floods itself with water so even if you just had a ton of dry crackers, digestion would get done no problem. You don't lose this water, so it probably doesn't matter terribly much how much water you drink with a meal.quote:It would seem that a fluid intake would dilute the digestive enzymes making digestion more difficult
No, it's the other way around. Water does the digesting, not the enzymes. So from that point of view, the more water, the better. In reality, the digestive system ordinarily floods itself with water so even if you just had a ton of dry crackers, digestion would get done no problem. You don't lose this water, so it probably doesn't matter terribly much how much water you drink with a meal.quote:It would seem that a fluid intake would dilute the digestive enzymes making digestion more difficult
Ah, it's you Flux!Forgive me if you said this and I just didn't get it...But okay you are saying that water is in your system anyway, to help digest crackers or whatever. You don't think it does any harm to drink while you eat? Do you think it does any good, or just nothing?I also read that if you really are properly hydrated, you wouldn't feel the need to drink while you ate...probably for the reason you just said, Flux. So then...it probably doesn't do any good to drink any while you eat (since you should drink tons at other times to be hydrated), right?
Ah, it's you Flux!Forgive me if you said this and I just didn't get it...But okay you are saying that water is in your system anyway, to help digest crackers or whatever. You don't think it does any harm to drink while you eat? Do you think it does any good, or just nothing?I also read that if you really are properly hydrated, you wouldn't feel the need to drink while you ate...probably for the reason you just said, Flux. So then...it probably doesn't do any good to drink any while you eat (since you should drink tons at other times to be hydrated), right?
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I have been drinking less water than I used to. As long as I don't drink TOO much (like to the point of feeling sick or that bloated feeling) I don't see any problems
Joined
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601 Posts
I have been drinking less water than I used to. As long as I don't drink TOO much (like to the point of feeling sick or that bloated feeling) I don't see any problems
This sounds right. As long as you consume adequate fluids at some point, I don't see any physiological requirement that you have to consume some volume of fluid simultaneously with a meal. And, of course, the opposite, fluids with a meal shouldn't do any harm.quote:You don't think it does any harm to drink while you eat? Do you think it does any good, or just nothing?I also read that if you really are properly hydrated, you wouldn't feel the need to drink while you ate...probably for the reason you just said, Flux. So then...it probably doesn't do any good to drink any while you eat (since you should drink tons at other times to be hydrated), right?
This sounds right. As long as you consume adequate fluids at some point, I don't see any physiological requirement that you have to consume some volume of fluid simultaneously with a meal. And, of course, the opposite, fluids with a meal shouldn't do any harm.quote:You don't think it does any harm to drink while you eat? Do you think it does any good, or just nothing?I also read that if you really are properly hydrated, you wouldn't feel the need to drink while you ate...probably for the reason you just said, Flux. So then...it probably doesn't do any good to drink any while you eat (since you should drink tons at other times to be hydrated), right?
It was actually a site on how to sing that I read about all this, and I wondered if there was any relevance. It was saying how drinking while eating is bad for digesting/singing...hm, well, whatever! (random)
It was actually a site on how to sing that I read about all this, and I wondered if there was any relevance. It was saying how drinking while eating is bad for digesting/singing...hm, well, whatever! (random)
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