Nutritionist tells who shouldn't drink with meals

Despite the commonly held belief that food should be washed down, there is a category of people who should not drink water for at least 30 minutes after eating.

Nutritionist Svitlana Skosar wrote about this on her Facebook page.

According to the nutritionist, there is a category of people who should not drink anything after eating for at least 30 minutes, not bend over and stay upright. We are talking about people who have been diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease - heartburn.

In this disease, part of the stomach contents, along with juice containing hydrochloric acid, returns to the esophagus. The fluid increases the volume of food in the stomach, which can increase the pressure in the stomach and lead to acid reflux.

"If you suffer from heartburn, limit your fluid intake with food. In all other cases, you can drink food in reasonable amounts. There is no need to exhaust yourself. If the body asks for fluids after eating, drink a few sips, but do not lean on a cup/multiple cups of tea or liters of water," the nutritionist said.

In all other cases, water, according to the doctor, does not interfere with digestion and absorption of food in any way.

As the doctor emphasized, the digestive system is able to "adjust" the required amount of digestive juices to the amount of incoming water, so that food is always of the right consistency.

"The stomach secretes juices during digestion and adapts to each individual meal. Liquids pass through the digestive system faster than solids, and they do not affect the speed of their digestion. Water leaves the stomach faster. Water helps to grind/dissolve large pieces of food and soften the food lump that moves down the esophagus. It also helps food move smoothly through the digestive tract. In addition, the stomach secretes water itself, along with gastric juice and enzymes during the digestive process," the nutritionist said.

The doctor also recalled that water increases the volume of food, helps regulate appetite, and prevents overeating, which can be useful for those who are trying to lose weight.

However, you need to be careful with high-calorie drinks such as juices, fresh juices, fruit drinks, sodas, etc.