enfilade

I was told that if you have a glass of water with a meal, your stomach won't absorb as many nutrients from the food. I think that's what they meant to say anyway.

Does water it have any affect on digestion? And what are the best times to drink.. before or after a meal?

youcoming

And I've always been told the excact oppiste.

Machka 

Liquids (like water) with a meal aid in digestion ... or so I've been told.

enfilade

The person who told me (my mother) isn't an expert, but she does know quite a lot about nutrition, and has a very healthy lifestyle. I didn't know if she was right with this one.
In future It'll be a small drink with food.. seems like the best option.

$ick3nin.vend3t

Water dilutes digestive enzymes & stomach acid. Green tea does the opposite, helps aid digestion.

Carbonfiberboy 

Did a little googling on this one. Wow, this subject really attracts the crazy. I have a gastroenterologist friend with great stories about people's focus on their digestive tract. Anyway, this seems reasonable:
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestion/AN01776

$ick3nin.vend3t

Thats dumb. Of course water will dilute digestive juices, thats common sense.

Also, I suggest pineapple (tinned or whole) & green tea. Cured all of my digestive problems that prescription drugs couldn't.

tadawdy

I don't doubt that green tea helps some people's digestion.

Equal amounts of water and green tea would dilute stomach contents exactly the same amount, though. Green tea is after, almost all water.

$ick3nin.vend3t

Trust me, green tea has done wonders for aiding my digestion that water didn't. I still drink 2 litres of water a day, but not before or after meals.

Carbonfiberboy 

Ah, good old common sense. The only thing that's lacking is any proof whatsoever that drinking water is bad for digestion.

tadawdy

I said I didn't doubt that green tea could help you.

I just said the mechanism of water diluting digestive substances wold be exactly the same as an equal volume of green tea's, which is true.

There are a couple of simple reasons I like tea better: it's something most people drink warm, which is comforting, and it's palatable. Unless I am exercising, I can't drink much water at a time. That's why I usually opt for some version of decaf tea.

25hz

Not even close. Drinking plain water is just that, drinking plain water. Drinking tea obviously also involves water, but the important part is the chemicals that are left in the water from the tea leaves. And that is far from "exactly the same". It's also hot or at least warm, which is also very likely not "exactly the same" as COLD water (unless someone drinks warm/hot water anyway) and heat is beneficial to the digestive process while cold is not.

tadawdy

molarity = moles of solute/liter of solvent. the solvent doesn't matter. what percentage water is tea, again?

also, notice the part where I noted that tea is usually drunk warm, and this may be one reason someone feels it helps his digestion.

25hz

Plus the fact that all the hype about certain types of teas and their effects has been fairly well tested, and while some of the more extreme claims are still dubious, other effects involving digestion, blood pressure, cholesterol effects, and others have been well documented. So, even if tea is still wildy diluted, it's been proven to still HELP digestion, while almost any kind of cold fluid (especially plain water) is said to deter digestion, therefore, the effect green tea and water have on digestion is still not even close to "exactly the same".

tadawdy

Never disagreed with you here, but claiming that water is detrimental because it dilutes stomach contents ignores the fact that tea is still largely water. Other contents of tea may make it beneficial, but that doesn't mean water is detrimental.

rumrunn6

no. water helps digestion.

you may have heard that drinking a glass of water BEFORE a meal can help you eat less, and some think this will help you lose weight.