Contents:
- Medical Video: Can You Drink Water When You Eat?
- Drinking water after eating is important to facilitate the digestive system
- Drinking water after eating can also help control calorie intake
- However, do not drink water after eating spicy food
Medical Video: Can You Drink Water When You Eat?
Eating and drinking are two basic needs of living things to survive. So, it's not complete if you don't drink after eating. However, an issue and myth states that if you drink after eating, it can make the digestive system sick. Is it true, it is not recommended to drink immediately after eating? How important is drinking water after eating?
Drinking water after eating is important to facilitate the digestive system
It's not true that drinking water after a meal can make digestion sick. Instead, drinking water during or after eating actually helps digestion work well, you know. Drinking water after eating is also important for health.
The digestive process starts from your mouth, where water and liquid that enters after eating can help break down and soften food so that your body can absorb nutrients properly. In addition water can also soften the stool, so it can help you prevent constipation (difficulty defecating).
Drinking water after eating can also help control calorie intake
Drinking water after a meal can improve your digestion. Then, consuming water when or after eating can help control appetite. For example, if you are limiting your calorie intake so you can lose weight, you might still feel hungry after eating.
Drinking a glass of water after a meal creates a feeling of fullness, which can help prevent the desire to get more food. Drinking water before and during meals also provides a feeling of fullness and helps you keep your calorie intake low.
However, do not drink water after eating spicy food
Although drinking water when and after meals is important, there are some things that must be avoided. You must avoid drinking water after eating spicy food. Why is that? Spicy foods that contain chili, pepper, paprika, or pepper which contain special compounds called capsaicin, are proven to produce a burning sensation after exposure to tissue in the human body.
When you eat spicy food, the pain receptor (TRPVI, the same receptor that is responsible for helping you know that food is too acidic or hot) can trigger the body to bind the capsaicin molecule. This will convey a signal to the brain, that you have eaten something that is toxic and harmful to the body.
What's more, pain signals or "spiciness" will be more severe, depending on the amount of capsaicin found in your food. That is the reason why after eating spicy food, your eyes can cry as if they emit water, your nose becomes runny, and your body sweats. Capsaicin has a non-polar molecule and can only dissolve with other similar molecules. Because water has polar molecules, water does not have a cooling effect for the body that is feeling spiciness.
You should drink milk or drinks that taste sour, such as orange juice or lemon juice. Milk and acidic drinks are better for "melting" the spicy flavor left in the mouth.
