Drinking water while eating, who hasn’t done it? It is completely common to accompany meals with some type of liquid beverage to help with digestion, and it has long been thought that when that drink is water, things are much better. However, the microbiota expert doctor Jaume Fontanals has warned that this habit, which everyone considers good and normal, can be the cause of poor digestions and that sense of heaviness. Through a video on his social networks, the specialist issued a clear warning: «If you’re used to drinking water while you eat, don’t do it anymore». But why can something as healthy as water turn into something that negatively affects your stomach?
To understand why we should change this habit, Dr. Fontanals explains in a very simple way that our stomach is not just a bag where food falls, but functions as a «chemical reactor». This organ produces a very potent acid that is fundamental for three key things: breaking down the proteins in foods, activating the substances that help us digest, and eliminating the bad bacteria that may come with the food. The problem arises when we fill the stomach with water while eating, because what we are doing is lowering or diluting that very important acid. By weakening its strength, the food is not processed well and ends up «fermenting in the intestine», which provokes those sensations of discomfort and that bloating.
How and when should you drink water?
The solution to avoid belly bloating is not to stop drinking water, but to know the right moment to do it. The expert offers a very easy trick: the 30-minute method. This means that ideally you should drink water 20 to 30 minutes before sitting down to eat to prepare your body, and after finishing, wait between 30 and 60 minutes before drinking again to let the stomach juices “work calmly.” And what if you’re extremely thirsty while you are eating? Dr. Fontanals is realistic and clarifies that it’s not about suffering, saying that “obviously, you don’t have to choke”, so if you truly need to drink water you can, but in small sips to avoid flooding the stomach.
According to the expert, changing this simple daily gesture can make a radical difference in your digestive health. He himself explains it as follows: «it improves your gastric acid, your digestion, and your microbiota». Therefore, if you are one of those people who always need the water glass full while eating, this is your cue to start changing it.
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James Whitaker
I’m James Whitaker, a UK-based journalist focused on emerging trends and everyday stories gaining attention across the country. I cover the topics people start talking about before they fully break into the mainstream. My work aims to stay clear, factual, and closely connected to how news is actually consumed today.