Is it okay to drink water while eating?

　　Does drinking water with meals necessarily affect digestion?

　　Drinking an appropriate amount of water while eating has no special impact on the digestion and absorption of food, nor does it have any impact on the body. healthy harmful. In terms of normal digestive physiological functions, when we begin to smell the aroma of food, saliva begins to be secreted in the mouth. This is a common manifestation of "drooling from greed". The saliva secreted by the mouth not only helps digestion, but also lubricates food to facilitate food swallowing. At the same time, when we chew food, it will stimulate the secretion of saliva even more, so chewing slowly is more conducive to the digestion and swallowing of food.

　　However, there are often situations where food is relatively dry and saliva secretion is insufficient, especially in the mouth and throat. disease or elderly , children, etc., it is not easy to swallow when eating solid food, so it is okay to drink some water in moderation. This is one of the reasons why the elderly are often willing to eat porridge instead of meals.

　　Similarly, under the stimulation of food, the stomach and intestines begin to secrete digestive juices to prepare for digesting food. The digestive function in the mouth is relatively small, and the main digestion of food is completed in the gastrointestinal tract. It is often believed that drinking water during meals is bad for the body, mainly because it is believed that drinking water will dilute the digestive juices, thus reducing the digestion and absorption rate of food. Drinking water may reduce the concentration of saliva and dilute part of the gastric juice, but it will have little impact on intestinal digestive juices. Unless you drink a lot of water, it will have a small negative effect on food digestion, so there is no need to worry too much.