Drinking Water Just After Your Meal Can Increase Your Blood Sugar Level

Probably one of the most common sights you see on a daily basis is that tall glass of water next to your plate of food. While some people think it is necessary to have a glass of water especially cold water with your meals, this habit could be highly damaging to your health.

1. Dilutes gastric juices

Your stomach contains digestive acids that help in the digestion and breakdown of food. Apart from this, these juices are also responsible for killing any infectious agents that might be ingested along with food. Also known as the ‘digestive fire’ (according to Ayurvedic texts) these digestive enzymes are essential for our overall well-being as they also allow the stomach to contract and pulverize the food we eat.

2. Reduces the amount of saliva

Your saliva is the first step to digestion. Not only does it contain enzymes that help break down food, but it also helps stimulate the stomach to release digestive enzymes and ready itself for the process of digestion. When you drink water during your meals, your saliva gets diluted. This not only sends weaker signals to the stomach but also stops the breakdown of food in your mouth – making digestion that much more difficult.

3. Insulin

Drinking water while you are eating can also lead to a surge in your insulin levels, much like high glycaemic foods would. This is because when your body is not able to digest foods well enough it tends to convert the glucose filled part of that food into fat and stores it. This process then requires a surge of insulin in the body increasing your overall blood sugar levels.

4. Weight

Another common side-effect of drinking water with your meals is the fact that you do tend to put on weight. As explained earlier, there is a surge in insulin levels and food is broken down to make fat which is stored. Apart from that, in Ayurveda it is believed that a weak digestive fire is one of the leading reasons for obesity. Not only does this lead to an imbalance between the vata, kapha and pitta elements in the body, but it also leads to the disruption in the way your body works.

5. Causes acidity

If you suffer from constant bouts of acidity, then this habit might be to blame. Since drinking water dilutes your digestive system, it leads to a chain-reaction of ill-effects. According to Shonali Saberwal, the stomach continues to absorb water till it gets saturated, after that, this water starts to dilute gastric juices; making the mixture much thicker than normal. This leads to lesser digestive enzymes being secreted, causing undigested food to leak into your system causing to acid reflux and heart burn.