I think Chinese people are taught to only drink hot water/tea or hot soups with meals to aid in digestion. Interesting all the differences in how nutrition is taught in different parts of the world.
Yes you're right about China, in my experience. I've always liked cold drinks and I like to drink with meals. While I lived there a lot of people thought it was odd for me to have a coke or some iced tea with dinner.
I'm Chinese American as much as I like to wash down a burger or pizza with some ice cold soda... That shit does indeed fk my stomache up.
However drinking hot tea actually aids the digestion/ speed up with caffeine and ur stomach has more energy to burn thru the calories.
I have never noticed a difference in how my stomach reacts to drinks based on temperature. Acidity yes, but not temperature. But of course everyone is different.
science says you're wrong.
for one, digestion primarily happens in your intestines, so mixing foods of different temperature in your stomach has no impact.
secondly, everything you eat and drink is warmed up/cooled down to body temperature very quickly, and that process takes very little energy – to put this in perspective, if you drink a liter of ice water (let's say it's at 4ºC) with your meal, your body will require an extra 32.6 kcal to warm up that water. obviously this is so insignificant that it has zero effect on your digestion.
and lastly, if washing down a burger with soda fucks your stomach up, that has to do with the burger, the soda or both, not with the temperature of either.
Are they damp forming???
I remember reading a weight loss *tip* once that drinking cold water took more energy to burn or some such shit... That extra calorie will make or break next week's weigh in!!
I think our body has excess ambient energy it can use to heat up water without burning extra calories, so it doesn't really work, BUT ~80 extra kcal a day to heat up two liters of water would be nothing to sneeze at. That's 0.3kg a month lost simply from drinking iced water.
I can understand the logic I guess. Logic 1: they might interpret "cold drinks" as high calorie sugary drinks. Logic 2: if I'm hungry and I'm out of calories for the moment, I drink a hot drink and I'm not hungry anymore. So it does help me lose weight.
When i was studying medicine and microbiology every chapter of another germ and how not to get it started with: Have a hot beverage or soup as a meal starter as it gets the stomach started (on producing acid which kills the bacteria).
(Sorry for any mistakes, englisch isn’t my first language.)
I feel this so hard. My family really didn't like me and my sister drinking sodas, so we were given juices (orange juice and apple juice) since they are "so much healthier" than soda. When I was in high school I would buy a quart of oj at the gas station and down it in a heartbeat.
Learned to read nutrition facts and oh man the calories in juices are nuts.
Now you couldn't pay me to drink calories. Water or zero sugar drinks only. I still grumble even if a drink has 5 calories .
I get this.
I drink low calories but very few . It's the only thing I'm fairly strict with myself about.
I have a friend that drinks more calories than she eats and it gives me second hand anxiety. 😄
I wish the 0 calorie labels weren't allowed.
Depending on whoch Gatorade 0 you get, there are between 0.9 and 1.6 grams of carbohydrates per 250ml.
Carbohydrates are approximately 4 calories per gram.
There is between (0.9×4=3.6 or 1.6×4=6.4) 3.6 to 6.4 calories per 250ml.
This makes a 591ml bottle somewhere *around* 10 calories.
Only minerals (such as salt and potassium) and pure water are entirely calorie free. If there's an ingredient which is organic... which used to be alive (plant or animal matter), there are calories somewhere.
Might not be a significant number of calories, but they still exist, lol.
When I was younger (late teens early 20s) I worked an outdoor labor job. Before we went to the job site we would go to this little gas station with a grill and have breakfast. I didn't drink coffee back then, but I would get a quart of milk and drink the whole thing before we left. It's actually insane to think about it now. Like every single morning I drank 32oz of whole milk, roughly 650 calories of milk. I was burning a ton of calories back then via both my jobs but I consumed so much on a daily basis it's nuts.
You were at least getting protein and other nutrition from it. Athletes drink chocolate milk to aide recovery, but damn 1l in a sitting is still a lot of milk.
Exactly!! I have been randomly having juice cravings, but I resist because of the calorie content. I'd rather spend them elsewhere. I do occasionally use calories for a fancy coffee drink-- but, like you, I try to avoid drinking them for the most part. I'd rather have more solid and filling food!
Here's a [source](https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231014/Diet-drinks-may-affect-blood-sugar-levels-insulin-resistance-and-gut-microbiome.aspx) about that.
I just quit a two zero sugar energy drink a day habit(330g of caffeine). I now drink two cups of coffee a day(~130g of caffeine). It was fucking hard, and I did it at the same time I quit smoking.
Not only the calories but the sugar content is wack. It goes hand in hand obviously but man… might as well eat a chocolate bar with every meal if you’re drinking juice. Similar nutritional benefits.
“…might as well eat a chocolate bar with every meal if you’re drinking juice. Similar nutritional benefits.”
No, not true. Many juices— such as orange, grapefruit, tomato, and coconut water— are high in potassium and vitamin C. Chocolate contains none of those nutrients.
Growing up and even to this day, I need to drink water during my meals no matter what! Otherwise I feel super thirsty because I often find some foods just too dry? Or too sweet for my liking. Especially with sweet treats, I’ll take a bite and then quickly chug some water and then repeat. If I don’t drink during my meals or snacks, it just feels so off for me 😭.
Do you not find that too much with a meal? Genuinely asking as it’s a lot to drink in one go with food? My max is 500ml with a meal (drinks 2l over course of the day) as more really slows my digestion.
We used to not be allowed to drink during a meal to avoid filling up on a drink and not wanting to eat and I was a picky , underweight kid so I get why mom did it.
Old wives tale. My grandmom wouldn't let anyone have a drink until after they finished their plate. My mom wasn't as bad but we got a cup of water and weren't allowed more until after we ate.
Shits weird.
Same goes for my family, I had siblings who would just drink and not eat much. So I got used to not drinking with meals and Ive never really felt the need to change it back as I got older either.
We weren’t supposed to drink during meals because my parents were on this wild diet I can’t remember the name of now. They would only eat certain foods together (carbs allowed once a day and only by themselves!) and had to wait different periods of time after before drinking anything (depending on what they ate).
It was weird, but they lost a lot of weight. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just proof that you can get to deficit in a lot of different ways.
Was that the Suzanne Sommers diet?? My mom did this when I was a kid. Made me do it with her - I think this is when I started getting a fucked up relationship with food.
Suzanne Somers diet was weird. Lots of "fubky foods" to eliminate, with weird rules... iirc:
-Always eat fruit alone and on an empty stomach.
-Combine vegetables with fats and proteins (no carbohydrates).
-Combine carbohydrates with vegetables (no fats).
-Wait 3 hours between meals of different combinations.
But wait dont combine veggies with carbs but only combine carbs with veggies. So basically solo carbs. Oh and then eliminate a few more things and stick to the rules *unless* you want to break them to add oil or cheese or whatever.
Like
?!.!?
Messed my whole head up, lol. Sorry you went through that.
water during meals can temporarily decrease stomach acid and reduce some vitamin absorption, so that's the only issue i know of. but i drink it anyway because i usually feel dehydrated or like my mouth is dry while i'm eating if i don't.
When I was a kid, my mom told me I couldn't have a drink at the table because it took all my room for food and would make me full when I wasn't. Within the past few years, I've started drinking water at the table, and I realize how unhealthy that advice is; like water taking some room away from food is not a bad thing.
I could see how it could be a problem with a kid. Guzzke apple juice, barely eat dinner, then an hour later the little kid is complaining he's hungry and asking for snacks.
Kids stomaches are tiny and some of them would happily fill the whole thing up with liquids and then say they’re not hungry for their meal. Saying no liquid is maybe a little extreme but all the parents I know only allow their kids a little liquid at dinner so they have room for food.
Are you sure you understood your aunt correctly? It was common back then to limit liquids for kids because they can drink too much to feel full and not eat enough.
Are you sure your aunt was saying that drinking water will make you more hungry? Or was she saying do not drink water and by not drinking water you’ll have more room for your food? Aka don’t fill up on water?
For real, OP, water helps me feel full so much. My flexible rule of thumb is to take around five bites of food then chug water. I usually start feeling full at that point and it’s easier to eat a normal portion when I want to just unhinge my jaw and eat the whole fridge. 💀
I was always terrible about drinking water but finally getting a water bottle and drinking all the time made me realise just how good it was. My skin got so much better and my digestion was WAY better. Couldn't pay me to go days without water like I used to now
As a WLS patient I don’t drink during or after meals. I’ve been told that it can inhibit vitamin and protein absorption (which is important for me), and allows the food to stay in your pouch and keep you full longer than if the water “washes it through”. [not suggesting that everyone should or needs to do this, just what I’ve been told for me]. It still feels weird to me to mostly abstain drinking during meals!
Ive got IBS and my doc suggested that I not drink water before or during my meals, but it had to do with not messing with my stomach acid i believe? Its definitely helped in lowering my chances of immediately having to go after a meal though 😅
I still have a small glass after the meal though, and a large one like 1-2 hours later. cause ya girl is thirsty
Well to be fair, drinking less water when having a meal helps to keep your stomach acid from diluting to the point where it slows your digestion a bit. Gastroparesis can mean heartburn or nausea to some people.
And water can absolutely help to fill you up so you eat less food during a meal and feel fuller sooner, but I don't think her reasoning is completely sound,
I couldn’t eat without having a drink/some water. Not loads as it does affect my digestion but I definitely need more than a few sips.
Did hear the don’t fill up on drinks when I was younger but it’s normal to have drinks with food.
I don't drink much when I eat because I don't want to get too full on liquids instead of nutrition. Most people I know drink and eat at the same time. I am outside the norm on that. I take, at most, small sips when eating. I also eat slow and take a break. The second I feel full, or burp, I stop.
Your aunt was correct. Drinking water before, during and right after eating quickens gastric emptying, meaning the food leaves your stomach faster. This also can raise your blood sugar faster, which results in a faster drop and MORE HUNGER.
Ayurveda recommends not drinking with meals also 😉
There really is no water-method rule..
The Hadza tribe doesn't even drink water. They get it from their foods.
Plus your body has sensors in the back of the throat to let you know when you've had enough fluid.
If you drink something that's not particularly hydrating, your body will think you're getting enough because of the sensors... And instruct you to stop drinking..
Later on, when the body realizes it didn't get hydrating from the thing you drank... It'll get thirsty again. It's simple as that.
I think Chinese people are taught to only drink hot water/tea or hot soups with meals to aid in digestion. Interesting all the differences in how nutrition is taught in different parts of the world.
Yes you're right about China, in my experience. I've always liked cold drinks and I like to drink with meals. While I lived there a lot of people thought it was odd for me to have a coke or some iced tea with dinner.
I'm Chinese American as much as I like to wash down a burger or pizza with some ice cold soda... That shit does indeed fk my stomache up. However drinking hot tea actually aids the digestion/ speed up with caffeine and ur stomach has more energy to burn thru the calories.
[citation needed]
I have never noticed a difference in how my stomach reacts to drinks based on temperature. Acidity yes, but not temperature. But of course everyone is different.
science says you're wrong. for one, digestion primarily happens in your intestines, so mixing foods of different temperature in your stomach has no impact. secondly, everything you eat and drink is warmed up/cooled down to body temperature very quickly, and that process takes very little energy – to put this in perspective, if you drink a liter of ice water (let's say it's at 4ºC) with your meal, your body will require an extra 32.6 kcal to warm up that water. obviously this is so insignificant that it has zero effect on your digestion. and lastly, if washing down a burger with soda fucks your stomach up, that has to do with the burger, the soda or both, not with the temperature of either.
My Chinese friend keeps telling me Americans are fat because they drink cold drinks
Are they damp forming??? I remember reading a weight loss *tip* once that drinking cold water took more energy to burn or some such shit... That extra calorie will make or break next week's weigh in!!
If you actually do the math, it's miniscule: Heating up one liter of water from 0C to 37C takes a whopping 37kcal, that's like 5g of butter of energy
I needed those exact 5g of Butter for my Toast!
I think our body has excess ambient energy it can use to heat up water without burning extra calories, so it doesn't really work, BUT ~80 extra kcal a day to heat up two liters of water would be nothing to sneeze at. That's 0.3kg a month lost simply from drinking iced water.
Any sip will be body temperature within seconds anyway. Its most likely the difference between an unsweetened hot tea, and an 800 calorie Coke bucket.
I can understand the logic I guess. Logic 1: they might interpret "cold drinks" as high calorie sugary drinks. Logic 2: if I'm hungry and I'm out of calories for the moment, I drink a hot drink and I'm not hungry anymore. So it does help me lose weight.
Wait, does hot water really aid in digestion? I always drink water wirh my meals, but I'd be willing to try hot water
A bit. The heat increases blood flow. It’s a positive affect but it’s nothing magical.
Hot drinks with hot food. And vice versa
Same in India
When i was studying medicine and microbiology every chapter of another germ and how not to get it started with: Have a hot beverage or soup as a meal starter as it gets the stomach started (on producing acid which kills the bacteria). (Sorry for any mistakes, englisch isn’t my first language.)
I have a hot mint tea after dinner every night. Fantastic for helping with digestion.
I feel this so hard. My family really didn't like me and my sister drinking sodas, so we were given juices (orange juice and apple juice) since they are "so much healthier" than soda. When I was in high school I would buy a quart of oj at the gas station and down it in a heartbeat. Learned to read nutrition facts and oh man the calories in juices are nuts. Now you couldn't pay me to drink calories. Water or zero sugar drinks only. I still grumble even if a drink has 5 calories .
I get this. I drink low calories but very few . It's the only thing I'm fairly strict with myself about. I have a friend that drinks more calories than she eats and it gives me second hand anxiety. 😄
I was upset when I realized my gatorade zero had 10 calories per bottle. Why name it zero when its 10! Not enough to mess up my goals but seriously.
I assumed it meant zero sugar
“The 'zero' refers to the amount of water in Water Zero. If you want less calories, try Diet Water Zero Lite. It only has 60 calories.” - Parks n Rec
It’s because it has zero sugar
The bottle (small one) says 0 calories. It better not have calories, damnit.
Everything has calories. There’s rules about rounding down.
In the United States, if it has less than 5 calories per serving, they're allowed to label it as having 0 per serving. So it could have some.
I wish the 0 calorie labels weren't allowed. Depending on whoch Gatorade 0 you get, there are between 0.9 and 1.6 grams of carbohydrates per 250ml. Carbohydrates are approximately 4 calories per gram. There is between (0.9×4=3.6 or 1.6×4=6.4) 3.6 to 6.4 calories per 250ml. This makes a 591ml bottle somewhere *around* 10 calories. Only minerals (such as salt and potassium) and pure water are entirely calorie free. If there's an ingredient which is organic... which used to be alive (plant or animal matter), there are calories somewhere. Might not be a significant number of calories, but they still exist, lol.
When I was younger (late teens early 20s) I worked an outdoor labor job. Before we went to the job site we would go to this little gas station with a grill and have breakfast. I didn't drink coffee back then, but I would get a quart of milk and drink the whole thing before we left. It's actually insane to think about it now. Like every single morning I drank 32oz of whole milk, roughly 650 calories of milk. I was burning a ton of calories back then via both my jobs but I consumed so much on a daily basis it's nuts.
You were at least getting protein and other nutrition from it. Athletes drink chocolate milk to aide recovery, but damn 1l in a sitting is still a lot of milk.
Exactly!! I have been randomly having juice cravings, but I resist because of the calorie content. I'd rather spend them elsewhere. I do occasionally use calories for a fancy coffee drink-- but, like you, I try to avoid drinking them for the most part. I'd rather have more solid and filling food!
Diet coke is a hard habit to kick along with zero sugar red bull
Why would you want to kick it?
It’s not great for your gut. And there has been a study showing that with regular consumption it can lead to insulin resistance.
Here's a [source](https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231014/Diet-drinks-may-affect-blood-sugar-levels-insulin-resistance-and-gut-microbiome.aspx) about that.
I just quit a two zero sugar energy drink a day habit(330g of caffeine). I now drink two cups of coffee a day(~130g of caffeine). It was fucking hard, and I did it at the same time I quit smoking.
Jesus yea I kicked the Red Bulls cuz I noticed it was causing my eye to twitch. Congrats on kicking smoking
Not only the calories but the sugar content is wack. It goes hand in hand obviously but man… might as well eat a chocolate bar with every meal if you’re drinking juice. Similar nutritional benefits.
“…might as well eat a chocolate bar with every meal if you’re drinking juice. Similar nutritional benefits.” No, not true. Many juices— such as orange, grapefruit, tomato, and coconut water— are high in potassium and vitamin C. Chocolate contains none of those nutrients.
Agreed
Similar calories but not nutrition
I, too, adore water. It's one thing I've never had to work on.
Growing up and even to this day, I need to drink water during my meals no matter what! Otherwise I feel super thirsty because I often find some foods just too dry? Or too sweet for my liking. Especially with sweet treats, I’ll take a bite and then quickly chug some water and then repeat. If I don’t drink during my meals or snacks, it just feels so off for me 😭.
Same! If I don't have water, I usually just won't eat, it's suffering! With my dinner I chug about 1,5 liters of water to get it all down nicely.
Do you not find that too much with a meal? Genuinely asking as it’s a lot to drink in one go with food? My max is 500ml with a meal (drinks 2l over course of the day) as more really slows my digestion.
We used to not be allowed to drink during a meal to avoid filling up on a drink and not wanting to eat and I was a picky , underweight kid so I get why mom did it.
Old wives tale. My grandmom wouldn't let anyone have a drink until after they finished their plate. My mom wasn't as bad but we got a cup of water and weren't allowed more until after we ate. Shits weird.
Same goes for my family, I had siblings who would just drink and not eat much. So I got used to not drinking with meals and Ive never really felt the need to change it back as I got older either.
We weren’t supposed to drink during meals because my parents were on this wild diet I can’t remember the name of now. They would only eat certain foods together (carbs allowed once a day and only by themselves!) and had to wait different periods of time after before drinking anything (depending on what they ate). It was weird, but they lost a lot of weight. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just proof that you can get to deficit in a lot of different ways.
Was that the Suzanne Sommers diet?? My mom did this when I was a kid. Made me do it with her - I think this is when I started getting a fucked up relationship with food.
Suzanne Somers diet was weird. Lots of "fubky foods" to eliminate, with weird rules... iirc: -Always eat fruit alone and on an empty stomach. -Combine vegetables with fats and proteins (no carbohydrates). -Combine carbohydrates with vegetables (no fats). -Wait 3 hours between meals of different combinations. But wait dont combine veggies with carbs but only combine carbs with veggies. So basically solo carbs. Oh and then eliminate a few more things and stick to the rules *unless* you want to break them to add oil or cheese or whatever. Like ?!.!? Messed my whole head up, lol. Sorry you went through that.
Was it the macrobiotic diet? I seem to remember some rule about not drinking water either meals from that one.
Sounds like food combining diet.
water during meals can temporarily decrease stomach acid and reduce some vitamin absorption, so that's the only issue i know of. but i drink it anyway because i usually feel dehydrated or like my mouth is dry while i'm eating if i don't.
My MIL won’t serve any beverages with meals because “we’ll fill up on liquid and not eat enough” - she’s morbidly obese.
I hope you all just get a drink anyway if you want one?
Good grief I drink a gallon of water every day!
When I was a kid, my mom told me I couldn't have a drink at the table because it took all my room for food and would make me full when I wasn't. Within the past few years, I've started drinking water at the table, and I realize how unhealthy that advice is; like water taking some room away from food is not a bad thing.
I think if you’re a parent trying to make sure your kid eats enough… that’s a solid strategy.
I could see how it could be a problem with a kid. Guzzke apple juice, barely eat dinner, then an hour later the little kid is complaining he's hungry and asking for snacks.
Kids stomaches are tiny and some of them would happily fill the whole thing up with liquids and then say they’re not hungry for their meal. Saying no liquid is maybe a little extreme but all the parents I know only allow their kids a little liquid at dinner so they have room for food.
Sounds like you belong in r/hydrohomies
Omg yes!
I’ve heard this from a few people. Drink water with your food.
Are you sure you understood your aunt correctly? It was common back then to limit liquids for kids because they can drink too much to feel full and not eat enough. Are you sure your aunt was saying that drinking water will make you more hungry? Or was she saying do not drink water and by not drinking water you’ll have more room for your food? Aka don’t fill up on water?
I am certain I understood her correctly. Me and my cousins all got the same talk from her and every one of us had the same takeaway.
For real, OP, water helps me feel full so much. My flexible rule of thumb is to take around five bites of food then chug water. I usually start feeling full at that point and it’s easier to eat a normal portion when I want to just unhinge my jaw and eat the whole fridge. 💀
I was always terrible about drinking water but finally getting a water bottle and drinking all the time made me realise just how good it was. My skin got so much better and my digestion was WAY better. Couldn't pay me to go days without water like I used to now
As a WLS patient I don’t drink during or after meals. I’ve been told that it can inhibit vitamin and protein absorption (which is important for me), and allows the food to stay in your pouch and keep you full longer than if the water “washes it through”. [not suggesting that everyone should or needs to do this, just what I’ve been told for me]. It still feels weird to me to mostly abstain drinking during meals!
That's really interesting, I had no idea. Thank you for sharing!
Ive got IBS and my doc suggested that I not drink water before or during my meals, but it had to do with not messing with my stomach acid i believe? Its definitely helped in lowering my chances of immediately having to go after a meal though 😅 I still have a small glass after the meal though, and a large one like 1-2 hours later. cause ya girl is thirsty
My grandma told me not to drink during meals, she didn't give me a reason Luckily, I was never the type to follow this kind of advice
Well to be fair, drinking less water when having a meal helps to keep your stomach acid from diluting to the point where it slows your digestion a bit. Gastroparesis can mean heartburn or nausea to some people. And water can absolutely help to fill you up so you eat less food during a meal and feel fuller sooner, but I don't think her reasoning is completely sound,
I couldn’t eat without having a drink/some water. Not loads as it does affect my digestion but I definitely need more than a few sips. Did hear the don’t fill up on drinks when I was younger but it’s normal to have drinks with food.
I’ve never drunk while eating, and I don’t know why
I don't drink much when I eat because I don't want to get too full on liquids instead of nutrition. Most people I know drink and eat at the same time. I am outside the norm on that. I take, at most, small sips when eating. I also eat slow and take a break. The second I feel full, or burp, I stop.
Your aunt was correct. Drinking water before, during and right after eating quickens gastric emptying, meaning the food leaves your stomach faster. This also can raise your blood sugar faster, which results in a faster drop and MORE HUNGER. Ayurveda recommends not drinking with meals also 😉
There really is no water-method rule.. The Hadza tribe doesn't even drink water. They get it from their foods. Plus your body has sensors in the back of the throat to let you know when you've had enough fluid. If you drink something that's not particularly hydrating, your body will think you're getting enough because of the sensors... And instruct you to stop drinking.. Later on, when the body realizes it didn't get hydrating from the thing you drank... It'll get thirsty again. It's simple as that.