# Drinking water with meals **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2004, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155 "2004-11-05T10:44:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D0pBOt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ab097/32.png) [@D0pBOt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D0pBOt)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/1 "2004-11-05T10:44:30Z")
I’ve always heard conflicting opinions on whether it’s a good or bad idea to drink water while eating. So add some conflict. Is it good? Helpful for digestion? A hindrance? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/2 "2004-11-05T10:55:40Z")
How could it possibly be _bad_ to drink water with a meal??? You need to drink a sufficient amount of fluids every day. Certain dry foods are easier to eat if you wash them down with fluids. Other than that, though, it really doesn’t matter if you drink your fluids before, during, or after the meal. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/3 "2004-11-05T11:43:56Z")
Keep in mind that you should also breath while eating. But not at the exact same time as you’re swallowing. ---
**Author:** ![MartinL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@MartinL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MartinL)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/4 "2004-11-05T11:46:20Z")
I have heard that the idea behind why it is bad to drink too much water with your meals is that it dilutes the digestive juices in your stomach, forcing your body to create more of them before digestion can start. On the other hand, if the food is too dry, a little water may help digestion by dissolving the food and let the juices do their work. So yes, there will be an amount of water that will be a hindrance for digestion. The exact amount may depend on the type of food. Anyway, it will be a very large amount, and for practical purposes and everyday situations, water is not bad for you. Cecil wrote a column titled something like “Is too much water bad for you?”, only I can’t find it at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![jimdigritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jimdigritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimdigritz)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/5 "2004-11-05T14:20:17Z")
I have also heard from many (lay)people that too much water consumed with food will dilute your stomach acid, making digestion harder. Have a penchant for cold water I often drink loads when eating, and unfortunatley often have a bloated feeling after meals… so maybe there is some truth in it… any medical Dopers care to comment? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/6 "2004-11-05T16:05:04Z")
I’ve never been able to understand this. There are people that will drink about one third to half a glass of iced tea or water with an entire dinner when eating out. I want at least two glasses of tea, and maybe I’ll add a beer too, with a coffee at the end. Who are these freaks? Do they ever pee? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/7 "2004-11-05T16:24:44Z")
It is a pervasive idea in Indian culture that it is bad to take liquids with meals. My wife, for example, never drinks while eating. I usually drink about three or four full glasses of water with dinner and if I am with Indian relatives, someone will invariably ask me if I find the food to be too spicy. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/8 "2004-11-05T17:05:13Z")
> [@MartinL](#): > > Cecil wrote a column titled something like “Is too much water bad for you?”, only I can’t find it at the moment. [Can water be too pure? Is too much water bad for you?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020208.html) There’s nothing specific about drinking water while eating, though. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-water-with-meals/273155/9 "2004-11-05T17:06:19Z")
I’m not a doctor, but I’ve studied digestion for many years. Water passes through the stomach at a much faster rate than solid foods. It’s unlikely to dilute the stomach acids, which in any case are secreted as needed rather than being a fixed quantity. Water is good for you, at any time, in any reasonable amount, with meals or between them. It’s true that you can get along without it at a meal, because most foods themselves have a high fluid content, which is extracted in the intestines. The addition of water makes for better working innards, though. I recommend it highly.