Before or after a meal: When is the right time to drink water?

Drinking an adequate amount of water every single day is quintessential to healthy living. Not only does it help you stay hydrated but also aids crucial bodily functions like flushing out toxins from the body, creating saliva, and transporting nutrients to various parts of the body. As such, when you don’t drink enough water, you put yourself at risk of health concerns including dehydration, urinary tract infection, joint and muscle problems, etc. But, did you know that it is not just about drinking enough water, consuming it at the right time is equally important.
While some say you should drink water after your meal, others suggest drinking before having your food. “Ayurveda advises a specific time to drink water and this timing is — 30 minutes before your meal or 30 minutes after your meal,” Dr Rekha Radhamony, an Ayurvedic expert, said.

She shared that while it doesn’t matter if you are drinking 30 minutes before or after your meals, what matters is whether the person is overweight or thin. Explaining the same, Dr Rekha added, “If the person is emaciated, tired, weak, trying to gain weight and overall looks very thin, he/she has to drink after 30 minutes after the meal.”
On the contrary, if the person is obese, overweight, having hormonal imbalances, or has a lot of fat in the body, “he/she should drink water 30 minutes before a meal”, she suggested.
However, according to Dr Anshu Vatsyayan, an Ayurvedic expert, it is ideally suggested to drink water only after your meal, not before it. “When you drink water just before your meal, the digestive enzymes become weak and get diluted. Thus, you should have water 30 minutes after your meals — that too in a very small quantity,” she explained.
She added that the time one should drink water is not the same for every thin or overweight person. “It depends on the person as Ayurveda believes that every human being is different. Whether you are obese or thin depends on the aggravation of your doshas – vata, pitta and kapha.”
She added that having one glass of water before your meal “will detoxify your stomach.” Consumption of water also depends on the season and the place where you live as your digestive fibre is different in every season and place, the expert told .

Prior to this, fitness expert Sonia Bakshi shared the ideal times to drink water during the day. Take a look.

*Never have water with a meal. “A glass or more of water with a meal severely hampers your stomach’s digestive powers and causes insulin levels to fluctuate significantly. If needed, just sip a little water with your meal,” said Bakshi.
*Always have water one hour after a meal. This will allow the body to absorb the nutrients of the food, according to the expert.
*She suggested drinking at least a glass of water when you wake up as it helps fight sickness and strengthens the immune system.
*Drink at least a glass of water mid-afternoon to combat fatigue. Dehydration may be the root cause of mid-afternoon slump, so drinking water can help combat fatigue and other unwanted symptoms.
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