Drink water after two hours
Have you ever wondered why some people, Italians mostly, drink alcohol with their meals? Are they just being sociable or they cannot down their food without alcohol? Well, there is a medical explanation to that.
As soon as our stomach fills with solid food, contractions start which marks the start of digestion. Some of us, and that includes me, down it with water even with just a few tablespoons of food. It is just too difficult for me to continue eating without drinking water every now and then, allowing me to consume around three to five glassful of water during the entire mealtime. The end result is a bloated feeling with a heavy stomach which disappears only after two to three hours.
The practice is bad because it causes the protein in the food to be partially digested or not at all. The voluminous water intake prevents the pepsinogen to be converted to pepsin which is responsible for digestion of protein.
I am not saying that drinking water is entirely prohibited. Small sips are allowed. And drinking to the max is best for the digestive system only after two hours.
Now, some people cannot wait that long. So, to enhance or augment digestion, a tea or coffee will help after meals. Alcoholic drinks, wine, also help. That is the main reason why Italians down their food mostly with red wine or any alcoholic beverage.
Tags: alcoholic beverages, coffee, digestion, meals, red wine, tea, wine