Drinking water during meals to help with acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD? Whose!
Did you know that heartburn is actually caused by TOO LITTLE stomach acid, rather than too much acid as we’re always told?
This lack of stomach acid prevents full digestion, particularly of undigested carbohydrates, which greatly contributes to burning heartburn and gas.
If that’s true, why do people insist that drinking plenty of water is helpful when you eat? When it comes to acid reflux, drinking too much water can be harmful.
Let’s be clear, drinking some water when there is acid in the esophagus can be helpful in flushing out the acid and giving us relief. And drinking enough water is a good thing.
A better solution (no pun intended) is to try to prevent the acid from getting up there in the first place! And drinking water during a meal can make acid reflux worse. This is why:
You need stomach acid to digest food!
Think about it. What does the water do? It dilutes things and weakens them. We use water to dilute all sorts of things. Water-based paint, cooking sauces, salad dressings, and more.
So doesn’t it make sense that if we add a lot of water to our stomach (which contains acid) when we eat, our stomach acid will be diluted, weaker, and less effective as well?
This leads to incomplete digestion of food.
Undigested food stays in the stomach longer, creating gas, bloating, and pressure that worsen acid reflux symptoms.
Remember, acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) opens too often or does not close well enough. This sphincter is supposed to close to keep stomach acid in the stomach.
Drinking water with meals also fills the stomach too much. Your overly full and bloated stomach can cause pressure on the LES. When pressure forces it open, stomach contents can leak into the esophagus.
There seems to be a fixation on drinking water. We used to drink water when we were thirsty. There is now a false concern about being “dehydrated” as people carry around their water bottles to get their 8 glasses a day.
Enough is enough.
If you have painful heartburn, acid reflux issues, and GERD, other than a sip or two, try NOT to drink water with your meal and let the stomach acid do its thing.
Give it a try, and I think you’ll be well on your way to a healthier gut.
