I tried not drinking water during meals and these are the changes I’ve noticed

Deciding not to drink water during meals doesn’t mean drinking very little or not drinking it at all in general. It’s more important than ever to drink water throughout the day. You can drink it before eating and resume drinking after about 30 minutes of your meal.

My personal experience

I’ve always been in the habit of drinking a lot of water at all times of the day, including during meals. I was starting to feel this was contributing to exacerbating certain issues I suffer from, such as postprandial bloating and nighttime gastroesophageal reflux. Especially in the evening, digestion was a real nightmare: a bloated, tight abdomen and a feeling of heaviness often stayed with me until bedtime, leading to anything but restful sleep.

In an effort to reduce these effects, I decided to try cutting out water during meals. I continued to drink it for the rest of the day, but avoided it for that half-hour spanning the meal and the 30 minutes afterward. As easy as it might seem, it was not. My mind kept returning to that feeling of deep thirst, as if I couldn’t go on living without a drop of water. Yet, I had been drinking just moments before and would resume shortly afterward. Resisting the urge the first few times was very difficult. But, as is often the case, it’s all a matter of willpower. The beneficial effects I experienced helped make the challenge a little easier.

Cutting out water with meals helped me manage the feeling of bloating (especially in the evening) and I was surprised to find that my digestion was normal, quick and easy—something I wasn’t used to at all. This encouraged me to keep going. But above all, it made me realise that water itself isn’t the enemy. It’s drinking too much of it while eating that is. If I can, I don’t drink with meals, especially in the evening. But if I can’t or don’t want to, I try to drink only a little, at most two glasses and do so slowly. It may not be a scientifically proven choice, but if it makes me feel better, why not?

This article first appeared on Vogue.it

Also read:

Drinking hot water vs. cold water: which one is actually better for you?

5 detox water recipes that make hydration less boring

I drank chia seeds in water every day for a month–the benefits were surprising