One of the things I love about living in a foreign country is it can sometimes turn your thoughts 360 degrees and put them right back in your face. Things you always believed but never really thought about it. And then a French person comes along and BAM! You’re thinking “What was I thinking?” Believe it or not it’s a pretty cool feeling. Kind of like being tricked by a magician.
I noticed once (about 2 1/2 years ago) that my coworkers didn’t drink much water during our lunches in the cafeteria. Often a coworker would get a glass and then never even use it! Americans are big drinkers, especially during meals. It’s a conspiracy with roots deep inside the Coca-Cola company that ends up with most restaurants having “free refills” on sodas. The French, on average, drink very little during the meal, and almost exclusively water (and wine). So I finally asked a coworker “Why don’t you drink with your meal?”. “Because you’re not supposed to” was the reply. “Really? Why is that?” I asked. “Because it fills up the stomach, dilutes the stomach acid, and makes it harder to digest” came the swift response. I thought about it for a few seconds and then kind of dismissed it. After all, everyone in the US drinks a lot during meals.
Fast forward a few months, I decided to ask doctor about it during a visit and he “prescribed” me this: Drink one glass of water before the meal, and then have a glass of wine with the meal but nothing else to drink. What? Did a doctor just tell me to drink wine? Hey, that’s pretty cool. So the next day I grabbed a glass of wine at the cafeteria at work. That caused quite a bit of interest, because even though it’s allowed, available, and acceptable, no one does it. I explained, “Doctor’s orders!”. That didn’t last long because I found it hard to stay awake after lunch, but it did change my thoughts on drinking during meals.
So if you’re interested, the rule is this: Drink in between meals but not during. If you forget, just drink water before you start eating or don’t drink at all. This may sound hard to Americans, that’s because the American food is very rich (read fat) and salty. The food isn’t salty in France so drinking a lot of water isn’t necessary.
If you Google it, you’ll find the French aren’t the only ones. People are catching on to it in the US too. Which is quite funny, because it’s something the French have known for how many hundreds of years? So remember: If the French say something about food, pay attention! They’re almost always right. Even when they say US birthday cake is disgusting and you don’t want to believe them, you know deep down inside they are right.
And now you know why Rolaides, Tums, Tagamet, Pepcid, etc. are doing such a huge business. Take a meal for two but put it on one plate, with lots of fat, salt, and sauce, and then throw in a gallon of Coke and you’ve got a recipe for disaster! Kind of like throwing a Menthos in a glass of coke.
Perfectly right!
My glass is always dry after a meal and I put it back into the cupboard after the meal…
BUT my lot (husband + children) do drink during…
Now where is the rule and where is the exception?
When I was a teenager Mom had a health food store and drinking before and after but not during meals was a standard thing for many of her customers. (That was 30 years ago!)America also historically had better tasting unpolluted water resources. While things maybe changing in that respect the habit of drinking with the meal may not have. I’d be willing to bet that the more Urbanized the setting the less anyone would want to drink the water. In my opinion bottled water is the only way to go. You know your experience of America and mine are quite different even though we are related. Your job kept you in a very “stereotyped” educated white collar middle class experience. Mine had me working in impoverished and/or diverse environments. I no longer think of American as one homogenized thing. Even for a person of similiar income within the middle class there is a huge difference of perception of what it is to be American if one is white collar vs being blue collar. In schools and workplace trainings these days cultural issues are very big and it is considered polite (politically correct?)to qualify one’s statements. So generalizing by saying that Americans do this or that, is considered rude. What is now being done is to say that “In my family we do this…” or people compare and contrast the experiences under discussions. For instance, that US Birthday cake you discussed. For the kids in my preschool classes the cake of choice was trace leche cake (positively sure I’ve misspelled that). Those kids are second generation Mexican-Americans. For them that is the US Birthday cake compared to what I think you were thinking of in your statement. When you come back to visit I’ll get you some to try, it’s very yummy.
Teresa,
Thanks for the comments. I agree with you, this site is going to be one big generalization! I could qualify everything by saying “In my experience those around me..” or “the people with whom I have worked..” or “the people in the metro..” but it gets tiresome and uninteresting. Some of my coworkers remind me, when I say “the French” that I’m living in Paris, and not all French are Parisian (those that aren’t are quite proud of it).
Of course not everyone in the US drinks a ton of water (or Coke) but I feel I can generalize here because my experience as a both a waiter and as a customer in the US have shown that they do. When we go out to eat in the US, even if our glass is half full they come by and fill it up. In France (at work), if your glass is half full, someone asks if they can take your carafe (because there aren’t enough to have one per table)!
While your coworkers have their reasons for not drinking water at meals, please refer to this website for a more informed perspective:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestion/AN01776
I think that you have stumbled upon a cultural difference based on tradition and faulty logic rather than fact.
Whoa, wait a minute there Eric. I didn’t say “not drinking water at meals”. I said not to drink a lot of water DURING meals. There’s a big difference. A small glass is OK but a liter isn’t.
The ideal is to drink water when you sit down at the table. During the meal it’s used more to rinse out your mouth when changing from one item to another (for example from the meal to dessert).
I bet most Americans aren’t even able to do this, because the food is so salty. It’s all marketing. The restaurants make their food salty so you will drink more, hoping that you’ll be drinking something that’s not free like water. That’s the same reason bars will give some salty peanuts or pretzels with your drink.
When I’m in the US on vacation, we usually get huge glasses that hold a liter of water. In France the glasses hold about 20cl which is 1/5 the amount.
Then in the US, every time the server comes by they will keep filling it up. The result is that people can drink a liter or more of water, tea, or even worse soda. All this liquid fills up the stomach. Add to the liter of water a meal portion for 2 and one feels like the Good Year Blimp.
The doctor doesn’t address this bloating aspect, but he did say that water doesn’t dilute the stomach juices. I’d need more details from him on that one, he’s kind of vague.
In summary, it’s possible to go an entire meal in France without feeling thirsty, but that isn’t the case in the US. I think that points out one of the problems with the American diet. Americans are oblivious to it because high-salt high-fat diets become norm rather than the exception.
There are always 2 sides of any views and questions will always be raised, to drink or not to. But thinking logically drinking less during meals makes sense. And if one eats right kinds of food and chews ENOUGH (my science teacher in India had commented that one should even chew “milk”) then one will not need any water during meals. In some parts of India people consumes “small quantity of flavored seeds” after meal, which is supposed to “re-stimulate” digestive glands to help reduce diluted juices in stomach after water consumption.
Our body is a great machine and a mild to moderate abuse does not have any immediate impact.
Forgetting about research where both sides would end up proving other wrong. I would just go by simple logic. Why DRINK A LOT, if you do not have to? Eat right combination of food and you possibly formed a habit which by no means is going to harm you.
This is a myth.
First of all, French do drink water with their meals. I see it all the time with all the French people I eat with here in France. I am French and I drink lots of water. I am thin and have no digestive problems.
You cites 3 reason drinking during a meal is wrong. Let’s look at each one:
“Because it fills up the stomach”: Isn’t that a good thing? Makes you eat fewer calories. Great.
“dilutes the stomach acid”: so is eating fruit (which is 90%+ water) bad for you? All the docs have told me eating fruit is good. Is watermelon bad for you? Homo sapiens evolved to drink and process water together because a caveman would never know where he might get his next chance to drink or eat. The stomach tolerates water just fine.
“makes it harder to digest”: Why? Let’s say I follow her orders and wait till after the meal to eat. So 5-10 minutes after I eat, I drink a liter of water. Unlike food, water immediately floods the digestive system quickly “catching up” to the food, mixing with it. Am I going to have digestive problems now?
The French only live 3 years longer than Americans.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=life+expectancy+french+and+american
It has nothing to do whether they drink water during their meal or not. First, they most DO drink during their meal. Second, they live longer because they consume fewer calories.
Let’s not spread this urban legend any more. Drink up!
I never said the French don’t drink water during meals. It’s all relative.
In the US the glasses hold about a liter, and as soon as you drink 1/3 of it the server comes bye and fills it up again. it’s not uncommon for Americans to drink 2-3 of these at a meal.
I quit drinking liquid with my meals 2 years ago and lost 35lbs in one month! This really works! I drink water up to 15 min before i eat and not again until 2 hrs after.. took a little while to get used to! I find my food digest so well now and I have so much more energy! All you have to do is remember to drink inbetween meals! Anyone serious about there health.. this simple thing alone will make a huge difference!
I would like to point out what was written in the article:
“Often a coworker would get a glass and then never even use it!”
The doctor prescribed “…have a glass of wine with the meal but nothing else to drink”
“… the rule is this: Drink in between meals but not during.”
” …just drink water before you start eating or don’t drink at all.”
The response to Eric said: “Whoa, wait a minute there Eric. I didn’t say ‘not drinking water at meals’. I said not to drink a lot of water DURING meals.”
All the previous examples are statements about drinking NO amount of water during the meal. They are not about drinking some small amount to wash food down.
You did a good job of cutting out the parts you wanted and leaving the parts that you didn’t. The co-worker who never drank water during his meal drank his water before. The doctor said to drink wine during your meal. That’s what I observed & heard, but I’m not saying to not drink any water. I personally like to drink a few sips of water if I’m not having wine. But there is a huge difference to drinking 2-3 glasses of water or worse yet soda and drinking most of the water before the meal and only a few sips during. That’s the point I was trying to make.
I still follow this advice. When I sit down I drink a full glass and sometimes two. By the time we order and food comes I’m ready to eat and don’t need so much water. Keep in mind that here in France the food is not salty like it is in the US, so one doesn’t get thirsty while eating. I went to mcDonald’s with the kids this week (my first time there in around 6 years) and I couldn’t believe how salty it was. disgusting. and made me thirsty. if someone has to drink 2-3 glasses of beverage with their meal then there’s something wrong with their meal!
My understanding is that if you drink liquids with your meals you dilute the digest enzymes. When you chew food it activates the digestive enzymes.
It is a good to follow, I’m dying for water after eating too bananas. But I will be more hydrated I just have to wait 2 1/2 hours after a meal. You can drink liquids 30 minutes before a meal.
I don’t use to drink during meals, mostly because I don’t need to. I don’t think it deludes stomach acid anymore though. One thing i DO believe is that saliva is really important when it comes to digest food. And when you help the swallow process by drinking water at the same time, the stomach will have to work harder.
I drink plenty of water during the day though. And I think it’s ok while eating too, as long as you chew your food for a long time without water in your mouth.
I read similar advice about a year ago and have stopped drinking beverages while eating, and for generally an hour or more afterwards. The gas production and indigestion that used to follow every meal has nearly vanished! Liquids not only dilute the digestive juices, but cold drinks cool the chemical processes of digestion, resulting in less efficient digestion. So, if you must drink water, order it without ice (I know, kind of embarrasing in a restaurant).
I have also noticed that when I do drink a beverage with a meal now, I invariably wind up with indigestion…that’s all the proof I need.