A natural way of maintaining good digestive system is by drinking one glass of water 10-15 minutes before every meal. This technique no more remains a grand ma's tip to heal stress and reduce acid reflux but is scientifically proven with evidence.
The water makes stomach hydrated and in turn this layer protects stomach walls from penetrating impact of various chemicals and digestive enzymes. Water also works as testing agent in the laboratory of human stomach goading other endocrine glands to react and release their secretions which help in digestion and assimilation of food.
There is also a scientific principle behind keeping lips closed while chewing the food items. Atmospheric air may enter through open mouth during chewing and reach inside the stomach along with chewed food, share the scientists.
Dr ML Parihar working in Department of Atomic Energy explained the science behind the use of drinking water before all the meals, during a workshop held recently for the media by Department of Atomic Energy in conjunction with National Union of Journalists at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan DAE Site. Dr Parihar says, "Water acts as a testing agent and solvent in the bodily laboratory working at stomach to assess how much is the extent of acid to be released in the stomach to breakdown the food into useful components.
The messages are sent to the brain from where the response messages are sent to the endocrine glands as to how much juices and secretions are to be released." This all happens in a jetting process.
If the penetration of food occurs in the stomach, instead of assimilation, it may lead to erosion of stomach lining and ultimately causing ulcers in stomach. So drinking water is essential for a healthy human being to maintain his health, said Parihar.
The principle behind closing of mouth while eating is that air should not enter inside the mouth while chewing food items. If one keeps the lips and mouth open or talks while eating, air enters the system and eventually gives rise to gastric disorders, added Parihar.
If food is eaten in a hurry, it gets suppressed so when water is drunk before meals, food stays afloat. If air is trapped inside, it rises up and gets thrown out in the form of burps and there is never condition of bloating.
Notably, Parihar is also a researcher in the field of alternative medical practices and an alumni of Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya. He suggests that to reduce body weight, one must sip more water while sitting. If obese persons drink one to two glasses of normal water 10-15 minutes before every meal, it helps them reduce their solid food intake and reduce chances of stomach ulcer. It is the natural tendency of humans that they tend to eat more when offered free food at meetings and conferences which should be avoided. Overweight and fat can be further reduced by sipping one glass of hot water boiling like tea just after taking meal. Just after finishing the hot water nothing should be eaten or drunk for next two hours but after this period any quantity of water can be taken.
Parihar scientifically explained that water plays a very important role in human health and medical management. Water works as a coolant, moisturiser, lubricant, solvent, transporter, adhesive, packing material, healer and pain manager in human mind and body. Why water is such an important constituent of our lives is explained by the very fact that 70 per cent of human body weight is made of water.
He suggests that healthy as well as sick persons should increase water intake but majority of the modern population is taking lesser water so they face digestive and blood related disorders along with body and joint pains. Hence, he suggests healthy people should take four to five litres of water daily to stay fit and healthy. One of the other important property of water is that it is one of the best natural diuretic helpful in naturally reducing edema.
He further suggested that all the persons should take one litre normal water just after getting up in the morning without washing mouth, face and eyes. Persons weighing more than 60 kilogrammes should take 1.25 litre water. Nothing should be consumed for the next 45 minutes. Overall, consuming four to five litres of water daily will help a person stay healthy and happy, he adds.