" The idea that one should not drink liquids with meals is a hangover from 19th century beliefs about physiology. Physiological studies in the 1910s made it quite clear that drinking fluids with meals was not detrimental, even in large quantities. In fact, digestion is actually improved when fluids are included with a meal. I could point you to numerous sources to back this up. Here are a few examples: http://books.google.com/books?id=_04VAAAAYAAJ (see pp 281-282); http://books.google.com/books?id=O2cSAAAAYAAJ (Ch. 11, pp. 260-ff). The persistent advice to not drink water with meals seems to be most common in naturopathic circles. An interesting study on rats suggests that water content of gastric contents is carefully regulated by the body. Rats fed with water and without water had the same water content in their stomachs. The most current advice from medical sources is how much or how little water you drink during meals is probably irrelevant (within reasonable bounds). Certain medical conditions might warrant not drinking water with meals, and in other cases drinking water with meals may be advised. "

" Napa Valley College has many knowledgeable Biology and Chemistry instructors that I'm sure would have given Ms. Montanez a second opinion on this claim. It's misleading to say that "in general, drinking water (cold or warm) with a meal isn’t a good idea". "

" This column is outrageous. If you want to know something about medicine, consult a real scientist or an MD. A doctor of neuropathy is about as informed as a "guess your weight" act at the carnical.
You have done a very real disservice to the people who read this paper. I hope you will apologize and retract the column. I am Joe Turner "

" a naturopath?....tsk, tsk, tsk "

" from the Mayo clinic web site....how much water should your drink...

Several approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.

* Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.
* Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Another approach to water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" — drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Though the approach isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this basic rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.
* Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Even apart from the above approaches, if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.

Nowhere does it say anything about not drinking water with a meal....Mayo Clinic versus naturopath...I would lean towards the Clinic for my medical advice. "

" I have enjoyed many of these columns that answer questions about our local area. But on this occation, maybe you just might want to type "drinking water with meals" into Google and read the first 10 results to get a balanced responce to this question. "

" The idea that you shouldn't drink anything with a meal seems ridiculous to me. I would imagine that most of the liquid we drink during our meal is absorbed by the food we are eating. I don't think you risk diluting your stomach acids too much unless you drink large quantities of liquid. But what do I know, I'm no expert. "

" "I received an e-mail message months ago that claimed drinking cold water with or after a meal was actually bad for you, and that it was better to drink warm or hot water for better digestion."... Are you that hard up for questions that you are answering emails messages you receive that do not even ask any?
And then when you do answer it, you give a very questionable reply. If I had asked, I would not be glad I did. "

" I think this column should be renamed 'Too Bad I Asked!' I rarely see an answer that can be taken at face value. Last was code enforcement issues, this one - why did not Ms. Montanez ask a Board Certified Doctor? At least get two opinions from various fields. "

" Here's how it was explained to me...

If you ingest any item into your system that will adversely affect your internal body temperature, then you probably do not want to do it on a regular basis. Your body constantly compensates for internal as well as external temperatures. When you throw in the mix ice cold water, it has to recompensate and work over time to to bring temperatures back to normal.

If you spend any time with Asian people you will notice they never drink ice water for any meal. Always ordering hot tea or room temperature beverages.

I for one can logically see how making your system go from one extreme to the other has got to be bad for you in some way.

After hearing this I've stuck to drinking things at room temperature or luke warm. I figure if you want your body to work less, then whatever internal temperature your body is at will probably be the temperature you want your liquid?

Just a logical thought. "

" ROFL "I figure if you want your body to work less, ...."
OK "logical thought", so following this logic, I should not under any circumstances do anything to make my body work more.
I will eliminate any aerobic exercise, heck any exercise period....never liked it anyway.
Houscleaning is out...again, never liked it...
I think I should get a hover round, cause let's face it...walking is work. Do you think I could get the store clerks to fill up my cart? They already offer to bring the groceries to the car. I have always declined, but maybe I should take them up on it?
And my job...do you think there is any way I could convince my clients to just send the money to my home? I like my job, but it is work.
Then we have my brain...I have always felt it worked way too much. I am having difficulty deciding how to make it work less, though. Maybe a constant diet of soap operas, or I could take up reading comics? OH, I know...I could become a pot head. But then I hear that causes the munchies...all the trips to the kitchen could prove to be to much work....
Geez, just all the thinking on how to work my body less, has it working more than ususal. What a conundrum! "