Drinking water after a meal?

[lily3308]

Hi all,

I'm in a frustrating flare right now, and food is just going right through me. I once (a long time ago, in a book about IBS) read that drinking a lot of water with/after a meal can cause your stomach to empty more quickly and prevent it from doing its part of the digesting. What I've read online suggests that this is not true/completely irrelevant, but I assume most of what I'm reading is written with regards to healthy/non-IBD people. Does anyone have any thoughts on this as it pertains directly to Crohn's?

 

[teeny5]

I have not heard that water speeds up emptying of the stomach. Is it all food that seems to go through you? What foods are you eating? Have you tried eating more of a liquid diet to let your digestive tract rest a bit?

 

[lily3308]

All food besides the most bland (white toast, bananas, applesauce) seems to go right through. My current diet is dairy-free, gluten-free, and mostly vegetarian. I am considering going on a liquid diet, but I am not looking forward to not chewing anything for awhile!

 

[UnXmas]

My surgeon told me that, but in relation to having an ileostomy. I've also heard that with an ileostomy you can become dehydrated if you drink too much fluid as it just speeds it up too much for it to be absorbed.

I have heard digestion can be upset by drinking with a meal even without an ileostomy, though not from very credible sources. The only other thing I've heard from doctors is that drinking with a meal can increase your feelings of satiety, so if you're struggling to gain weight it's better to space your meals and drinks out. (Not that that's specific to Crohn's.)

All that said, I've never noticed the slighest difference whether I drink with my meals or not. There are probably much more effective ways for you to address this problem; besides treating the flare itself, anti-diarrhoea meds (loperamide, Lomotil, codeine) could help with that side of things, and dietary changes can also be helpful, especially cutting down fibre (sounds like you're doing that already) but there are many alterations that work for some people and may be worth trying. I'm not sure about a liquid diet; in addition to the white toast, bananas and apple sauce, you could try smooth peanut butter, white rice, white bread (not sure if gluten free bread would work), skinless potatoes. There are others but mainly include dairy or gluten.

 

[teeny5]

I would stick to the most bland (whatever you can tolerate) and add Ensure or Boost drinks to help get nutrients. Let your doctor know if you go to liquid diet. Your system may need rest and sounds like other foods are just aggravating symptoms. Think of it as having open wounds and that some foods are scratching it, need to let it heal up a bit then gradually add in other foods.

 

[lily3308]

Thanks for the advice! I spoke with my nutritionist this morning, and she had some tips. She suggested only very, very soft veggies, nothing raw, and she wants me to make and drink bone broth daily. Meat, but only poached/slow-cooked in a stew. I'll see how it goes... following up with my gastroenterologist as soon as they can get me in :-/

 

[InstantCoffee]

You can try psyllium husks or seed powder to bulk / slow down your digestion.

 

[SmellyMelly]

They say you should avoid drinking with food, as it can interfere with digestion. Drink 20 mins prior or 20 mins after only. This comes from a naturopathic background and may not be well known. Although I suggest the food you are choosing to eat, would be the culprit more than the water. Maybe try a few days completely off solid food and do a liquid only diet instead. Are you making bone broths? During my last flare I lived on bone broth, carrot juice, water and peppermint herbal tea for about two weeks and that stopped the flare.

 

[Lady Organic]

having a big bulk in the stomach (food + glass of water) increases unncessary stress for the stomach. ideally we should separate the 2. DRink before and let it time to be absorbed (water goes down in about 30 minutes)

 

[lily3308]

Lady Organic, that is what I had heard. It's a shame because I get so thirsty while eating, and drinking while I eat slows me down (I tend to eat too fast).

 

[kikig]

Agree with Lady Organic here - I either drink before or after as it fills me up too much and then I am duped into thinking I've eaten enough. Twenty mins later I am hungry again.

I think drinking water can also make you forget to chew thoroughly to "lubricate" the food.
Your meals may take longer to chew down without water but I'll bet they get into the stomach in a more broken down format.

 

[InstantCoffee]

I was under the impression your body has to pull water into the gut to digest food anyway?

 

[kikig]

I think the effect of drinking water during or after a meal varies from person to person. I drink a ton of water (3litres min) a day so there is normally enough floating around my gut
And as I said, drinking during a meal dupes me into thinking I am full. I've also found that wine or beer during a meal can give me cramps so I only ever sip those during. Mostly for appearances to be honest.

But I know for peeps with IBS specifically, they recommend not drinking water(or drinks at all) until after a meal and it should not be sparkling water either (I'm not referring to 7Up type stuff).