Edited by an expert:
Nadezhda Primochkina, nutritionist - 06/21/2020
In many articles and books about a healthy lifestyle, I have come across the idea that you should not wash down your food with water. Without much hesitation, I listened to the advice, and within 3 years, eating dry food became a habit. But is it scientifically possible to wash down your food?
Proponents of the idea of a ban refer to “the opinions of scientists,” “leading nutritionists,” and “numerous studies.” Without specific numbers, names, names of scientific centers. I decided to delve into the topic and find out the truth about drinking food and water at the same time.
What happens in the body
It has been established that the digestion processes begin directly in the mouth. First, the food is crushed by the teeth and mixed with saliva. And the more chewing movements are made, the easier it is for the stomach; the products are abundantly moistened with saliva. The intake of fluid dilutes saliva and weakens its splitting effect.
Drinks also weaken the effect of saliva on food. Further, the liquid dilutes the digestive juices in the stomach, which complicates the digestion process. When drinking, a person often swallows without chewing, and this is harmful. As a result, food unprocessed by gastric juices does not go through the necessary stages of digestion in the stomach and ends up in the lower parts of the digestive system, where it undergoes rotting, fermentation and bacterial decomposition, followed by absorption of these products into the blood. As a result, further development of diseases and poisoning of the body.
In addition, by drinking drinks, you provoke a feeling of hunger, because the time food stays in the stomach is reduced.
Why shouldn't you drink coffee to cheer yourself up or wake up?
“Coffee has a tonic effect, and this can further lead to a state of increased excitability. If a person drinks coffee often and in large doses in order to cheer up, then after a while he will get exactly the opposite effect due to the depletion of those mediators that cause this tone. Roughly speaking, neurotransmitter function will be impaired,” says the nutritionist.
You should not drink large quantities of coffee in the morning, when the body releases the stress hormone, cortisol. Caffeine can inhibit its synthesis, and then over time the body will get used to being supplied with substances to wake up, and will no longer be able to wake up without an appropriate dose of caffeine. A person will simply develop a coffee addiction.
Is it healthy to drink tea?
The tannins contained in tea dampen the sensitivity of the stomach and intestinal mucosa, causing the ability to absorb food to decrease. The intestines fall into a kind of apathy, become lethargic and indifferent. Thus, when the digestive system is required to be most active to absorb what the body needs, the action of tea forces it to work less efficiently. Ice cream has a similar effect. It is useful to completely stop drinking tea immediately after a meal for an hour and a half.
Many cannot live without this pleasant and aromatic drink. But is the habit of drinking a cup after a meal beneficial? Experts advise not to do this, since tea contains tannins that interfere with the normal absorption of food. This is especially true for the proteins that build human cells. Due to substances such as tannin, protein and iron harden.
How and to whom can coffee be harmful?
Coffee has other serious side effects. In particular, this drink has a diuretic effect; it also flushes calcium, potassium and other trace elements from the body.
Bad water, wrong Turk. Common mistakes when brewing coffee Read more
“The influence of coffee on the human body can be said to be genetic. Relatively speaking, fifty-fifty. For some, coffee increases blood pressure, for others it does not. Therefore, people who have problems with blood pressure need to drink a cup of coffee and measure their blood pressure in order to clearly understand what their reaction to the drink is. Drinking a lot of coffee is not recommended for anyone. It is considered normal to drink four to six cups of espresso per day. This is an absolutely normal dosage. If a person drinks coffee more than this norm, then it should be remembered that this drink has a diuretic effect and, together with the liquid, removes minerals, including calcium, potassium, etc. Therefore, people who have cardiovascular pathology and who especially need potassium, you should drink up to one cup of coffee per day. People who are on a diet and who are already limited in micronutrients are also not recommended to drink a lot of coffee,” says Makisha.
Coffee also affects the gastric mucosa, so it is not recommended for people with stomach diseases to drink during periods of exacerbation. Due to the high content of chemicals, the drink can negatively affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Black coffee can increase the level of hydrochloric acid, and therefore the acidity of gastric juice.
“People who have any exacerbations of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis or an ulcer during an exacerbation, should not drink coffee. Drinking coffee will cause them discomfort,” says the nutritionist.
Coffee after meals: benefits and harms
After you eat, the body is busy digesting food. At this time, gastric juice is actively produced in the stomach, which breaks down foods and promotes their absorption. Coffee is a strong stimulant of gastric juice secretion - both its moderately beneficial and harmful properties are associated with these. In addition, the drink contains specific components - chlorogenic acids, which seriously affect the digestive organs - the stomach, liver and pancreas.
What types of teas are there?
Green tea is famous for its properties in helping with weight loss.
Its history began in ancient China, when the green infusion was recognized as a healing elixir that could strengthen the immune system and cleanse the body.
What are the benefits of green tea for the body?
- Longevity. Yes, green tea can really make your days last longer. The fact is that it helps cleanse the body, which is extremely important for maintaining youthful skin and organs.
- Benefits for the heart. It has been proven that properly brewed green tea has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system and normalizes the heartbeat. Substances from tea, when broken down in the body, enter the bloodstream, where they begin their cleansing actions.
- Prevention of oncology. People who regularly drink green tea in their diet are less likely to get cancer than those who prefer black tea or coffee.
- Normalization of metabolic processes. It is under this phrase that the very effect of losing weight lies. As we have already noted, green tea can perfectly cleanse the body. That is why it helps break down fat deposits.
Is it possible to drink a coffee drink on an empty stomach?
Speaking about when it is better to drink coffee drinks, before or after a meal, we can definitely say - in the afternoon. Drinking coffee before meals will cause the chlorogenic acids it contains to begin to create an acidic environment in the stomach. The result is heartburn. As a result of irritation, the mucous membrane begins to release hydrochloric acid, which also negatively affects the condition of the digestive tract.
The situation gets worse if you don’t eat anything immediately afterward. Hydrochloric acid begins to literally digest the stomach. In this case, gastritis develops, and an ulcer is later diagnosed. If other unfavorable factors appear, then the onset of malignant processes is possible.
Coffee time
Coffee is a very personal drink. Pixabay Photos
Winston Churchill said that coffee is a very personal drink.
It is not drunk in a cheerful, riotous group, where everyone shouts out their own, trying to out-shout their interlocutor. Coffee reduces the degree of publicity, while simultaneously increasing the degree of openness.
We say: let's go have coffee, meet, sit over a cup of coffee, come in for coffee, but coffee is just a decoration against which our lives take place. Day after day, cup after cup.
Moscow, 2000
I am practically a fresh graduate of the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. Diploma in hand, life ahead - yes, in fact everything is still ahead. The kettle stands on a gas burner next to the test tubes, there is a cabinet with reagents, computers and shelves with reference books. In 10 meters of laboratory space, we brew coffee for everyone. There is no milk because the refrigerator is for reagents, not food. But there is condensed milk. Two holes punched with a knife in the lid. A thin stream, flowing into a glass, draws bizarre shapes in it. The supervisor enthusiastically talks about the new project, you hang on every word: it seems that a new, real adult life is beginning.
Peter, 2002
Friends' apartment on the Kryukov Canal. A colleague from a Moscow laboratory and I came to St. Petersburg for three days for a conference on bioradiation. The hospitality of St. Petersburg residents knows no bounds - what a hotel, are you crazy, come to us! Together with a friend! Deep night. The girlfriend has been sleeping for a long time. I’m sitting in the kitchen with the owners; they’ve only recently met on Palace Square. He was roller skating there, she was returning from a concert. We started talking. We returned home that evening together, she came, he came. For the first week I lived on roller skates; I didn’t have time to return to my home to get shoes. And I went on roller skates to get bread in the morning. Then he settled in, brought sneakers and two pairs of sweaters. He brews coffee in an old copper pot according to his own recipe, long and slow. Twice before it’s ready, it almost comes to a boil, but each time removes it from the heat. There is a strong aroma of coffee in the kitchen. And garlic. Yes, he always adds garlic to his nightly coffee. Jazz from the speakers of an old tape recorder. Above the table is a calendar, where the numbers are circled and names are signed next to them - the birthdays of acquaintances and friends. There are almost no uncircled circles. There are four hours left to sleep. The coffee is ready. The importance of tomorrow's conference fades against the background of the elusive magic of the St. Petersburg apartment at night.
Cervinia, 2004
I am an assistant manager in an Italian company. Test tubes and reagents are a thing of the past. Love also passes sometimes. Or a new love comes to replace it. Instead of conferences - negotiations, trips and translations. Happiness is simply speaking this language. Impactful working year. And a gift for the best employees - we are going skiing in the mountains for five days. The views will take your breath away: Monte Cervo and Monte Rosa - two snow-capped peaks bathed in sun. You are as high as ever, the whole world in one palm, on the other - bombardino. The name, according to legend, comes from the exclamation of the first client who tried this cocktail in the Livigno mountains about 100 years ago. And he exclaimed something like this: “It’s just a bomb!”
At the bottom is heated egg liqueur, then a shot of strong espresso, then brandy and on top a mountain of whipped cream - like snow on the top of Monte Cervo. You drink and ski down the wide slope - or fly on the wings of happiness. In your world here and now, the first is actually equal to the second.
Leninsk-Kuznetsky, 2006
I just came to the surface from the mine. I photographed equipment and miners at work. I don't know about it yet, but the photos will come out great. But that comes later. In the meantime, I’m wearing a sweatshirt, long johns, a padded sleeveless vest, a work jacket, trousers and boots. A subject of special pride is the foot wraps wrapped with one’s own hands under the boots. On his head is a white helmet. There is a shabby coffee pot in a small change house. Take off your helmet, the foreman laughs, otherwise you won’t taste the coffee. They hand me a hot mug and a bag of gingerbread. I take a big sip. Delicious. I pull on my helmet again and ask to take a photo of me. For memory. I don’t take pictures of coffee, I’ll remember it anyway. Ahead are Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk and Chita. Coal pages of biography.
Moscow, 2008
A small coffee shop on Pokrovka. The snow is falling in flakes. In front of me is a small espresso and a gingerbread cookie in the shape of a man. I'm 29, I just left another job. I'm not exactly sad, but somehow restless. Free swimming again. Tomorrow, after a long break, a new group is meeting. The textbook has been selected and the printouts have been made. The Italian called for him again after a long break. And since he called, you need to go. I add just a little sugar and stir it slowly. The spoon clinks against the edges of the cup. A sip of coffee. I take out the textbook, leaf through it again and understand that everything will work out.
Croatia, 2010
Bar on the embankment. Café au lait, croissant and two spoons, please. And the bill is also straight away. Drinking coffee with a one-year-old child is a real art. The chances of drinking it hot are zero. If you manage to finish half a cup, consider yourself lucky. I immediately take a big sip. Dissatisfied Lizka begins to squeak and tries to get out of the stroller. I give her a spoon. I have about a minute. Inhale, sip, view of the sea. Over the past year, a slow ritual has turned into an emergency aid for emergency replenishment of caffeine deficiency in the body. Lizaveta drops the spoon and begins to get out of the stroller. If she gets out, she will have to run after her all the way to the beach. And goodbye coffee. I quickly hand over the second spoon I had prepared and a piece of croissant. I have two minutes. Two sips. Another look at the sea. The second spoon flies to the ground. Almost finished it. Well, good. I grab the stroller and quickly move towards the playground.
Riga, 2013
It’s a March evening, but spring is not yet felt at all in the air. Bar in the old town. According to legend, in the 18th century it was here that there was an ancient pharmacy where Abraham Kunze worked on the secret of his elixir. His tincture of medicinal herbs later received the name “Riga Balsam”. My husband and I are sitting at the far corner table. We ask for coffee with balm. And take some sweets with you - my daughters are waiting for gifts in Moscow. It’s an amazing feeling, you don’t have to run after anyone. Silence, twilight, the aroma of coffee with balm in the air. The plane to Moscow is early tomorrow morning, but for now time is simply paused. There are more questions than answers, but we still have time. Now is coffee time.
Las Palmas, 2017
The lesson starts in 20 minutes, just time for coffee. To become a student after 17 years is priceless. Classroom, open textbooks, a completely international class, charming Rita talks about the nuances of using past tenses in Spanish. If there is at least some connection to today - one design, even if this morning has already become a thing of the past. There are no ties, today has dissolved - we use a different design. Very logical: until the day is over, everything is in our hands. And again, you never know what will be in the bottom line. Morning doesn't solve anything yet.
I order the Spanish “leche e leche” (milk + milk) - a couple of spoons of condensed milk on the bottom of the cup (as it was then in our laboratory at the Faculty of Biology), then espresso, and delicate milk foam on top. The morning is an airy cloud of whipped milk, the day is thick, bitter coffee, the evening is how it goes, but when drinking “leche and leche”, you need to remember that condensed milk is waiting below, and it has never let anyone down.
Jurmala, 2018
Yomas Street, local pedestrian Arbat. Minus 15 on the thermometer. A city bathed in sunshine. Favorite cafe. The name is simply equal to the house number. The day is just beginning. There are lessons ahead as planned, homework checking, meetings, calls, evening children's classes. But now I have a huge cup of cappuccino and a laptop in front of me. Another cup. One more day. Sip, engine, let's go!
How much water should you drink?
There is no need to rely only on the feeling of thirst when asking the body how much fluid it needs. Thirst begins to be felt even when the body is dehydrated.
You need to drink enough to restore the consumption of natural fluids. It is better not to drink water with meals or reduce its amount at this moment to one glass. You need to drink in small sips and not wash down your food. And of course, a mug of tea will not be a substitute for water in this case. In general, doctors advise drinking about 2 liters of fluid per day, where 75% of the volume is water.
Does drinking instant coffee drinks help you lose weight?
If you drink instant coffee while losing weight, then you should think about it. Surely, you have heard about the benefits of coffee for weight loss, we are only talking about ground, high-quality coffee. Yes, it really speeds up your metabolism and helps your body shed those extra pounds thanks to its amazing composition.
But you have to understand that this conversation is about a pure coffee drink. If it contains cream, syrups or sweeteners, it is of no use for weight loss. And, frankly speaking, there is not much benefit. Don’t think that by drinking latte, cappuccino with syrups and sugar, you can speed up your metabolism and lose weight. Unfortunately, all sweet additives are simple (fast) carbohydrates, from which you only gain weight. Instant coffee, unfortunately, if it can affect weight loss, it is too small a percentage for it to be noticeable. The effect of instant coffee on your health and the body as a whole is noticeable.
Coffee after junk food
Appetite can strike anywhere; when there is no time to eat properly, we resort to fast food. As you know, it itself is a heavy and unhealthy food that takes a long time to be absorbed by the body. Moreover, most often it is consumed by coffee, which is sold in the same establishments. The habit of eating on the go affects human health.
Experts from the Canadian Center conducted an experiment on healthy volunteers. Half of the subjects simply ate street food, the other part still drank 2 cups a day within 5 hours after eating fast food. During the experiment, it was scientifically proven that after eating fatty foods, blood sugar increases by 30%, which puts a huge burden on all organs, and when drinking coffee in this case, the sugar level reached 60%, which is approximately similar to the sugar level in diabetics.
This result persists for several hours, which has an extremely adverse effect on the body. The greatest harm comes from drinking coffee with added milk or sugar after a fatty meal, as the sugar becomes even higher and the load increases. If you take this along with food on the run, the load on the heart is colossal!
The most harmful drink after a meal can be considered “3 in 1” coffee, as it causes maximum stress on the body.
Coffee for weight loss: before or after meals
In order to lose excess weight, it is recommended to drink green coffee rich in chlorogenic acid. The drink is brewed according to the same procedure as black, but its taste is not nearly as rich. To lose weight, you should drink it half an hour before meals. Due to this, the body has time to prepare for the process of digesting food. In addition, the feeling of hunger is suppressed. Accordingly, a significantly smaller portion is eaten, and it is digested faster.
You can follow this regimen, but not in the morning. Drinking this drink on an empty stomach is harmful. In order to lose weight, you need to drink about six cups per day. This will also negatively affect your well-being and health. A safe norm is no more than three cups per day.
For weight loss, it is better to drink green tea with lemon. It does not have such an aggressive effect and is more useful.
There are many dangerous coffee diets and fasting days on this drink. It may be possible to lose weight with their help, but this will cause significant harm to the excretory, nervous and digestive systems. Therefore, you should not resort to such radical methods.
Lovers of aromatic espresso, delicate cappuccino and latte often resort to drinking them during meals. Such actions are highly undesirable. To avoid harm to health, any coffee drinks should be drunk at least half an hour after a meal and under no circumstances before it.
Coffee in different situations
In addition to the rules of consumption, there are a number of restrictions that also affect the volume of the drink. In some cases it is contraindicated, but in others it can significantly improve a person’s well-being.
- The presence of varicose veins is a contraindication to the use of products containing caffeine. This is explained by the fact that it reduces vascular elasticity and aggravates the condition of the veins. In this case, doctors recommend drinking chicory.
- According to the results obtained in the course of American and Danish studies, it was found that if you have arrhythmia, drinking coffee is necessary and beneficial . In this case, its regular use can protect a person from worsening the condition and subsequent hospitalization.
- If a person has to undergo a biochemical, hormonal blood test, or undergo an HIV test, he should also give up strong drink . Otherwise, the results obtained may be unreliable.
- Before and after the completion of tooth extraction surgery, you can drink a slightly cooled, weak caffeine drink . In this case, you should avoid getting liquid on the wound surface.
- Caffeine-containing products are not recommended to be consumed before tattooing. This restriction is caused by increased blood circulation and increased blood pressure, which can cause bruising.
- Coffee is contraindicated for patients suffering from cancer, as it increases the load on the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.
What is it about instant coffee?
It's worth starting with how instant coffee is made. Manufacturers use 3 main methods for its preparation. The first one is the most popular. Robusta beans are exposed to hot water, then they are separated into substances and the soluble ones are extracted. The collected infusion is stored in special chambers, where it is filtered and processed until it is dried to a powder.
The second way to prepare instant coffee is to produce its granulated version. People who drink coffee may notice that there is no difference in aroma and taste between powdered coffee and granulated coffee. The price for the granular version is higher. The fact is that the process of producing granulated coffee is identical to making powdered coffee; after the formation of the powder, manipulations with it do not end. To obtain granules, coffee powder is re-treated with hot steam and then knocked into small lumps. Such additional manipulations significantly increase its cost on the market, but do not add more benefits to the drink.
And finally, the most modern way to obtain instant coffee is sublimation. A strong infusion is first made from the roasted grains, it is frozen and the ice is evaporated from it, and the remaining crystals are dehydrated in a vacuum. Freeze-dried coffee tops the pedestal of instant coffee drinks today. Since it preserves the aroma, color and taste of natural coffee.
As you understand, the cheaper the price of a can in the store, the more various impurities and additives it will contain, which manufacturers add to improve or even correct the taste of their drink.
Interesting: to check your coffee drink for additives, drop a little iodine into a cup of instant coffee; if the drink turns blue, it means there are impurities in it.
