How And When To Drink Water
According to Doctor Leuf, when water is taken into the full or partly
full stomach, it does not mingle with the food, as we are taught, but
passes along quickly between the food and lesser curvature toward the
pylorus, through which it passes into the intestines. The secretion of
mucus by the lining membrane is constant, and during the night a
considerable amount accumulates in the stomach; some of its liquid
portion i
absorbed, and that which remains is thick and tenacious. If
food is taken into the stomach when in this condition, it becomes coated
with this mucus, and the secretion of the gastric juice and its action
are delayed. These facts show the value of a goblet of water before
breakfast. This washes out the tenacious mucus, and stimulates the
gastric glands to secretion. In old and feeble persons water should not
be taken cold, but it may be with great advantage taken warm or hot.
This removal of the accumulated mucus from the stomach is probably one
of the reasons why taking soup at the beginning of a meal has been found
so beneficial.