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It is summer time again, at least in Southern India and it is just back to the basics. Rising temperatures, sweltering heat and rising tempers! Ah! for a glass of chilled water to soothe the frayed nerves. That is the first thing we do, the moment we step home…rush to the refrigerator and pull out a bottle of chilled water. But hey don’t blame me … I am throwing cold water on your plans of cooling your self with that tempting glass of cool cool water. You know why? The digestive system gets effected by this cool act. Just as washing your face with cold water closes the pores and tightens the skin, the digestive tract tends to close and almost stop cooperating with you.
A few reasons why you should consider avoiding cold water are:
-Drinking cold water changes your body’s internal temperature. Your body now uses the energy stored to regulate your temperature instead of digesting food and absorbing nutrients to produce energy.
-Excess mucus is created when you drink cold water after a meal. The functioning of your immune system gets effected, making you prone to colds, coughs etc.
-Drinking cold water during a meal or after,solidifies the fats in your food due to the low water temperature. The body then struggles to digest the nonessential fats from the body.
– When you drink cold water, or any other chilled beverage, it hinders your hydration, restricts your digestion and shrinks your blood vessels.
Many feel that cold water helps in burning calories as the digestive system works harder. But give the system a break. You can surely burn the calories in a hundred different ways instead of making the digestive system slog needlessly. Always drink water at room temperature.Health experts vehemently agree that warm, or room temperature, water is best for the body.
Some benefits of warm water include:
1. Increased and faster hydration.
2. Due to stimulation of natural digestive enzymes, digestion improves.
3. Better bowel movement.Warm water breaks down the food easily and enhances your bowel movement.
4.Chilled water solidifies fats after a meal, making it difficult to break down.
5. Blood is purified and your body is naturally detoxified via your lymphatic system, kidney and skin.
Drinking water is good especially during summer, but do avoid cold water this summer no matter how tempting it may be. Drinking water at the correct time and the correct way, maximizes its effect on the human body.
