Water: God’s Most Precious Gift
Water. Ever wondered how precious it is? As a kid, I always learned about conserving water, not that I grew up in a dry place. In Bangalore, we had an ample supply of drinking water. But conserving water comes natural if you are from Asia.
As a young kid I always saw a vast difference between how my grandmom drank water versus how the following generations of my uncles and aunts drank water. For example, whenever my meal was served next to my grandmom, she suggested not to drink water but to sip it, and not all at once. She especially did not drink water half an hour before a meal, and she waited a minimum 15 minutes after a meal.
I always adored how beautiful my grandmom looked. Even in her 70s, her skin was gorgeous and glowing. From then on I have always followed her diet more than anything.
I think people have forgotten the essence and natural way of drinking water. I saw my uncles hurriedly chugging their water on hot days. Their bellies got bigger and bigger. The plastic bottles of water kept cold in the refrigerator made them that way. Before refrigerators became normal, thirst on hot days was quenched by clay pot water. Very earthy and very tasty, sipping that water was an activity in itself.
If you are a person who religiously drinks 8 glasses of water, here is some news for you. There are 5 reasons why sipping water is ideal.
1. Sip, Don’t Chug
According to Ayurveda, sipping is the correct way of drinking water. Our mouth has saliva, which we produce in abundance. Our saliva is alkaline, and we have hydrochloric acid in our belly. Our saliva stabilizes the acid in our belly. When you are chugging your water, especially if you are drinking from a plastic bottle, you do not hold that water to swish in your mouth. You just swallow it, so very little saliva reaches the stomach. Hence the atmosphere remains acidic.
Anyone who has had a hangover or vomiting well knows how heavy water is! Chugging water makes your stomach more upset than ever and you end up throwing up all the water. Small sips work magic!
2. Wet Your Tongue
Have you noticed birds, dogs, and cats drinking water? They merely wet their tongue before they swallow. They do not count 8 glasses of water in a day.
3. Swish The Water In Your Mouth
If you are planning on losing weight, this could be your favorite trick to lose those extra pounds. Sit in a pleasant atmosphere to sip your water. Swish it around in your mouth and then swallow. Sipping, rather than chugging, eases the entire digestive process.
4. Drink Lukewarm Water
When water that is at room temperature or warmer touches the lips, it gives you a feeling of satisfaction and signals the body about water intake. If you are chugging ice-cold water, it firstly shocks the senses, and in the stomach it just gets all the bacteria to go on a snow holiday. Having cold water with a meal is toxic to your digestion.
Our body is a miracle in itself! Sip your water for optimum digestion and health.
