Saturday, March 20, 2010

The Harm in Drinking Water While Eating


So far we have learned many secrets of water revealed by Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju through my previous updates on water. I haven’t seen anyone apart from Dr. Raju who has emphasized so much on drinking 5-6 liters of water a day. Many of you might have heard from your elder's that drinking water while eating is harmful. Still we hardly care about their words of wisdom. Let us now try to understand the harm in drinking water while eating in the words of Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju.

Many of us have the unnatural habit of drinking water while eating. When one settles down for a meal, invariably he places a glass or pitcher of water besides him. People drink in water while eating in many ways.

First type: Some people take a glass or two of water and then begin their meal assuming that it reduces their hunger and consequently reduces their body weight.

Second type: Some people take water frequently to facilitate easy gulping down of food and to stop hiccups.

Third type: Some consume one or two glasses of water after eating food believing that ¾ of food and ¼ of water helps digestion better.

Fourth type: Some drink water ½ an hour after their meals as they find it inconvenient to drink water while and immediately after meals. 

Fifth Type: Many people drink water while eating because they feel thirsty and their throat dries out. There are 3 reasons for this. Firstly, they do not drink enough water (5-6 liters in a day) rest of the time as per the recommendations of Dr. Raju. Secondly, people especially in India consume plenty of Spices and Masalas in their food. Thirdly, people don't chew their food properly. If you drink 2-4 glasses of water half an hour before your food, your thirst is quenched and you don't feel thirsty while eating. Spices and Masalas obviously makes the food tasty but they lead to many gastric and intestinal disorders. Moreover they create heat in the body increasing the body temperature which urges you to drink water. If you avoid these spices and masalas you don't need any water while eating. If you chew your food properly you don't need water to gulp your food.
Nobody has the time or inclination to find the harm of drinking water while eating. Even the doctors who spend several years of their life in studying human body fail to advise the people about the harm in drinking water while eating food. Many of us are educated and are still ignorant of the nature. Layman and doctors equally suffer from digestive problems and take medicines. We actually do not want to learn and take precautions because we have medicines for every ailment. Many of us are aware that even a medicine is going to harm our body because medicine is after all a chemical in itself. Still we prefer to suffer and take medicines. It might give you a temporary relief but at the cost of some problem in the long run. Dr. Raju says, we must educate ourselves and our children about the harm of drinking water while eating and overcome all sorts of problems arising out of it. According to him, when we drink water while eating, the difficulty in the mouth is different and in the intestines is different. To understand his claim clearly one should know (1) The relationship of water and digestion in the mouth (2) The relationship of water and digestion in the stomach and (3) The relationship of water and digestion in the intestines.

1. The Relationship of Water and Digestion in the Mouth: The first phase of digestion process starts in the mouth. The food we eat should get ready for digestion up to 20%-25% in the mouth itself and then enter the stomach. The teeth accomplish this task. But how many of us have the practice and time to chew our food properly? Right from a boy to an aged person, everyone is in a hurry. None of us have time to eat our meal peacefully. Everyone is in a rush and wants to end up his meal in a minute or ten and rushes out. Had anyone thought what will be the consequences of such an eating? Here are a few consequences of eating food in a hurry without proper chewing.


(a) It becomes real hard to gulp the food into the stomach without chewing it properly. To overcome this we reach a glass of water. When we eat food or pickles they sometimes get obstructed in the esophagus and induce hiccups. To avoid hiccups we again reach out for water. Some people have the habit of eating food while watching television, reading news papers, talking to fellow mates or straying in thoughts. Since the concentration is not on the food, it leads to over eating and subsequently eruption of gases in the stomach and causes belching. To stop it we drink water. These are the common mistakes we comment and don’t end up here; we pass them to our children too.
(b) When we chew food thoroughly, the required saliva is produced and it moves into the stomach easily without any obstruction. The saliva substitutes the function of water as the saliva contains 98% of water and 2% of digestive enzymes. Saliva helps in proper digestion of food. Saliva also kills or injures certain kinds of bacteria found in the food we eat. When we drink water while eating food, less amount of saliva is produced. Due to reduced saliva and increased water intake the digestive process is hampered. There is no way out but to commit a second mistake. The first mistake takes place in the mouth and second mistake in the stomach. If we chew food properly, the saliva mixes well with the food which in turn enables the food to move freely into the stomach. Saliva not only makes the digestion process easy but also complete.

2. The relationship of Water and Digestion in the Stomach: The second phase of digestion process begins in the stomach. After swallowing, the chewed food reaches the stomach. Several digestive enzymes and gastric juices are produced over there for digesting the food we eat. One among such acids is the most powerful hydrochloric acid which plays a key role in the digestion of our food. Along with it there as several other enzymes which helps in the completion of digestive process. Hydrochloric Acid kills certain harmful bacteria left over in the food. The food is usually digested in two hours of time when these acids are in concentrated form. Its strength is reduced when water mixes with it. Let us see what happens in the stomach when we drink water while eating.
  • Acids Weaken: The powerful acids in our stomach become mild and lose their potency if we mix water along with food. The mild acid fails to digest food as effectively as the strong one. The stomach is forced to produce double the amount of acid to digest food. The increase in the volume of digestive gases leads to burning sensation and formation of ulcers in the stomach. The stomach gets habituated to produce an excess acid which is a very unhealthy practice. How many of us think about the inner difficulties of our body? Hardly any! We take care of every minute thing of our external body from our hair to nails. If you begin to take care about your inner organs, you are going to lead a healthy and happy life free of diseases.
  • Non-digestion of food:When we drink water while eating it goes into the stomach along with food. It obstructs digestive juices from reaching the food directly. The food breaks into small pieces with the help of digestive juices and takes a semi-liquid form. However, when we take water while eating it breaks the food into pieces but cannot digest it completely. The process of digestion takes more time. The weight of water is also more and the natural movements of stomach slowdown. This is also one of the reasons for delay in digestion. With this, the digestion process takes double the time of usual digestion.
  • Sagging Stomach: Generally two glasses of water take 15 minutes to mix in blood. However, when we take water along with food, it remains in the stomach till the food takes the form of liquid after digestion. It may take two to four hours. The stomach, which bears the weight of the food and water, sags. As food and water remain in the stomach for such a long time the food is fermented which is the reason for belching. Belly protrudes to some extent even among lean people.
  • Heaviness in Stomach: As the water and food remain in the stomach for long period, food gets fermented and gases are produced. It becomes a tight compartment. The heavy stomach puts pressure on the lower part of the lungs and the lungs contract by 20%-30%. As a result you find difficulty and uneasiness while breathing. The diaphragm, which is an important part in breathing process, undergoes pressure and its movements are restricted. Likewise, the muscles of our stomach which help respiration lose their capacity to expand and contract. The fermented gases neither moves up or down push the stomach forward leading to uneasiness and restlessness. In some cases, it may even result in chest pain which is often mistaken as heart ache by many.
  • Drowsiness: The oxygen we inhale to a large extent reaches the stomach and helps digestion. As long as the oxygen is in the stomach we feel drowsy. As the food remains in the stomach for a long period, the lungs receive less oxygen and we become dull, drowsy and weak. That is the reason why many people yarn continuously after food and some prefer to go for a nap; while some other sleep on the chairs in a sitting posture. School Children and Employees in the offices often resort to this practice. If we eat food without drinking water, we don’t experience this drowsiness because the food gets digested quickly.


3. The relationship Water and Digestion in the Intestines: The third and final phase of digestion takes place in the small intestines. The food that was digested in the above two stages reaches the small intestines for final process. The food when digested in this part is absorbed by the intestines in the form of semi juice. When the food is taken along with water, only partially digested food goes into the small intestines. The proteins and fats in the food are digested to some extent in the stomach where as the rest is digested in the small intestines by the digestive enzymes and juices that are produced at the junction where the intestines join the stomach. Since the food is not digested properly more digestive gases are produced for digestion. Here the food is pounded well, turns into liquid form and moves forward. Where there is water these movements are restricted. In this way, the process of digestion in the small intestines is also delayed as in the case of stomach. The intestines absorb the food that is not digested properly. As the food remains in the intestines along with water the food gets fermented and gases are produced. The intestines as such have some amount of gases in them. With the movements in intestines, gas tries to come out. We can also hear some sounds. Two hours after we take food, the digested food is ready to mix in the blood. It is more beneficial if we drink water now. If water is drunk during this period it mixes well with digested food and easily absorbed into the blood.

When the food is not digested properly the body absorbs the juices that are not digested completely. Millions of cells die and millions of new cells are formed in the body. The formation of new cells depends on the energy and essence of the food we eat. When the food is not digested properly, the intestines cannot absorb its full benefit. Almost 50% of the essence of the food we eat is purged out. The food we take initially becomes paste and then juice which is popularly known as glucose. The glucose is absorbed into blood and cells and body receives energy. If the food does not become the paste and converted to juice called glucose, we feel weak and feeble. The cells remain healthy and last long only when they receive properly digested food and nutrients.

The moment I have learned about the harm in drinking water while eating food, I stopped drinking water while eating. I have been following this practice for almost 3 years now. And believe me it’s a wonderful feeling which can only be experienced and felt. It’s really difficult to explain the feeling of being healthy. I recommend the readers to have a try and feel the pleasure of Dr. Raju’s principle of drinking water. You have to drink 2-4 glasses of water half an hour before you eat every time. This will quench your thirst and never feel thirsty while eating. Drink again after 2 hours of having your food. By this time most part of your digestion process is complete and it won’t take much time to quench your thirst. I have shared this secret of drinking water with many of my friends and many have given a positive response. In fact, most of the followers of Dr. Raju's Natural Way of Living begins their journey into this path with water therapy recommended by Dr. M.S. Raju.
Of late, I have come across a few comments from the readers favoring the practice of drinking water while eating. Instead of striking off their point of view immediately, I tried to research on their claim. I have gone through various books on nutrition, googled on internet, gathered information from people who are following this path and also from those who don't favor this. I came across a very interesting observation during my research. I have noticed that almost all the people including doctors and intellectuals from the west believes that drinking water while eating aids digestion. Contrary to that, people in the east especially in Asia believes that drinking water while eating hinders digestion. All Ayurvedic and naturopathy doctors claim drinking water while eating is harmful. Allopathy doctors however supported the western claim. That is certain because they believe only what they have read and studied in their books. I certainly knew that there must be some truth in both the claims. Being the sadhaka of Yoga I never believe in the believes. Yoga teaches to experiment on your body with an intelligence to experience the effects of an experiment. Since I was following the practice of not drinking water while eating, I already knew the benefits of doing so. Therefore I decided to drink water while eating. Not to my surprise, I found that it is hindering my digestion and getting all the symptoms mentioned above. Still I wanted to be very sure before making any claim. I continued my research further. On reading some of the ancient yoga texts I found that there are two reasons for these contradictory views among the people of East and the West.
The first reason is the distinct nature and type of food and second is the climate. The customary Indian food is made up of ¾  solid and ¼ liquid. The Asian people especially the Indians consume plenty of fruits and cooked food like Rice, Wheat and Jowar (solid) with vast variety of Vegetables, Dals (lentils), Sambar, Rasam, Yogurt etc (Semi Solid and Liquid). The food was so scientifically designed that you don't need any additional water while eating. Moreover, you are asked to drink 2-4 glasses of water half an hour before food. This water is quickly absorbed into the blood quenching your thirst and at the same time make the intestines wet aiding the food to move freely while and after digestion. Secondly you drink 5-6 liters of water throughout the day leaving a gap of half an hour before and two hours after eating food. Since the Indian food already contains enough water and the modern generation is ignorantly drinking more water while eating. It is therefore people like Dr. M.S. Raju stepped up to take us back to the roots by preaching these age old secrets of good health.    
According to an ancient yoga text of Chaandogya upanishad, solid foods, fluids and fats which fuel the body are each split up into sixteen parts on consumption. The gross part of the food becomes faeces, medium part becomes flesh and the subtlest becomes the mind in the ration of 10/16, 5/16 and 1/16 respectively. The grossest part of fluids become urine, the medium becomes blood and the subtlest becomes the prana (energy). Similarly, the grossest part of fats becomes the bone, the medium becomes the marrow and the subtlest becomes the speech. Unlike the modern scientists these findings are not based on animal experiments. They are purely based on personal experiments and experiences. A yogi named Shvetaketu lived on fluids for fifteen days and lost his power of thinking but regained it again as soon as he ate solid food. His power of speech diminished when he went without fats. This experience revealed to him that the mind is the product of food, energy of fluids and speech of fats.
The customary Indian food is based on some of these teachings of our ancestors. Some of my friends on facebook from China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Singapore mentioned few facts similar to this.
Contrary to this, the western food is totally different. Unlike the Indian food, western food is usually comprised of baked and dry foods like meat, pizza, burgers, and sausages served with salads, cream, catchup and sauces which contain less or almost no water content in them. Secondly, due to the cold weather conditions it is not possible for them to drink 5-6 liters of water a day and I suppose 3 liters a day is more than enough for them. Plenty of Dr. M.S. Raju's followers in the west are able to follow Dr. Raju's way of drinking water successfully because they make their food in Indian style even in America or any other State in the west. I am not yet sure on my part whether this is the exact reason why the people in the west believe that drinking water while eating helps digestion. I leave this up to the people who live there to experiment and experience the fact. As far as Indians are concerned they are enjoying the refined state of health after following the practice of avoiding water while eating.
Next time, hope to come up with another interesting topic on Natural Way of Living. Till then keep watching for updates…!

112 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I've been visiting your blog lately. Your blog certainly provides some interesting health information.

    I wanted to share some information with you on apples.Apples, for ages, have known to be a healthy for our body.But a new research by German researchers Dr. Dieter Schrenk, M.D. and his colleagues has demonstrated that components in both apple pectin and apple juice actually enhance biological mechanisms that have anticarcinogenic effects in the colon.

    Our company represents Washington Apple Commission in India. We do not sell or import these apples. Our mandate is only to make consumers aware of the nutrition benefits of apples.
    We'd like to send you the information along with some Washington apples for you to enjoy.We would appreciate your feedback on the same.

    Swapnil Gupta
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    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you very much for the comment Mr. Swapnil Gupta. You are most welcomed to share any kind of information related to public health on my blog.

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  3. hi,
    Great Information you have shared online ,the information you shared is both practical and logical. I came to your site just for reading about digestion but imagine i gone through almost all your post on the same day.Everything sounds good but i will again come to appreciate you ,if it makes my life good.

    please also share Dr raju preaching regarding Healty Eyes.(if given by them)

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  4. Hello Gaurav! Thank you a lot for the appreciation you made on my work. As far as your eyes are concerned eating leafy vegetables and carrot will help your cause. Apart from that sprinkle water over your eyes with water filled in your mouth every morning the moment you wake up.

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  5. Great, I have been looking for drinking water information and saw your blog. I would like to thank you for providing such a useful and informative tips over here.
    Regards
    Bob White

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  6. Thanks for your comment Mr. Bob White. Your appreciation is my fuel to move ahead. Keep watching the space for more updates.

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  7. hello sir ,
    i am quiet impressed by all the saying of dr raju but as i drink water after 2 hours of taking lunch almost always i have to go to attend nature what might be the reason of it .please reply i am waiting for your answer.

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  8. When you partially follow Dr. M.S. Raju's Natural way of living it happens. In a way it is also a good sign of your health. Let me explain you in detail. If you follow Dr. Raju's water therapy by drinking 1.5 liters of water as soon as you wake up and another 1 liter of water again after 1 hour and attend the nature call by following strict natural way of living suggested by Dr. Raju like eating food avoiding salt, sugar, ghee, oil, sour, spices etc only then the food you took thrice the previous day in breakfast, lunch and dinner is ablated. If you follow only water therapy, the entire ablation does not complete in the morning and it comes in installments like in your case. Follow this link in order to get rid of your problem. http://naturalwaysofliving.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-drink-5-to-6-liters-of-water-day_14.html. I hope that might help you. Thanks for writing.

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  9. To"avoiding salt, sugar, ghee, oil, sour, spices etc " This coming from indian community , Ha Ha.

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  10. It's no fun anymore. The followers of Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju is in lakhs now in Andhra Pradesh alone.

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  11. I feel sorry for people trying to learn anything from this ill-advised moron. I'm studying advanced nutrition in university at the moment, and a title of "harm in drinking water" caught my attention. Pick up a textbook and learn a thing or two before you make blogs. Drinking water is fine. No exceptions. Hiccups are NOT caused by food stuck in your esophagus. The "burning" sensation is called acid reflux, which is the HCl passing up into the esophagus (going the wrong way). I'm not going to say anything else. Anyone with any further questions should consider asking a doctor, and NOT this quack. Thanks.

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    1. I completely agree cam. This article also caught my attention. This person has done no research at all, and any research he claims was done is definitely by non-medical and non-professional people. It is perfectly fine to drink water while eating and the acid levels are not reduced as the idiot is claiming.
      People need to learn that when they read careless articles like this they should check with a doctor or look it up on MEDICAL websites like Mayo Clinic or FDA.

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    2. See I am not against what you are saying but books cannot be true all the time. what I have written is practically implemented,experimented and experienced on self and there is a large community in the east who follows this. Why don't you follow and see the difference?

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    3. Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju has been researching on the subject for the last 20 years in Andhra Pradesh of India. I recommend you to go through one of his book "Water and You" to understand it better.

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    4. I totally agree with you guys. There is not one shred of scientific evidence produced in this article. Books cannot be right all the time? Fair enough but experiments and recorded results are needed to prove them wrong. And while we're on the subject it is far easier to publish to the net then it is to books or scientific, peer approved journals.
      If you produce some repeatable experiment that proves what your saying, and then other members of the scientific community repeat and agree with you then fine. Until then this is just opinion!

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    5. This is not merely a report from a book. It is the most ancient science being followed in India and it is recommended by Naturopathy.

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    6. Ancient science? Yes sure! And in the old times they had ipads, computers and trips to the space, the latest science is the good one, not the old one!

      Absorbing food that is not digested? What is that? The intestine won't absorb anything that cannot pass in between the tight junctions in the villi, unless you have a leaky gut that means excess of zonulin in your intestine.

      Before writing this kind of things, PLEASE INFORM YOURSELF!

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    7. I am not against technology and the modern science. One should not forget these ipads, computers and other gadgets you are talking about is the result of the ancient science. The foundation is laid way back and it is on that foundation these things have come up.

      You need not be a doctor to understand the things written in the above article. Any man with minimum intelligence practices the recommendations can easily experience the difference.

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    8. As a fellow University student, I pity the idiots who endeavour to pursue a degree at University with the intention to learn a subject at in-depth proportions, only to graduate as a pretentious and ignorant imbecile insisting on wholeheartedly believing data from a text book, while refusing to take into account a different perspective other than what's handed to them on a plate. This is quite ironic considering that your intelligence appears to have reversed at an education-facilitating faculty; which, I might add, is insulting to such domains because the most fundamental principle of University is to teach you to 'think outside the box'.

      Throughout my years of studying topic after topic, endlessly bombarded with 'facts', theories and suggestions, I've come to realise one thing that appears to be a true 'fact': the more I learn, the less I know. I cannot begin to express the invaluable information I've received on numerous occasions through real-life trial and error experiences, experiences that have contradicted textbook 'wisdom'.

      Once you've successfully surpassed your phase of prepubescent sheep mentality and highschool learning, I'm sure you'll enjoy the fruits that experience has to offer, subsequently reducing the weight of that textbook up your ***. Good luck!

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    9. "One should not forget these ipads, computers and other gadgets you are talking about is the result of the ancient science."
      ----------------------------------------------------
      lol, you lost me there...
      my question... HOW?

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  12. Whatever is written in my blog is practically followed and experienced by billions of people from Ages. I would suggest you too to follow these and see the difference but I feel your cup is already full and there is no scope for further learning. This is all I can tell you. Wish you all the best for your advanced nutrition course.

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  13. I AM VERY MUCH PLEASED TO KNOW THE TRUTH OF DRINKING WATER HALF HOUR BEFORE FOOD. THERE IS LOT OF PROCESS WHICH TAKES PLACE IN STOMACH AFTER WE CONSUME FOOD, I WAS NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING TILL NOW I HAD A BELIEF SOON AFTER FOOD ONE MUST DRNK 1 GLASS OF WATER FOR GOOD DIGESTION. NOW I REALY KNOW WHEN TO DRINK WATER, WHY IT IS BAD SOON AFTER TAKING FOOD I MEAN YOUR LUNCH OR DINNER. THANKS FOR DR MANTENA FOR HIS VALID INFORMATION, IF ONE FOLOWS ONE CAN HAVE WONDERFUL DISEASE FREE LIFE. ITS REAL WEALTH IN LIFE HAVING GOOD HEALTH
    THANKS
    MOHINI.

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  14. Mohini Garu thank you for sharing your thoughts. Do keep watching the space for more interesting information on natural way of living.

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  15. I have a question about what is considered a taboo "spice" or "vegetable" /"herb". acc. to the water diet. I am a big fan and cook of Indian food, and my cupboard is full of boxes with coriander powder, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, cardamoms, cinnamon, curry powder, garam and chat masala, curry leaves, bay leaves, coconut powder mix, etc. Are these to be avoided entirely, even in small quantites? Also, it seems that you encourage the eating of onions and green chillis, but discourage the ingestion of garlic and red chillis. So is garlic absolutely taboo? I'm confused, because garlic is said to have cleansing properties for the body, and is widely considered a health food. So which of my cherished Indian ingredients fine to use, and which are not? Thank you!

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  16. A very interesting question. First of all food and health cannot go hand on hand. You cannot love good food and good health. They go opposite. Our ancestors classified plants into two categories 1) food and 2) herbs. We need food every day to survive and need herbs occasionally in order to repair the body. All the spices you mentioned above are wonderful medicinal plants except curry leaves and coconut powder which are food items. Take any Ayurvedic medicine and you might find either one of these spices in it. Garlic is a great natural antibiotic. So is Turmeric and bay leaves. Yes, you rightly said, they all contain cleansing and anti-bacterial and cancer agents. But you should use them only when your body needs them and not everyday. When you take these medicinal plants on daily basis your body gets used to it. It becomes herbal resistant and will not work when needed. In olden days, our great rishis and munis realized the medicinal qualities of these great plants and included in kitchen. They used to use them occasionally during festivals and during illness. But today we are using every day for taste and fragrance which is not at all good for health. Use them occasionally, no harm. I tried to explain you in clear and short terms. Hope you understood. For any further doubts feel free to join me on facebook. You can find my facebook badge at the end of each blog.

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  17. Hell Sir,

    Its really appriciable - your good effort in propogating the natural way of living. Could you please share us one blog on how to protect and improve our eye sight for at least 80 years. Now a days every second man is having eye problems. School children are having specs. Day by day with all these computer and machine works eye sight is damaging. But that is the way of life. With all these machines, humans are using only eyes, brain and fingers for giving instructions. How to protect human eyes which are worst hit and a great curse from school kid to everyone in the society ????????.

    Do we have any food that goes only to eyes, brain and fingers.

    Your help in this regard is extremely apprciated by any human being on the earth.

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  18. Thank you for the comment. With regards to your concern about eyes, eat fresh green vegetables, carrots, drumstick leaves etc. and stay away from TVs, Computers etc as much as you can.

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  19. soup? chicken noodle soup? ramen?
    those are all bad then?
    there's absolutely nothing wrong with eating and drinking at the same time.

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  20. If you eat food along with soup it is obviously an unhealthy practice.

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    1. Soup is food, or had you forgotten that? Are you claiming that the particulates and solids in a serving of soup aren't digested because of the fluid content? What about yogurt? That's just particulates suspended in water as well.

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  21. Sir,
    I am suffering with sleep-apnea, and my condition is worsening by the day... I am trying to reduce my weight.. Is there anything else I can do to improve on this...

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  22. follow the instructions in the given link. Hope that will help you.

    http://naturalwaysofliving.blogspot.com/2010/01/natural-ways-to-lose-weight.html

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  23. Hi Dr.
    Thank you for everything good I get from your blog.What you are writing has totaly changed my life style.It's indeed a 'natural way of living'.But sir,reffering to the above post,How about drink tea or juice while eating.Assume you are taking a breakfast.Is it harmful too.

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  24. coffee and tea contains harmful caffeine and tean respectively which effects the nervous system. It is this reason you get addicted to tea and can't get rid of it easily. With regards to juice, give half an hour gap after juice.

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  25. So when should we drink water after eating?
    How long should I wait before I drink water after the meals?

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  26. I appreciate the words and the experience put into words by Ram. But as a habit, can be practised during day hours but how about night?, usually people have dinner in between 9 to 10 pm, 2 hrs after that to drink water is practically difficult, pls advise on this?

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  27. what is the need of drinking water when you are at sleep?

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  28. LoL

    "There's no concern that water will dilute the digestive juices or interfere with digestion. In fact, drinking water during or after a meal actually aids digestion. Water and other liquids help break down food so that your body can absorb the nutrients. Water also softens stools, which helps prevent constipation."


    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestion/AN01776

    "He says there’s no data to support the other common notion that drinking during meals interferes with digestion because it dilutes the digestive juices."

    http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/10/18/does_drinking_water_with_meals_help_with_digestion/


    thanks for nothin, dope.

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  29. Yeah your theory is true with regards to western food, where people consume food with less water. The above article deals with asian food particularly the Indian food, where we consume food plenty of water content like, salads, dal, sambar, rasam, yogurt etc along with rice.

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  30. Ram ! When I attended the classes of sri RAJU in BHEL HYD.,I learned many things.I shared the thoughts with my students when I taught Biology in the class.I even shared them with the teachers when I participated in the training classes .They and I have been benefited a lot.I even shared the WATER TOPIC on YAHOO ANSWERS and my answer was the best answer.
    I have been following the WATER therapy and am fit.My age is 64.
    B.Manohar Retired Gazetted Headmaster

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  31. Thank you Manoharji for your valuable message.

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  32. Hello,

    This method is really cool. I have been practicing it for some years now and my mom has also seen the benefits for the past 4 yrs. Will always be indebted to Raju garu.

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  33. i didn't find a single scientific expression in this whole article , if you were really a doctor you might have used them . And there is no meaning in saying percentages and relate them to experiments without having a real evidence about them . Why don't you attach the real article about any experiment here and mention its statistics and the conditions of the subjects on which these experiments were proceeded ???

    Can you please tell me , with your high experience in science , what is the meaning of saying " books cannot be right all the time " ?? , we are talking about text books not " Men from Mars " and fairy tales .

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    1. I appreciate your concerns but let me tell you that these facts are not picked up from books. They are based on practical experiments on thousands of patients in Dr. Mantena's Nature cure hospital at vijayawada. You can though visit the Ashram and experience the facts. In fact you can experiment on your self and experience the difference. It's a harmless process.

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  34. I"m trying your recommendations right now.. As I write this I'm an hour in to my meal without water. so far so good. You know I've been battling with poor digestion for years now. I"ve been buying all the most popular and expensive digestive enzymes and HCL Bentaine and nothing helps. My body would become tired and muscle aches after eating protein or fat. And I feel like I'm falling apart health wise. The last few years I"ve had to cut out meat, gluten and all sugar. Recently even fruit. My main health concern for the past 20 years has been insomnia. for the first 10 years I took medication. I finally got off that because I felt my body failing and becoming worse. I think my health started to fail when I started to focus more on it. I grew up on a sugar diet.. I never gained weight and I"ve always been underweight so I never cared what I ate. I was a sugar addict and pastery hound. So once I got the internet I started becoming more aware of my health. First thing I did was to start drinking 8 glasses of water a day. I think this was the beginning of my downfall of health because I wasn't doing it right. I always have drank with meals water before during and after, always. I hope and prey this is the answer to my digestion problems. You know my insomnia lead me here. I can fall asleep fine. I wake up at 2am and my heart is racing, I sweat and I'm hypoglycemic. I do not eat any sugar or high glycemic foods so this really confused me a lot. So I finally realized that my body isn't absorbing the glucose. One thing that I am finding different in my case than what you are saying is that 'water' is causing my stomach to dump too fast. Food goes through me. I have seen undigested food that I ate the night before in my stool less than 12 hours later. So water in my case is causing my stomach to empty too fast and therefore my body perhaps isn't absorbing the glucose I need to store in order to get me through the night. Well tonight will be the tell tale truth for me. Thanks for being here on the internet to help heal us all. I got so fed up this morning with all my research I"ve done over the years and nothing is working for me. I refuse to go to doctors because they just push medications and I also refuse the homeopathics or naturopathics because they just practice what they learn from books in my experience anyway. I know more than them now through all my research. But this water thing I believe is the one thing I never tried. I did research it before about the fact that it can interfere with digestive acids and juices. I choose to believe the other guys.. the ones that say that it doesn't effect or dilute your natural juices. I think common sense says it does. Thanks again... oh I was going to say.. I got so fed up this morning with not being able to fix my digestion that I yelled out and told the universe that I needed a heath guru fit for me.. maybe your it. I've read a lot of other blogs but not one has helped me..

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    1. Hi, It would have been better if you had mentioned your name and age. Any way, after going through your issue I can only say that remain patient and follow the proper technique of drinking water as suggested in the below link without a miss. Try to follow some of these suggestions: 1. Drink 1 liter water the moment you wake up and clean your bowels. Half an hour later drink raw vegetable juice (it may be carrot, cucumber, coriander leaves, beat root, tomato etc.each day). Have a light breakfast half an hour after the vegetable juice. 2. Eat lunch of your choice with lot of veggies. 3. You can have fruit juices in the evening hours 4. Have light dinner at night again with plenty of veggies. Find an Iyengar Yoga teacher nearby and describe all your problems and join the class if you can. They will correct all your problems. Do follow the instructions of water therapy as listed below. Hope you gain better health.

      http://naturalwaysofliving.blogspot.in/2010/06/how-to-drink-5-to-6-liters-of-water-day_14.html

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  35. Sorry for that long winded post. I'm 46 and in general I do believe after all my own research I finally realize it's my liver. Probably from being on anti anxiety meds and anti depressants for insomnia for 10 years. I've been off them for just about 2 years now. I find if I do use some supplements that help cleanse the liver I do feel better. I'm actually about 80% better than I was 6 months ago. That's probably because I stopped eating meat and nut butters which were causing some muscle aches and toxins.
    So I cannot tell yet about how the water change is helping. Things are the same. I do feel like my body is producing it's own juices. I now have gurgling and a little gas. Whereas before when I drank water with food I felt nothing. Like the food goes right through me. In general I have no gas, no pain absolutely no symptoms of intestinal upset except loose stool. Sometimes when I get a little gluten it's very loose. Anyway, I am still having the overnight waking up at 2am or 3am and the mind will race as well as my heart and I will be a little hotter for 2 or so hours. As soon as 5am comes I get colder and I will then fall asleep. I am figuring this is my liver, what do you think. I don't know if you can answer anymore than you already have. Thanks for those suggestions above. I will try them. Over the summer I was doing juicing and it help some but I still had what feels like hypoglycemia. Every single morning I wake up and I feel like I have a hangover. The water in the morning has helped, I also felt better after drinking a glass of coconut water. I do find fruit even makes my overnight hypoglycemia worse. I'm better at night if I do not have a touch of fruit. This doesn't make any sense to me. Why would half a banana in the morning effect what my liver is doing at 2am.? I"m looking for more insight to what my liver is going through.
    Thanks,
    Rhonda

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    Replies
    1. Hello Rhonda, You need not feel sorry for giving long description of your problem. In fact they help me gaining more information on subject. Though I am not a doctor, I have been working on various therapies like yoga, nature cure, acupressure, pranic healing etc for quite some time now. Since I have gone through many health issues I developed interest in all these sciences of ancient healing. You can join our facebook page Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju for more health tips. Over the years of practice in yoga I have learned that diseases and disorders are an indication to say, you have looked enough at the external world and it is the time to look inside within your body. Every medical system has its own limitations. You should not get dejected and lose your hope. Instead you must look out for more better alternatives. If you are from USA, there are very good Iyengar yoga teachers, please find them and describe your problem, they will help you for sure. Continue natural lifestyle and medicines if necessary.

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  36. Here's another note: I am what I believe is fairly low in serotonin. 5 HTP is helping. I take a low dose of 25mg sublingual if I take more I am brain foggy in the day. It does seem to help me with overnite hypo but not completely.. Is there anything else I can do to naturally raise my serotonin levels. I don't think I can eat enough of a certain food. I've researched it and tried things like pumpkin seeds and others and nothing is helpful but the 5 HTP.
    Thanks again,
    Rhonda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now I insist you to join Iyengar yoga immediately.

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  37. I Had One Question. What About Cereals & Soups That Have Liquids & Food Mixed Together. Is That Alright To Eat?

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thanks so much I did look up that yoga and there are many here in my town.
    I just deleted my facebook page but will follow your blog..

    Thanks again-and good health to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cereals and Soups are good and don't make any delay in taking up yoga.

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  39. I just found your blog after doing a search on drinking water after eating. I have read other articles about not drinking water during a meal so I guess I was half way there on your recommendations. I will have to start drinking more before a meal.
    I do have one question. I am on some medications that say to take with food. I usually take them with water after eating. You recommend not drinking water for two hrs after eating. Is there a solution for my delima?
    Thanks, Kathy

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    Replies
    1. Well... Kathy, first of all thank you for writing in here. When it is said not to drink water while eating it doesn't mean to become rigid and make a taboo out of it. You must drink water if it is essential as in your case. The primary purpose of drinking water with pills is to help swallow the pills in, so drink half the glass of water instead of whole glass.

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  40. I honestly don't think there's a problem in drinking whilst eating.
    The pH of the stomach is not affected at all

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a harmless practice. You can just try out for few days and you know the difference.

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  41. Its a wonderful piece of information and I must appreciate your effort, calm and hardwork that you have done in writing this blog. I have tried this therapy but when I dont drink water after lunch I have a lot of belching and an uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen. Can you inform me the cause and remedy for this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First of all thank you for the appreciation. As far as your problem regarding the belching and uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen is concerned it might be possible that you are not chewing your food well. It often happens when you eat white rice because we eat very thin rice and swallow it without chewing it well. Try to take some time in eating your food chewing it well. It might also be possible that you are eating very oily and spicy foods that needs more acids to get digested. When additional acids are released in the stomach you get these kind of symptoms. Observe these two things here on and make necessary changes in your food. You might get some relief for sure.

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  42. I was glad to find this blog. I'm currently doing a detox/flush to "Reset" my health. One of the biggest obstacles I had to adjust to was drinking 30 minutes prior to eating and then waiting 2 hours to drink. Apparently, it is adopting the approach you spoke of in your blog. This is a very well researched and planned out detox. I had never heard of the problems with drinking water while drinking. The justification for this, in my detox instructions mirror what you wrote and talks about water weakening the stomach acid. I'm from the US and growing up you're always told to drink something (be it water, milk or juice) with your meals. I'm a mom to a 7 year old and I'm going to try to adjust his way of thinking now and nip this in the bud! Thank you so much for your insightful post. I might link it to my own blog if that's ok. I want to write something regarding this aspect of my blog and link your article for additional info. Please let me know if that's ok :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Ms. Heather Greenwood for the appreciation. The main intention of my blog is to create awareness about natural way of living. If my article will help the cause you can surely link this to your blog or you can even write on it adding few more ideas of yours.

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  43. how about if i eat every 3 hours to gain weight?is it okay to drink 2-3 glass of water at once after 2 hours then eat again after 30 minutes gap??im underweight btw

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You need not eat every 3 hours to gain weight. Choose food that has plenty of proteins and omega 3 fatty acid and do some physical exercises to gain weight.

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  44. Hey mate most of the days I eat cereals with milk in my breakfast , so milk have certain amount of liquid in it,,,how would you say about this ??
    and I also suffer from constipation , what can be done about it,,appreciate ur reply ...Cheerz and yea I belong to Indian origin in Australia and yes 50 percent of my food intake is mostly Indian ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well Sidhu, In Indian conditions people eat plenty of spices and as a result they drink plenty of water while eating food. Having cereals with milk will do. As far as your issue with constipation is concerned, try to avoid non-vegetation food completely if at all you consume. The reason is that non-vegetarian food contains zero fiber. Choose vegetables that are rich in fiber and eat plenty of greens and veggies to relieve your constipation. You don't need to do anything more than this for your problem.

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  45. hi. thank u very much for your information. but i have a question: i have to take pills with full stomach and a full glass of water (at least) and i take the pill right after i finish my food. is that wrong? if is then what should i do?
    thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you are undergoing any treatment and needs to swallow the pills it is an exception.

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  46. Hi Mr,i know we shouldnt drink if the food we ate are like rice,fruits,veggies that contain much water.but how about pizza,burger,sandwich,steak?can i drink 1 glass of water right after eating them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no harm if you don't drink any water even when you eat pizza, burger, sandwich, steak etc. The body releases enough acids and gastric juices to digest the food. The best way is to drink ample water half an hour before you eat any kind of food. That quenches your thirst and you don't feel thirsty during your meals.

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    2. Okay Mr,thanks for the answer.very informative and nice article btw

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  47. Hey man,is this true about waiting for 2 hours to drink water after eating?i see a lot of people,almost everyone drink water with their meals.and i see they seems have no problems with that,i've surf on the internet.there are about drink water half hour after your meal,1 hour and now 2 hours after your meal.which one is actually better?honestly, i have some stomach problems and wonders the correct way of drinking water after meals.

    and how about before meals?15 minutes before meal or 30 minutes?some say you should drink 1-3 glass 1 hour before meal.this is confussing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey john! Read this article and try to follow the instructions given in that. I think it will help you.

      http://naturalwaysofliving.blogspot.in/2010/06/how-to-drink-5-to-6-liters-of-water-day_14.html

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  48. How about milk?should you drink them after a meal or 2 hours after meal when the stomach almost empty from a meal?

    ReplyDelete
  49. okay im seing many information about drinking water with meals.i do feel heaviness in my stomach if i drink water right after a meal.so i decided to drink water 15-30min before a meal and 30min-2hours after a meal,since this method is most mentioned in webs and blogs.i guess its better than drinking right after

    ReplyDelete
  50. I think I'll go with the science on this one. According to an actual Gastro, drinking water during a meal is fine and even helpful:
    https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestion/AN01776

    From the Mayo Clinic website -->

    With Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist
    Michael F. Picco, M.D.
    Water after meals: Does it disturb digestion?
    Does drinking water during or after a meal disturb digestion?

    Answer
    from Michael F. Picco, M.D.

    There's no concern that water will dilute the digestive juices or interfere with digestion. In fact, drinking water during or after a meal actually aids digestion. Water and other liquids help break down food so that your body can absorb the nutrients. Water also softens stools, which helps prevent constipation.

    Looking for other ways to promote good digestion? Focus on a healthy lifestyle. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Maintain a healthy weight. Include physical activity in your daily routine.

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  51. Hello ! I appreciate your efforts in writing this blog, I tried this therapy but when I do not drink water after eating meals, I start to feel that something is stored in my abdomen which is not going down and finally this lumping feel goes away only after drinking water. I feel drowsy when I drink water after meals and feel heaviness in stomach if I do not drink water after meals, so in both the cases I have problem, can you resolve this. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You did not mentioned how long you tried this. Your body needs some time to adapt to the new approach. By 15 days you will know what to choose. Both can't same for sure.

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    2. If the situation is same even after 15 days there must be some other issue with yo ur digestion process which you have to address with total consciousness.

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  52. Hi man,
    im confused whether this theory is right or wrong.because i search in others information on the web,almost all of them say it is okay to drink 30 minutes after meal.and a lot of people say its fine to drink with meals.although there is one site name mayo clinic said that water can help digestion.i have a digestive problems like bloating,constipation and rumbling sound in my stomach often.So which is actually better for our body?i want my stomach to be free and absorbs my foods better.im on a weight gain diet too btw and its very hard to gain weight with digestive issues that keep slowing my process

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since you are confused, I suggest you two things. First fifteen days follow these 3 steps. (1) drink 600 ml water half an hour before your meals (2) drink a glass or more of water 2 hours after meals and (3) a glass of water every hour maintaining a gap of 2 1/2 hours before and after meals. After fifteen days you do exactly opposite or as you are doing now. You will experience the difference and please don't forget to write back your experiences.

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    2. Okay man,thank you for your advice.i will let you know after 15 days trying this method

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    3. Hi man,
      not drinking with or after meal really make my digestion better.less bloated and less feeling like there is undigested food in my stomach after eating.but i was wondering,what if i dont have time to wait until 30 minutes to eat after drinking?say im thirsty and hungry at the same time. and decided to drink until i quench my thirst and eat immedietly after it,would it be better than drinking after meals?and is that okay?

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    4. It is better you give 30 minutes break before food but sometimes it is not possible to wait 30 minutes as you said. In such case you try to maintain a minimum gap of 10 minutes before meal. Dr. Raju experimented on millions of people at different intervals and came to a conclusion that 30 minute gap is best suitable for digestion. You can even try different intervals of water intake before and after food and experience the difference.

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    5. Hi man,
      Ooh i see,10 minutes is minimum. Thank you for the answer, i'll try different intervals and see what works for me.

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  53. Hello Ram,
    I appreciate your article on water and digestion. Years of poor eating and drinking habits have lead me to poor health. I got to the point where I did not absorb the food that I ate and always felt exausted. I had many test done and came to realize that my digestion was the root of my health issues. I have been slowly healing, I eat fermented food with every meal and am drinking about 3 quarts of water per day. I also eat bone broth soup with each meal, I slowly cook marrow bones in a crock pot for two days. My question is, does eating soup have a negative effect on digestion? Any help would be appreciated.
    Thank You,
    Jacob

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jacob! It's heartening to learn that you have now understood the importance of natural way of living. As far as your question is concerned, I would advise you to consciously observe the effect of drinking soup along with food or immediately after it for few days and give an interval of 15-20 minutes before meal for another few days and see the difference. If there is a difference change the eating pattern and if there is no change then go ahead with soup.

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  54. I have a general question?
    can we eat raw and cooked food together, generally if we goto restaurant, after food we generally have fruits. is it a good habit? as per mantena garu we should not eat both together. can you explain why we should not eat together. eating mango and banna with curd rice is there from long long ago.
    Thanks in advance

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One should not eat fruits and raw foods with cooked food. Many people in the south have a habit of eating fruit after food which is a very bad practice. The digestive gases and enzymes released for the fruits or raw food and cooked food are different. Since the fruits and raw foods get easily digested they rely less on powerful hydrochloric acid for digestion. Where as the cook food is hard to digest it depends more on hydrochloric acid for digestion. When you mix up these two the digestion process gets disturbed. If you want to eat fruits or salads please eat 15-30 minutes before meal.

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    2. Thank you verymuch Ram garu.

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  55. Hi Man,
    I want to know if it is okay not to drink water 30 minutes before a meal but still drink the water 2 hours after meal? because i tend to feel full drinking water before a meal and its also reduce my appetite. Maybe it is because my digestion/stomach is weak or something. So is that okay?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In that case drink water 40 to 45 minutes before meals. It is absolutely okay to skip drinking water 30 minutes before meals if you don't find the 7 symptoms of thirst taught by Dr. Raju.

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  56. Hi man,
    i want to know, what if in some occasions i don't have or cannot drink my water before my meals?can i skip the water before the meals and still drinking 2 hours afterwards?i once do that, even though i feel thirsty in my throat and mouth but i can hold on until 2 hours before drinking.i mean, it's not like not drinking before meals would make me super hydration right?it is said most of our body is consist of water after all isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See there is nothing seriously wrong in skipping the water intake 30 minutes before meals but the thing is that water intake not only quench your thirst but also helps digestion. If you don't have the opportunity to drink then it is okay. Need not worry about that.

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    2. Ooh so it is okay after all, thank you so much for all the answer you give me Mr . ram godar

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  57. This article is excellent and very informative. Thank you for sharing your much needed knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Avoid Plumbing Problems
    Nice information, many thanks to the author. It is incomprehensible to me now, but in general, the usefulness and significance is overwhelming. Thanks again and good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Namasthe Raju garu,

    This article is very good and your service to the community is excellent. i am watching your yoga classes in MAA TV since i am a biggner it is difficult fo r me. but i have confidence am going to do it.
    i am very proved of you as a telugu person you have a fallowers all over the world....i am leaving in canada & try to fallow your food habit today is my first day of your breakfast with sprouts...

    Thank you,
    Suni.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Hi
    I am Rao, I used to follow Dr.Raju's suggetions and started drinking 3-4lt of water per day in 2008, with in one month i got sickness due to severe indigession and GERD, still i am not able to consume any type of food with out taking antacid & digestive syrups every day. trying to come to my previous health position please suggest me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You haven't mentioned your age and profession. Anyway try to follow the instructions given in the undermentioned link:

      http://naturalwaysofliving.blogspot.in/2010/10/dr-mantenas-natural-remedy-for.html

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  61. Halo Mr. Ram godar
    What if someone eating dry or spicy food and not properly hydrated and cannot hydrate propery before eating so have to drink water after meal? I meant to drink or not to drink is natural urge right? So why have to bother such timing like 30 minutes before or 2 hour after meal to drink water? There is no clock long time ago so we can trust our thirst or natura urge to drink. So does these method really work or not? Because I thought we just need to listen to our body telling us when and how much to drink before or after meal

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hello, first of all thank you for writing. I totally agree on what you said. We must listen to what the body says but are we really listening to what our body says? and secondly do you think people used to eat cooked food when there was no clock? Had we listened to our body needs and supplemented what it needs then why all these doctors and medicines? If you are listening to your body and providing what it want then you please ignore this article, it is not for you. The above article is no way a directive to all. It is only for those who have forgotten the dharma of their body. As far as timing of 30 minutes before and 2 hours after meals is concerned, Dr. Raju has worked upon his body for many years and came to conclusion that this time would make you feel good. It is not a lakshman rekha which you can't cross. You can drink according to your feasibility and requirement. I am attaching a link here below. Go thoroughly especially the symptoms of thirst and if you think you pass all these symptoms then you need not worry about any water schedule. Hope you find it useful. Thank you again for participating in the dialog. Here is the Link:

      http://naturalwaysofliving.blogspot.in/2009/12/how-much-water-we-need-to-drink-day.html

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    2. Mr Ram Godar, thank you very much for the answer. I guess it is true sometime we think we were listening to our body when we actually not. So, i have tried to not drink water immediately after meal for few times and really felt the differences. Normally, i drink water right after meal because i thought it would help digestion and breakdown the food regarding i am really thirsty or not. But now i learn that water is have cooling properties whereas digestion is heating process. So, drinking water right after meal will cool the digestive process and could cause stomach distention thus causing bloating and heaviness after meal. I also rarely feel cold in hands and feet again after a meal, i think it's because i am not drinking water right after meal thus my body is creating heat. However can you give me your opinion about this websites "http://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/784/should-i-drink-water-before-during-or-after-eating" and "http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/stomach/emptying.html". Does this mean that it doesn't have to wait 2 hour to drink water? or waiting until the food is digested and churned which will be approximately 2 hours is best time to drink water or any other beverage?

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  62. Halo,
    Does drinking tea, coffee, wine or soups have same effect as water? I mean they are different from water as they contain antioxidants, vitamins and mineral whereas water is pure and somewhat cleansing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, people don't often drink tea, coffee or wine immediately before or after food and more over one won't drink more than a cup. So, I don't think that is going to make any big difference. As far as soup is concerned, it is basically consumed when you go out to a restaurant for lunch or dinner before meals. It is mainly because you eat dry food unlike the food cooked at home. Dr. Raju's research is basically based upon Indian people, food and climatic conditions. You can though tryout whatever is being written above and experience yourself. It is very safe and secure method to know by yourself.

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  63. Well actually in the country where I live almost all people drink ice sweet tea (black tea) with or immediately after their meal and it is not a cup but a big glass.. I just wonder if that habit is really bad or not?would it make big differences by drinking liquids 2 hours after meal? Thanks for the answer

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Well... as I said, different people have different eating and drinking habits. Like people in India drink few glasses of water while and after eating. This is because of the quantity of rice, masala and spices they consume in their meals.According to Ayurveda different enzymes and gases are used by the body to digest liquid food, fruits and juices and different gases to digest cooked food. Therefore it recommends eating fruits and juices at least half an hour before food. But many people eat fruits after food which is absolutely incorrect according to Ayurveda because the body uses powerful hydro-chloric acid to digest cooked food whereas liquids doesn't require stronger acids to digest. In the short run you might not find any trouble but in the long run it definitely make the difference.

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    2. So I guess it depends on the food we eat, if we eat foods that contain spices and spicy we could drink water with meals right? As the water will regulate the heat that increased in our body because of the spices and spicy food we eat. So to drink water or any other liquids 2 hours after meal rule is not strict right? Because I am trying to drink water 2 hours after meal but if I am eating something that is spicy, sweets or salty it kind of hard to try not to drink water after meal when your throat feels kinda dry and thirsty..

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    3. Ha..ha...you understood that way.

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