Knowing exactly when to and when not to drink Water can make it become the elixir for everlasting health and well-being. Elixir or Nectar in Sanskrit as well as Hindi is Amrit. This word ‘Amrit’ is probably a combination of two words Am + Rit. Am means general or normal and Rit means procedure or ritual. Therefore, I believe that the right procedure of consuming water is what makes it an elixir.
It used to be very simple. When you are thirsty, drink water. But that was before the advent of modernisation and manufacture of commercial drinks and invention of refrigeration. The first thing to understand is that water means just simple natural filtered water and not any drink made out of water. Adding sugar or lemon or chlorine or any other taste giving substance takes away the benefits that plain water can provide, namely hydrating our body and flushing out waste from our bodies. Our taste buds are the triggers for the body to begin secreting various digestive enzymes in preparation to digest a meal. Every time you drink something other than water (like coke, coffee, tea, fruit juice) the digestive process starts – again and again – putting the entire digestive system into overdrive. Just pure water does not do this and simply allows the digestive system to rest and the body to hydrate and cleanse.
You can sip plain room temperature water at any time during the day except around your mealtime. Eating food and drinking water are two incompatibly different things and should never be done together. The stomach secretes some hydrochloric acid and other digestive enzymes that is needed in the process of digesting the food you eat. This acid gets diluted when you drink water just before or during or just after eating a meal. Stop drinking water 30 minutes before your meal. Do not drink water during the meal. Begin drinking warm water one hour after the meal. Drink half a litre to one litre water in between two meals.