Eating and drinking simultaneously -- ever OK?

Hi Can anyone out there eat while sipping slowly on a drink?  Some food is very dry and seems to need a little fluid to accompany it or to help it on its way.... Also, when out, it "feels" more social. Advice appreciated. Thanks  Rick

Medical answer for us RNY guys,....No.  20-30 minutes after drinking, you can eat. 20-30 minutes after eating you can drink. Howevere, The protein bars I mentioned before say on the wrapper that the bar should be eaten with 8 oz of water, which I do.  I also find that after eating chicken or fish, drinking 20-30 mins after eating only make the food come back up most of the time.  That stuf just sits there for 2-3 hours and messes up my daily water intake which is necessary to keep the kidneys going and the weight loss rolling along. I also found the Oatmeal breakfast bars do well with a sip or to of water and asct as a filler for me while the oatmeal,...serves it own un-necessary to explain functions. There is medical explanation for why but I just read it , it made sense, so I don't do it though it is tempting to take a drink during a meal.  Just more of the retraining my brain to do right and good over the old bad habits.

Get over that "social awkwardness" now ... nip it in the butt.  I slid way too far on the issue of drinking with meals (I'm one year out) and now have no will power to do the right thing.  If you get into the habit, it's a bear to break.  Don't let anyone fool you - you CAN drink with meals, but just because you can doesn't mean you SHOULD!

G'day Rick!

Do it all the time and haven't noticed any increase in hunger or pouch size. Quite the opposite, I have a hard time eating enough. Mind you I only take little sips of milk when I splurge on cookies or something like that.

Hell, today I even drank a couple of diet cokes to see if if would help with gas, but it's my first in over a year (next week will be my one year anni). My observation was: yes, the carbonation does get trapped in the pouch sometimes, leading me to believe that both small bowel and pouch do inflate together until a belch comes out. The stoma only lets gas out if there is no pressure in the small bowel (unlikely event).

Dave

This is a great question! As a general rule, you should not DRINK with your meals.  However, taking tiny sips to just wet the mouth when food is dry, is NOT considered drinking. In my "old life" I used to guzzle down liquids to help swallow foods.  This of course is an absolute no-no.  But, for example, when eating soups or stews, you are in fact taking in liquid while eating.  The same goes for some cereals.  Even Oatmeal has some liquid content.  If you are choking on some white meat chicken, a SMALL sip of water to help is really not considered drinking, and its OK as long as you TRULY understand the difference between wetting your mouth/palette and real drinking.  This is how my doctor explained it to me.  It's all in the perception. Have a fantastic day, Mike

Since you had the VSG, there is no reason not to drink while you eat.  The reason RNYers shouldn't drink and eat at the same time is because they do not have a pyloric valve, and if they do drink and eat at the same time, they will push food through their pouch too fast, and be hungerier faster.   VSG and DSers do not have that issue.  Since we have a fully funcational stomach, you can drink while you eat, in fact some DSers and VSG people "water load"...where they drink water just before they eat to feel fuller faster.   Scott

Hey Rick, I usually drink about 3-4 ozs. of liquid with my meals. I doesn't cause me to eat more, nor does it cause me to be hungry any faster. I don't drink with every meal, usually dinner or if I'm eating out. Everything in moderation.

many thanks guys.  let's see how I go today.....