The body is nourished by food and there are many different kinds of food. Moreover, most foods are made up not of one substance, but of a number of materials. The chemical substances of which foods are composed are called nutrients or foodstuffs. There is the difference between the scientific and popular meaning of the word foodstuffs. Foodstuffs is defined and used as a scientific term in this text.
Water is a foodstuff. Each foodstuff has a certain function to perform in the body. A few foods contain but one foodstuff, some contain several foodstuffs, many contain all the foodstuffs.
Water is important substance, and maintaining water balance is extremely essential to our life. Here are just some of the crucial functions of the water:
It regulates body temperature
It regulates blood pressure
It moistens all of body tissues
It cushions and protects organs
It carries wastes away from cells
It lubricates joints
It helps the liver and kidneys with their detoxification efforts
It carries nutrients and oxygen to cells
It maintains blood volume
It helps keep digestion efficient
It helps keep pH in the desirable slightly alkaline range
It helps dissolve minerals and other nutrients to make them accessible to body
It used to be thought that water drinking during a meal was harmful. Scientific investigations have shown that this is a mistaken idea. A small amount of water may be drunk at mealtime. Indeed it has been found that it aids in the digestive processes, provided foods are not "rinsed down" with it and provided very cold water is not used.
So drink a small amount of water with your meal if you want, just be sure to avoid drinking large amounts of water with or immediately following meals, as it can dilute your digestive enzymes and make digestion less efficient.