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Otherwise, hydrate between meals: Drinking up to half your body weight in fluid ounces per day (e.g., for a 130-pound woman, that's 65 oz, or about 8 cups) can help you fend off cravings that are really just dehydration in disguise, eliminating the need to chug before meals. So when should you drink? For healthy digestion, limit yourself to 8 oz of water at mealtime, a bit more than Youkilis recommends, solely to aid swallowing, says Miller. ( Drinking collagen could help with digestion here's how.) But when you drink during meals, you slow down the entire process, which can lead to bloating and less-than-optimal digestion-and while, yes, research shows you may save yourself a few calories, you need to decide if it's worth the price. Ideally, Miller says, your stomach likes to maintain an acidity level of 1 to 2 on the pH scale, which helps break down proteins, stimulates the release of digestive enzymes, aids in the absorption of vitamins like B12, and otherwise helps turns food into a slurry-like solution that makes digestion easier. Excessive liquids during meals can lead to bloating, indigestion, and even nutrient malabsorption." "But yes, this practice can do more harm than good. "There's so much misinformation out there on this topic," says Ali Miller, RD, CDE integrative dietitian and owner of Naturally Nourished. MORE: Can Drinking Lemon Water Help You Lose Weight? The idea sounded a little crazy to me at first, but as someone who sucks down two 16-oz glasses of water with dinner every night-and experiences my fair share of bloating-I decided to ask around. If you absolutely must, she says, take small sips only to wash down food-otherwise, you risk diluting your stomach's reservoir of hydrochloric acid, which is essential to break down food properly. Author Robyn Youkilis recommends not drinking a half hour before meals and up to an hour after meals. I first stumbled on the idea of not drinking water with meals in the new digestion health book Go With Your Gut. But as it turns out, putting this advice into practice may have unintended consequences on your ability to optimally digest foods and absorb their nutrients, which isn't exactly a great trade off, is it? Makes sense, too: Drinking more would seem to make you more full-and less likely to gorge on second helpings of dinner. Diet experts have prattled on for years that downing a big glass of water right before or during a meal can help you eat less and thereby lose weight.