Does your first ritual after coming back from office involve running to the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of chilled water to quench your thirst and whisk the exhaustion of the day away? After all, who doesn’t want the cooling respite in this scorching heat
? Delhi's temperature has already crossed 40 degrees C, which is considered to be the threshold for an official heat-wave announcement. With mercury rising everyday, it feels necessary to chug down icy-chilled water as often as possible. But did you know, what you have been deeming as an excellent thirst quencher may be taking a toll on your digestive tract? And the cooler the water, the harsher are the consequences. 

Ayurveda advises against the practice of drinking chilled water no matter how hot it gets. In the The Complete Book Of Ayurvedic Home Remedies, under unhealthy eating habits, it states, “drinking very chilled water during a meal or any time." The reason being that it can disturb the normal functioning of the gastric juices and also upset the balance of doshas. The book also recommends how one should not even have iced-drinks during meals, and “sip a little warm water between mouthfuls of food” instead.

1. Restricts Digestion

Experts claim that chilled water and even cold beverages contract your blood vessels, thereby restricting digestion. It also hinders the natural process of absorbing nutrients during digestion. The body’s focus is diverted from digestion as it tries to regulate your body temperature and that of the water, which can actually cause water loss and make you feel dehydrated. The normal temperature of the body is 37 degree C, and when you consume something of a very low temperature, your body compensates by spending energy to regulate this temperature. This extra energy that is now used to regulate the temperature would have been originally used in the process of digestion and absorbing nutrients. This is why it is always advisable to have water at room temperature.

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