Anupana....drinking liquids

The liquids which we drink after or with food or medicine are called as Anupana. The anupana should have properties opposite to food. e.g. After sweet food sour drink, cold anupana after hot food etc. , but it should not be antagonist to bodily elements i.e. dhatus namely rasa, rakta etc. 
        Uncontaminated rain water is considered as the best anupana. If you have vata or kapha predominance then luke warm water is better and if you have pitta predominance then cold water is better for you.

Drinking water after food...?

There is a lot of confusion about when to drink water ? Before food, after finishing all food or with food...? 
According to Ayurveda, drinking water at different times has specific effect on body.

Before food : Helps in reducing weight
Along with food : Helps maintain the weight
After food : Helps gain the weight

Normally you should drink water in between having food as you require and at the end of meal also.

If you don't drink water after food...

Water helps in softening and mixing of food. It helps in easy movement of food through gut. It gives you feeling of satisfaction and by improving digestion gives strength to body. If you don't drink water the food will be thick and dry , creating more bloating and can lead to constipation. So you should definitely drink water.

How much water to drink?

Water is very essential for our health and well being. One should drink enough amount of water for him. Don't just drink 4-5 liter as you read it somewhere, drink according to your body demand, too much water can disturb digestion by reducing digestive power. In hot weather you feel more thirsty and in winters you don't feel to have more water. 
      If the food item is dry then have little more water.

Different types of drinks(Anupana) :

• Cold or normal water: After having carbohydrate and sugary diet, after taking honey, milk, curd and alcohol 
• Warm water : Following fatty diet
• Milk  : This is good for a person who has done physical hard work,after a rice and daal meal, who has suffered a lot of heat, who is tired due to travel, following a speech, after having sex etc., because milk is a good source of  energy and high quality protein.
• Meat soup : It is good for a person who is tired after a travel, strenuous physical work, heat, for a person who has lost muscle mass and other dhatus etc.
•  Fruit juice: This is good for those who don't drink alcohol
• Alcohol : Good for thin people to gain weight, who is suffering from insomnia, deep sorrow, fear etc. as it reduces stress level.
• Honey with water: It is good for obese people to lose weight
• Sugarcane juice: For rakta-pitta related diseases, it has soothing effect on body systems.

Who should avoid drinking water soon after food?

                                                 

• Those who have asthma and chronic cough
• Singers
• Those who give speech i.e. professional speakers
• If someone has diseases of ear, nose, throat or head

Because drinking water after food washes out the unctiousness of food, giving dryness to these areas.

These things should not be done immediately after having liquids ( any anupan):

• Walking
• Talk too much
• Singing
• Sleeping

This can vitiate vata,pitta,kapha and can cause loss of appetite, hyper salivation, vomittng,etc.
Some FAQs:

1) Why is it said to have honey with cold water and not with hot water?

Many times honey is suggested as an anupan for ayurvedic drugs because it improves the effect of a drug. Also, obese people take honey for weight loss with warm water but don't find much effect, because Honey contains enzymes for easy digestion and absorption which are more active in cold water. 

2) Why alcohol is suggested to be taken with cold water or ice?

Absorption of alcohol in presence of cold water is slower than with warm water, so it reduces the harmful effect on liver that can happen with fast absorption. Also, alcohol is an irritant to the abdominal mucosa, so with cold water or ice, it is little soothing.

3) Normal water or flavoured water?

Now a days there is a trend of having flavoured water such as mango, blackberry, apple, strawberry etc. But it is not good to have this type of water regularly, because with this you are adding more sugar and the citric juice present in it can harm your teath. You can develop tooth sensitivity. So it is better to have normal water.

You can add natural flavours to water by putting basil leaves, mint leaves or khas khas grass, cucumber to water.They have cooling effect on body.