I rarely drink with meals unless it's wine with dinner. But I nearly always finish meals with a cup of tea or coffee and I drink about a million glasses of wate/iced tea in the summer or cups of hot tea in the winter.

My boyfriend is always making fun of me because my water glass has gone untouched by the end of a meal. He can't get through a meal without water and I don't even think about it when I'm eating. I just don't. I love beer and I wish I could say I enjoy pairing it with meals, but honestly it fills me up. I would rather eat and drink separately. And just like Roman above, I love to enjoy hot tea when I'm done :)

I drink milk and often water with dinner just about every night. I'd like to drink wine more often during the week, but it makes it harder to motivate to get anything done afterwards! And I've never thought about the impact of anything that I drink on my digestion. I don't think there's a link.

We drink water with our meals - or beer or wine.
I'm not sure where it came from, but the whole drinking-liquids-with-food-impairs-digestion thing is a myth. In fact, I believe drinking water with a meal actually helps digestion.

It might be that you're likely to chew your food properly, that's why it aids in digestion. Liquids make it easier for food to go down with less chewing.

I have been told by a doctor that it is vital for people to drink while eating to keep any sort of 'binding-up' problems at bay. Water is the best!

I believe that anyone should drink at least 8 ounces of water with all meals. I also believe that if you eat a meal that contains a lot of fat or fast food, you should wash it down with hot tea or coffee so the oil doesn't stay in the lining of your throat/esophagus. The hot drink will wash the greasy residue down your throat.

i can't eat without a drink. usually water, sometimes some juice.... beer, wine - whatever i got on hand.

I can't eat without a drink either. Every meal & snack! I love water, juice, milk, beer wine or whatnot. I wont get but a few bites and realize I need something to drink. I'll stop eating and go get something.

Isn't that what beer is for? Well, except for with the morning banana and Cliff Bar - tea seems to fit in better there.

I've never heard of drinking effecting digestion - that seems weird. I am never without some water, and drink so much every day, that it'd be strange to stop for a meal! And having wine with dinner, even if in front of the tv (shame!), always makes me feel classier.

I usually drink milk or water, but sometimes only a cold cola will do.

I can't stand drinking water with food, makes the flavors seem diluted to me. I generally drink a cold soda or juice (or even lemonade) with meals.

I grew up with this as a rule...with European parents, most people don't drink much with their meals and it certainly isn't cold!

Also, in Eastern medicine, cold foods and drinks are not healing...it's funny how America seems like the rebellious young teenager and the rest of the world is the wise parent, who actually knows better.

My mom will not drink anything at all while she is eating, I think I inherited a little of that from her, I only sip my water until I'm actually eating, then drink very little until I finish.

As a nutritionist, I'll agree that drinking (anything) when eating does dilute your stomach acid and therefore impairs your digestion. I don't consume beverages with my meals but if you must, water is ideal. Provided you are chewing your food thoroughly, you shouldn't need to drink anything though. Try drinking a big glass of H20 before you sit down for dinner (you likely wont eat as much this way either!).

I absolutely cannot eat without drinking water.. and not just a little bit. I have to get up multiple times during a meal to refill my glass. I probably drink about 3 or 4 glasses of water with any given meal.

I also can't eat without a drink of some kind unless I'm eating fruit or another water-rich food. If I try, I start hiccuping uncontrollably until I drink something. Even soup has caused this to happen in the past. I consume my food in tiny, thoroughly masticated bites, too.

I always thought you were supposed to drink a tall glass of water before eating. Someone also once told me that most people eat when they're actually thirsty - when you first start to feel hungry, you're probably actually dehydrated and you should have something to drink. If you're still hungry 20 minutes later, then you should eat.

I have an esophageal disorder that means I HAVE to drink with every meal, and lots. The muscles in my esophagus don't contract together in the right order like they should, and failing to take in enough fluid to wash down the food is dangerous. I've choked three times in the past.

I know I'm a special case, but at the same time, my gastro doc informed me everyone should always drink with meals, preferably not anything carbonated.

Water or tea for dinner. Tea or hot chocolate (the real kind, with milk) for breakfast. For lunch, water or wine (I work at home most of the time). Can't go without liquids at lunch.

In a strict macrobiotic diet, you are not supposed to drink any liquids while eating.

I drink coffee, tea or water with my meals, depending on what I'm eating.

I'm kind of amazed that a classy food site like the Kitchn doesn't have more wine drinkers in the comments section!

Wine makes almost all food better. If it's one of those days when I choose not to drink alcohol, or when wine isn't available, then water is the next option for me.

If you drink with food, it digests faster and you don't stay full for as long.

I prefer to drink water so I can savor each bite. The drinks are usually a pre or post meal thing for me.

I grew up with a glass of milk at the dinner table and always drank as I ate. Now I have pop or water, or sometimes still milk. But I can't eat dinner without a drink. My husband doesn't usually touch his drink until after he's eaten, but for me I like to wash down between bites.

I don't like drinking anything really unless I am very thirsty. I joke that I'm a camel. Yes, I do get dehydrated but I just never think to have a drink because to me it's kinda unpleasant.
We never had drinks at the dinner table growing up (we were a very casual family) but now that I eat most meals at home with my boyfriend, he always sets out glasses for us and offers me a drink before every meal. I usually just save it until afterwards, unless I get hiccups. I'm a fast eater.

My Vietnamese parents never drink anything with their meal unless they are at a restaurant and get their drinks first -- even then, they will drink until the food arrives, eat, then drink after the meal. We always end family dinners with hot tea, sometimes water or juice for us kids. I never realized that I picked up on the habit until I started having friends over for dinner and always forgot to serve them water with their meal. I only remember after. Now that I live on my own, I often have drinks with my meals, but sometimes I forget and then will drink a couple glasses of water after.

That stomach acid dilution arguement doesn't make sense...what about folks on proton pump inhibitors (Prilosec, Prevacid, etc) that have about 95% of their stomach acid wiped out? They still manage to digest their food just fine and only now after 15+ years on the market are they linking long-term use to possible malabsorption of minerals. And these studies find very modest rates of trouble. So you still have plenty of stomach acid if you enjoy that beer with your daily cheeseburger. The acid in your stomach is less important than its function as a holding tank that liquifies your food by letting it sit in...liquid. Although I will admit that I am trying to defend my position as a liquid-lover during meals:)

Ditto @ Trevor from Hamilton! Wine (or beer) ALWAYS makes a meal better. :)

I drink a lot of water throughout the day and never feel the need to drink water with my meal. When i was younger however, I wouldn't hydrate myself enough between meals and would need to drink several glasses of water with meals. I've also heard and read a lot that drinking with meals dilutes the stomach acid (which is essential for breaking down the food especially protein) and dilutes the enzymes that break down food which in turn impairs digestion. makes sense to me.
I have to say though that i do like wine with my meal, but that only happens when I go back home..

It would seem weird not to drink water with a meal. Have to stay hydrated, you know!

water, always! my stepfather drinks milk with every meal. doesn't matter what it is. we'll be eating macaroni and cheese and he's still gotta have his milk. it grosses me out so much.

am i the weird one or is it him? i'm not sure. i think if he were 7 i wouldn't mind, but because he's 65 it's weird.

I always grew up drinking water or meal with every meal, but I am now currently living in Korea, and they do things so much differently here! They never drink water with meals, I believe because they think its bad for digestion and the extra liquid stretches your stomach out. You can have water after the meal, but they also think it's bad to drink in large amounts, so the biggest cup of tea or water you'll ever get is the size of a Dixie cup.

Sorry, water or milk*

The Mayo Clinic says outright that drinking with meals does not impair digestion:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestion/AN01776

Pour moi, I always drink water with meals, but as an Arizonan, I pretty much drink water all the time except when in the shower. Breakfast also gets coffee and sometimes juice; dinner may see wine, beer, or mixed drinks.

I drink mainly water with meals, but many Finns drink milk with their meals. I do something choose wine or beer too.

I don't drink anything while I eat, including breakfasts. I feel it spoils the food in my mouth, makes it mushy and disgusts me in the end. My hubby is the exact opposite. So we look strange to each other on this issue.

water and sometimes wine, too.

Never. I have a few sips of water before, and a few sips after just to cleanse my palate.

I always drink water before and after and occasionally a few sips during depending on the meal. With breakfast I'll have orange juice sometimes, but generally water.

I don't tend to drink water with dinner... It does usually make me feel a little bloated. But I DO drink other things with meals. Definitely wine with dinner, maybe (but not usually) a Coke or Ginger Ale with lunch, and juice or coffee (or a bloody mary, if it's a rough morning) with breakfast. I feel like most of those things are pretty acidic on their own and probably aren't doing much diluting in there. Plus I like having something to sort of rinse my mouth out with between bites... especially if I'm eating something particularly heavy. It also makes the meal last just a liiittle bit longer and adds a whole extra flavour element to the mix!

Also, I was raised in a family where no dinner was complete without a bottle of wine on the table.

We always have sparkling water (or seltzer) with dinner; as well as some sort of alcohol for those who would like (beer or wine).

I only ever drink water with food; anything else clashes with the food for me. At restaurants I save my wine for between courses/at the end of the meal. I doubt it affects digestion though - these stories have the stink of old wives tales to me! Your aunt reminds me of a story I read by a UK newspaper columnist Lucy Mangan, whose mother would not let her have a drink with a meal of soup "because soup is a meal and a drink in one"!

Isn't it kind of silly to over-analyse our methods of putting food in our mouths and swallow it when we've been eating food for many many many years without issue?

I can't eat without a drink. I've always believed it's because I'm funnel chested, or at least that's what I assume causes it. Food just feels like it gets stuck and has a hard time in my esophagus in the area where my chest has a dent in it. A drink always relieves it. I also can't seem to drink alcohol with a meal very easily, it just isn't refreshing enough in a drink-with-a-meal kind of way. I think it's because I use my drink to wash down my food so much, and with the volume of liquid I consume I'd get pretty tanked during a meal with an alcoholic drink. Although I've slowly been conditioned to enjoy a nice glass of wine with a meal. Only problem is now I have expensive wine tastes and I'm cheap!

I also have to admit that I've got a ridiculous addiction to Pepsi. At it's peak (probably around college and maybe late high school) I honestly drank nothing but Pepsi with every meal except breakfast, with maybe a bottle of water during the day.

I've broken that habit now. I still really enjoy a Pepsi, but I tend to have water with a meal more often now.

ALWAYS MILK!!! ...it's what i've grown up with, we never had a choice of what to drink, it was just always milk. it's the BEST way to get your calcium in the day! i don't want to rely on pills to get my nutrients, and i wouldn't get enough calcium if i didn't drink it everyday with my dinner....

I have water diabeties so I drink alot of water throughout the day and I always have a glass or more of water during my meal. I also have a hard time swallowing things like pills and hard foods so I need that water to properly swallow my food. But if I have any soda during the day I often have it during dinner along with a water also.

I never thought I might be weird for drinking during a meal! I thought that was just normal and everyone did it!