> > According to the Eades (Protein Power), we drink with meals in order to eat > > more food than we would otherwise. > > That is pretty contradictory to "mainstream". > Many diet gurus say to drink a glass of water before eating to "fill up the > stomach" so you feel fuller and therefore eat less. " Most of your daily intake should occur between and before meals. What difference could it make to your nutritional well-being when you drink your daily fluid requirement? Why not drink it with meals? Although some people say drinking with meals slows them down, we've come to the conclusion that the only function cold beverages serve during a meal is to allow you to eat much faster and consume larger quantities of food than you otherwise would. Without water or a big glass of iced tea, we eat more slowly, chew the food better, enjoy the meal more, and eat a lot less than before. Now, we'll frequently have just a glass of wine with our meal. Try it yourself, and see if you don't eat much less when your meal isn't accompanied by a large cold beverage. Even though you're eating less, you don't feel deprived. Instead, precede every meal, even breakfast, with the large beverage. Research suggests that drinking a large glass of cold water 15 to 30 minutes before a meal tends to reduce hunger, and as a result you will eat less. You'll also get ahead start on drinking enough water; it's sometimes easy to forget to drink the full amount during the day. So our best advice is that you drink, drink, drink - before meals, in between meals, but not while your eat. Limit your mealtime beverage to 1/2 to 1 cup in sips, not gulps!" source: Eades, Protein Power, p104 - 105 Rob