The real reason not to drink ice water or cold drinksIt is tempting to want to gulp down ice water on a hot day, but remember that water is a cool 33 degrees, and your body is 98.6 degrees, that is the equivalent of pouring water onto a fire.
Your body tries to maintain an even body temperature, and a huge part of your metabolic energy is devoted to that. When we consume cold water or fluids, the initial sensation might be cooling but eventually your body will actually be warmer and more depleted of energy by the time the body transfers heat back into the liquid so it can be absorbed and evenly distributed by the cells.
The recommendation is to slowly sip warm water all day long.
Gulping large amounts of water, or waiting until you are dehydrated, as suggested by certain yogic texts, is not an efficient way to hydrate your body.
The fluids will leave your body the same way they entered, meaning water that is gulped down in large amounts is akin to a flash flood, where the majority of the rain just washes off the surface and it doesn’t get absorbed into the cells.
Cold water kills the metabolic heat, or digestive fire that your body is trying to maintain, resulting in constricting blood vessels and slowing down the digestion process.
Cold water and refrigerated drinks also can create the mucous lining in your digestive track to thicken creating more Kapha imbalances such as over-production of phlegm and also slow down your metabolism resulting in more toxins stored in the colon and food that is not properly digested.
To ween yourself off ice water first try drinking water that is refrigerated without ice, then gradually let the water warm up. Add fresh slices of cucumber or Limes to cool down. Avoid being out in the peak hours of sunlight from 10-1PM.
