Many times we eat or snack on something and suddenly we become excessively thirsty that no matter how much we drink water, it does not go away. Throughout this text we are going to explain why this happens and what foods cause it. There are quite a few foods, so you have to be aware and, of course, not take them at night and always be well hydrated.
We already know the advantages of a balanced and varied diet, but many times we focus only on what we eat and ignore what we drink. Water is essential in our day to day life, and on average, an adult should drink between 1.5 liters and 2.5 litres, depending on height, weight, physical condition, if they play sports, the type of diet, etc. .
We are going to see what excessive thirst means, what causes it, what part of the brain controls thirst and what foods cause that irritating thirst that almost nothing calms down. It will be a few paragraphs that will inform us in detail of everything we need to know. As a spoiler, excess thirst may be due to a blood sugar imbalance.
We already recommend visiting a specialist if we tend to suffer from excessive thirst very often, as it can be a symptom of a physical or emotional illness. Whenever we notice any anomaly, it is best to visit a doctor, only he can give us the best solution.
What is thirst? Who controls it?
Simply put, thirst is a basic survival instinct in humans and animals. It is what prompts us to drink liquid, and it is nothing more than an essential mechanism for regulating the water content in our body, and the fact of feeling thirsty is one of the first symptoms of dehydration.
Thirst is controlled in the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO), a neural network in our brain where activity increases in response to dehydration and activity slows or decreases as we become hydrated.
Therefore, we must always keep ourselves well hydrated so as not to create imbalances in our body. It doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer. We can buy a reusable water bottle and keep it on the desk to drink throughout the morning and evening. Other options are to count the number of glasses we drink, on average we have to drink about 8 glasses of 200 ml each.
Hydration also comes from the type of food we have, and we have to have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Even so, for fast and effective hydration, it is best to drink water, and stay away from foods such as ultra-processed juices and sugary soft drinks, since these drinks are counterproductive for our body.
Why are there foods that make us thirsty?
That feeling of thirst after eating is due to the need to replenish fluids and the body sends us a direct and clear signal . The foods that make you thirsty are those that lack hydration, that is, dry foods and also foods that are very high in fat, salt, and sugar.
When we eat this type of food, the water intake must be greater than 2 liters of water to compensate. That is why we often recommend accompanying copious meals with water, instead of soft drinks. Apart from the fact that it is healthier and we are eating less sugar and fewer calories, we also compensate for the subsequent dehydration.
These types of foods are not recommended before bed. Starting from the basis that between dinner and the moment of lying down in bed there should be between one and 2 hours of margin. If we eat this type of food that is low in hydration or high in fat, salt and sugar, we will be very thirsty at night and when we wake up.
Being thirsty when waking up is practically normal, whether we have eaten healthy or not, and this is because the body needs to compensate for the water consumption of the biological processes that it has carried out during the night.
Foods that make you thirsty
We have already given some clues about what kind of foods make you thirsty, but now we are going to get to know them all so that we know which ones we have to avoid at certain times of the day or avoid them in summer. It can also help us to be proactive and increase the number of glasses of water.
- Chocolates and sweets: in general, everything that is sugary will cause high blood sugar levels and our body will need to increase its dose of hydration to reduce those glucose spikes. For this reason, chocolate bars, cocoa creams, sweets, candies, jellies, etc. are prohibited.
- Pastries and snacks: both sweet and salty, a very bad option, since we will be very thirsty after consumption. It is best to snack on fruit, cherry tomatoes, yogurt, etc. Something that does not create an imbalance in the hydration of our body.
- Cheeses: especially cured cheeses, manchego and blue cheese, and this is due to their high fat and salt content. If we are going to cook with this type of cheese, it is best not to add much more salt, otherwise the feeling of thirst will be excessive a few minutes after finishing eating.
- Meats and sausages: this type of food usually coincides with red meat and these are rich in fat and salt, especially once cooked. This is why the foods that contain these meats and sausages tend to make us so thirsty and that is that they consume a large part of our body’s hydration reserves.
- Nuts: it is a classic that they put us nuts to snack on in a bar or sweets, this is because salty and sugary foods consume the hydration of our body. Nuts are best eaten raw or roasted without salt.
- Alcohol and soft drinks: alcohol causes a hangover, since it depletes our body’s water reserves, so drinking water helps reduce that feeling of hangover. In addition, alcohol has a diuretic function (we go to the bathroom more times) and there we also lose hydration. The same goes for soft drinks and energy drinks. Its high levels of calories and sugars make you thirsty as a signal from our body to reduce sugar levels.
- Fried foods: all those foods that are fried also have excess fat and will cause that feeling of thirst. We can reduce this consequence if we eat salad or drink a lot of water, but the best thing, for our cardiovascular health, is to eliminate fried foods from our lives.
