How long does it really take to break down your food?
Ever wondered how long it takes for your body to digest a slice of pizza or a kale salad? Digestion might not be something we think about often, but it’s a vital process that keeps us going, delivering the energy and nutrients we need to function. Spoiler alert: digestion is much more intricate and takes longer than you might expect.
Let’s break down what happens during digestion, how long it takes, and how you can keep everything running smoothly...
What is digestion?
Before diving into how long digestion takes, let’s start with what it actually means. Simply put, digestion is your body's process of breaking down food and drink into nutrients that can be absorbed through your gut wall into your bloodstream. From there, these nutrients are delivered to different parts of your body to be used for energy, growth, and repair, or stored for later.
Digestion starts the moment food enters your mouth. Your teeth break it down into smaller pieces while enzymes in your saliva begin the process of breaking down carbohydrates.
From there, it’s a full-body effort – from your mouth to your stomach, intestines, and beyond – working together to extract the nutrients your body needs to keep everything running smoothly.
What happens during digestion?
Digestion is a collaborative process between mechanical and chemical actions. While it begins in your mouth, where chewing breaks food into smaller pieces, the real work happens when acids and enzymes step in, breaking down food in your stomach and intestines.
Your muscles play a crucial role too, moving food along your digestive tract in a wave-like motion called peristalsis. This not only pushes food forward but also helps blend it with your digestive juices, breaking it down into smaller pieces that are easier for your body to absorb.
Each part of your digestive system has a specialised role, and it’s your small intestine (or your upper intestine) – a 6m long tube with a surface area as large as a tennis court – where the majority of the nutrients from your food are absorbed into the bloodstream.
Whatever food remains heads to the large intestine, where water is absorbed, and the leftover waste is prepared for elimination (yes, we’re talking about poo). This is also where your gut microbiome – 100 trillion tiny microbes – takes over, breaking down fibre that your body can’t digest on its own. In doing so, they produce important molecules that help support your overall health.
How long does food take to digest?
Ideally, food takes between 14 to 58 hours to move through your digestive system, from mouth to bum. In my research at King’s College London, we found that the average transit time for food is 28.7 hours. Participants whose digestion time fell outside of the 14-58 hour range – whether faster or slower – were more likely to experience digestive issues like constipation or diarrhoea.
Food spends different amounts of time in each section of your digestive system. It might take as little as 15 minutes or up to four hours in your stomach, depending on what you eat.
Once in the small intestine, where most nutrients are absorbed, it can take anywhere from one to five hours. The final stage happens in the large intestine, where food waste can stay for 12 to 24 hours as your body finishes absorbing water and preparing the waste for elimination.
Curious about how long your digestion takes? It’s easy to find out. Eat something that will be noticeable in your poo, like sweetcorn, or try our blue muffins from the study (where the muffins were dyed a deep shade of blue). Simply track how long it takes to see it in your poo – this will give you insight into how quickly, or slowly, your digestive system is working.
How do different foods affect digestion speed?
Your gut isn’t like a sorting machine, processing meat, veggies, and grains separately. Instead, everything gets mashed into a slurry and digested together. However, the types of food you eat can still influence how quickly this happens.
Carbohydrates, especially simple ones like white bread or sugary snacks, are absorbed fairly quickly – unless you’ve paired them with protein, fat, or fibre, which slow down their release into the bloodstream.
Proteins and fats take longer to digest as they need more time and enzymes to break down. Fibre, found in foods like beans, whole grains, fruits, and veggies, plays a crucial role in digestion. It adds bulk and helps everything move at just the right pace, sweeping away any buildup and keeping you ‘regular.’
Quicker digestion isn’t necessarily better. If food moves too fast, you might miss out on absorbing key nutrients, and if it’s too slow, you can experience discomfort or constipation. The goal is balance.
Drinks matter too – alcohol and caffeine can speed up digestion, sometimes sending you to the loo sooner than expected.
Wondering how often should you ‘go’? It’s healthy to do a poo between three times a day and three times a week.
Factors that affect digestion speed
Many things influence how quickly you digest food, beyond just what’s on your plate.
Your metabolism plays a role – some people are naturally faster digesters than others. Physical activity also keeps digestion moving smoothly, while stress can either slow it down or speed it up, depending on how your body reacts. Hormonal changes, like those during your period, can also affect digestion, leading to the infamous ‘period poops.’ This happens because of the hormone prostaglandin, which causes your muscles, including those in the gut, to contract more.
What about when you sleep? While digestion slows down, it doesn’t stop entirely. As your muscles relax and your body produces fewer digestive juices, food stays in your system longer. But even while you’re resting, your body continues to break down food and absorb nutrients throughout the night.
Tips for better digestion
Want to keep your digestion running like a well-oiled machine? Here are a few simple tips to keep things moving smoothly:
1. Stay hydrated
Water is your digestive system’s best friend. It helps break down food, absorb nutrients, and keeps everything flowing through your gut.
2. Load up on fibre-rich foods
Beans, leafy greens, whole grains, and berries are your gut’s high-fibre heroes. They provide the bulk that helps food move efficiently through your system, preventing constipation and feeding your ‘good’ gut bacteria.
3. Get moving
Moving your body isn’t just good for your muscles – it helps keep digestion on track too. Try going for a walk in the 30 minutes after eating, movement stimulates the muscles in your intestines helping food move through your gut and helps with bloating.
4. Don’t skip meals
Your body clock likes routine, and eating meals at regular intervals in the day helps your gut to know when to prime your body for digestion. Skipping meals can throw your system off balance, and can lead to digestive problems like constipation, or overeating later on.
5. Manage stress
Your brain and gut are closely connected, so stress can wreak havoc on your digestion. In fact, some people tend to get diarrhoea when they’re feeling anxious – since our bodies release stress hormones that speed up digestion. Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing, yoga, or even a quick walk to calm your mind and keep your gut happy.
More in Nutrition
Dense bean salads are trending on TikTok - are they the answer to easy high-protein meal prepping?
Gluten-free and low in fat, is rice good for you? Here's what a nutritionist has to say
'I tried eating 30 plants a week and learnt some major lessons'
Is the secret to successful ageing in your gut? Research suggests that altering your gut bacteria could keep you healthy through midlife and beyond
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
You Might Also Like
