Q&A Episode 2: How long does the food you eat stay inside your stomach?

Another week, another Q&A. Today’s question is: “How long does the food you eat stay inside your stomach?”

If you’ve never thought about this or are curious, watch this video to find out:

Before your food arrives in your stomach, of course, first, you have to chew and swallow it.

Chewing food takes between 5 to 30 seconds

Swallowing takes about 10 seconds

Food churning and grinding in the stomach can last 3-4 hours

It takes 3-6 hours for food to move through the small intestine

The remaining water in the food is sucked up by the large intestine and can take up to 18-24 hours.

The length of time that your food is digested also depends on the type of food.

Fatty and fiber-rich food takes longer time to digest than carbohydrates and proteins, since the molecular structure of fat is complex and fiber cannot be digested by the human gut.

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