I must have missed the biology class on digestion in school.

It was only recently that I realised how little I knew/know about how food I eat gets digested and how long before the non-digested bits leave the digestive system. The length of time was what I found interesting. I thought it took four hours for food to digest.

Generally speaking, it takes about two to four hours for food to move from your stomach to your small intestine[1]. I wasn’t too far off but that is only the half of it.

After the stomach, food moves through the small intestine, where most of the nutrient absorption takes place. Food can spend up to six hours there. Then it goes to the large intestine or colon where water, electrolytes and vitamins are absorbed. What’s left over from digestion is turned into stool. The waste products from food spend around 36 hours in the large intestine.

Naturally, digestion time varies from individual to individual. It also depends on the amount and type of food eaten. For instance, meat and fish take longer to digest while sugary and processed foods are quicker to breakdown. Explains why I feel hungry soon faster after having desserts despite the quantity😊.    

Anyways, ‘Start to finish, it takes 10 hours to three days for food to digest and for stool to pass through your gut. To put it differently, today’s poop started with food you ate 1 to 2 days ago[2]. 

Digestion is less easy with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a condition that I’ve had to contend with for most of my adult life. It was especially harder when I was working with time pressures and responsibilities. Also, the IBS I am saddled with is unpredictable. Food that works today might not tomorrow. It also depends on the time of day or meal. Most days, breakfast is alright. Lunch is bad and dinner is less bad. The usual suspects like fatty food, spicy food, alcohol, caffein and chocolate don’t really apply to me.

Chocolate is not a problem. I don’t drink alcohol or coffee. Spicy food is alright sometimes and then not at other times. I can’t predict my stomach’s reaction as the mildest spices, not necessarily flaming hot chillis, can trigger a reaction.

After eating, my stomach, more often than not, tells me whether it’s happy or not. Grumbling, bloating, gas usually follow after meals. Discomfort that affects the stomach and rectum area. Sometimes, urgent. More often holdable but always an urge to use the bathroom.

Despite years of my stomach and related organs giving me grief, I somehow didn’t read or come across this interesting information. I wouldn’t have used the adjective ‘interesting’ when I was much younger as anything related to bowel movement was yukky, tacky, and embarrassing. A little less so now.

‘Pooping after eating is normal for many people. It’s part of what’s called the gastrocolic reflex. It’s a normal human function. It’s when digestive muscles, nerves, and hormones help move food through your digestive tract. If you regularly poop after every meal, and the stools look normal to you and you don’t have any other symptoms, you can relax.’

‘A healthy digestive system relies on the gastrocolic reflex to empty your intestine of stool. This makes room for the next food you eat.  It’s most common to feel the gastrocolic reflex right after breakfast, but you can feel it after any meal.

And, it works like this – When you eat, your stomach stretches a little bit. That activates your large intestine to contract, which moves stool down toward your rectum. The stool remains in your rectum until there’s enough to excrete or poop[3].’ 

In my case, I probably have an overactive gastrocolic reflex that causes gas, bloating, and the feeling that I need to go. What to do?

A might help to promote better digestion is to include at least 30 grams of fibre daily, drinking loads of water, exercising, eating smaller but more frequent meals, and abstaining from ultra-processed, high fat foods. I do some of it but fall short on the fibre intake. 30 grams of fibre is made up of four serves of wholegrain foods like grains and cereals, fives serves of vegetables and at least two serves of fruit.

Another might help is to stop eating three hours before bedtime. “Our digestion is meant to be carried out in a more upright position.” Gastroenterologist Dr. Joseph Murray says that’s why late night snacks can be a recipe for reflux[4].

My husband and I walk quite diligently after dinner, which is normally between 7pm- 8pm. Most times, we try to avoid fatty, fried foods, and snacks. And… I will continue to have chocolate, cake, and ice-cream as they are compatible with my digestion and IBS😊.