Walking after dinner could be the answer to better digestion - here's why, according to nutritionists

You may have heard that walking after dinner can help your body out in several ways, from clearing your mind before bed and helping you sleep better to giving your digestive system a supportive push - but is it true? 

When it comes to post-dinner activities, most of us settle in for an evening in front of the television, read a book, or start getting ourselves ready for tomorrow's activities. Leaving the house, full stop, maybe the furthest activity from your to-do list and the last thing you want to do. However, experts and research papers alike suggest it could be the very best thing you could do for both mind and body.

Here, woman&home speaks to a nutritionist and personal trainer to reveal what you need to know about walking after dinner, the benefits, whether it's worth it, and how long you should wait before heading out. If you're looking to experience all the digestive benefits of walking or understand how this habit can make a difference for you, this is what you need to know.

Does walking after dinner help with digestion?

Yes, the primary benefit of walking after dinner is to help digestion and prevent some of the more uncomfortable symptoms of slow digestion, such as indigestion and bloating. Personal trainer and nutrition specialist Amanda Place, who is also the founder of Sculptrition, explains why. "Walking involves the use of various muscles, including those in your legs, abdomen, and lower back. This increased muscle activity can help stimulate the movement of food through your digestive tract, the emptying of your stomach contents into the small intestine."

While it won't be the cure-all for everyone and you may have to wait up to 30 minutes to go for a walk after your last bite, there's plenty of evidence (from the likes of the University of Limerick among others) to back up the idea that some light walking - even for as little as two to five minutes - can really help your digestive system along. There are also several other benefits though, as the experts outline here.

Amanda Place

Award-winning personal trainer Amanda Place is the founder of Sculptrition, a platform that helps you quit fad diets, find balance and create a healthy lifestyle. 

She specialises in health and fitness coaching for high-achieving women, helping them transform their body and mind, improve their health and become the best versions of themselves. 

Benefits of walking after dinner

1. It can help regulate your blood sugar levels

You know that tired, lethargic feeling that hits after lunch and almost always requires a second - or even third - coffee of the day? That's down to your blood sugar levels. When we eat, our blood sugar levels rocket upwards and, depending on what we've eaten, can come back down pretty rapidly, causing this crash. 

"A post-meal walk can help regulate blood sugar levels," says nutritionist Gabi Zaromskyte, founder of Honestly Nutrition. "It encourages the muscles to take up glucose from the bloodstream, thus reducing the sugar in the blood."

Many health conditions, aside from diabetes, can stem from consistently high sugar levels and significant fluctuations between very high and low blood sugar levels, she adds. "Polycystic ovarian syndrome, blocked blood vessels, and chronic inflammation are some of the conditions influenced by this elevated blood sugar."

While walking after dinner every day won't entirely prevent or totally reduce the risk of developing one of these conditions, it can be beneficial. 

Gabi Zaromskyte

Gabi is a certified nutritionist, passionate about helping you be at your best health physically and mentally. Having worked in the NHS and now privately, Gabi focuses on gut health and blood sugar balance in particular, because she believes that these are the two most important factors that open the doors to a very wide spectrum of health, with powerful effects on every aspect of physical and mental health. 

2. Reduction in symptoms of acid reflux

Acid reflux, also known as heartburn, is the often-temporary condition where stomach acid travels up to your throat from your stomach. It causes an uncomfortable burning feeling, often after larger meals or when you eat too close to bedtime. 

However, walking has been shown to alleviate symptoms of acid reflux, says Zaromskyte, per research by Darul Sehat Hospital in Pakistan. "The gentle, rhythmic motion encourages the movement of food through the digestive tract, helping to prevent the buildup of excess stomach acid. Additionally, staying upright during a walk allows gravity to work in your favour, keeping stomach contents in place and minimising the chances of acid reflux symptoms."

3. You'll be able to sleep better if you walk after dinner

Exercise of any kind famously helps us sleep better at night, so taking a walk after dinner could be what you need if you struggle with getting to sleep or find yourself waking up in the middle of the night.

"Walking after a meal can improve sleep quality by helping regulate circadian rhythms and promoting better digestion," says Zaromskyte. "Low-to-moderate physical activity like walking can enhance the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, making it easier to fall asleep and enjoy deeper, more restorative sleep."

It could also be beneficial for those with more serious sleep disorders, such as insomnia, says the nutritionist, pointing to research by Universidade Federal de São Paulo and ELTE Eötvös Loránd University. 

"Also, post-meal walks can reduce post-meal abdominal discomfort, allowing for a more comfortable and uninterrupted night's rest," she says. 

4. Walking after dinner will prevent you from overeating

Taking a short walk after dinner can help to curb the post-dinner cravings, whether that's for a second serving or a late-night sweet treat.

Personal trainer Place explains why. "A post-meal walk can serve as a distraction from further snacking or overeating, as it gives you something else to do and can help control your appetite."

Naturally, this is hugely beneficial if you're looking to lose weight without exercise but also eating too late at night can cause sleep issues in itself for some people, so it's best avoided where possible.

Can you walk immediately after dinner?

Yes, you can go for a walk immediately after eating, says Zaromskyte. "There is no specific time frame that is recommended to keep between the end of a meal and the start of a walk," she explains. "In fact, the most recent available data from Purdue University reveals that walking immediately after a meal reaps the most benefits, particularly with blood sugar balance and better digestion."

However, it's really down to how you're personally feeling. "Some may encounter stomach discomfort, manifesting in indigestion, diarrhoea, nausea, gas, and bloating. This discomfort can arise when recently-consumed foods shift within the stomach, potentially hindering the digestive process."

If this is an experience you have when walking after dinner, then it's worth leaving it about 10 to 15 minutes before heading out, she adds, pointing to research by the UNESP School of Medicine. 

It's also worth hanging on a bit longer if you've had a meal rich in fats and proteins, says Place. "These may require longer waiting period, closer to the 30-minute mark, as they take longer to digest than smaller, lighter meals." 

And, of course, the exercise should be a stroll rather than full-on walking as a workout. "Avoid engaging in vigorous exercise immediately after eating, as it may divert blood flow away from the digestive system, potentially causing digestive issues," says the nutritionist. "In other words, keep the pace of your walk low-to-moderate if you have a sensitive digestive tract. If you can't hold a conversation and breathe steadily when walking, you're going too fast."

If you are planning on working out after dinner - or any meal for that matter, Place recommends leaving a clear window of at least an hour "to avoid the risk of discomfort or cramping during exercise." 

How long should you walk for after dinner?

There's no step distance or number of steps you need to reach to feel the benefits of walking after eating - with research from the University of Otago suggesting that 10 minutes is better than 30 minutes for managing blood sugar, but other research from Goethe University in Frankfurt suggests that 20 minutes is best. 

Ultimately it comes down to deciding what your goal is in walking after dinner. Is it just to aid digestion? Then 10 minutes around the block should be more than enough. However, if you're trying to improve your fitness and hit 10,000 steps then you may decide that walking 30 minutes a day is for you.