From bananas to cheese: How long foods stay in your digestive system

Quick-passing fruits and juices leave your stomach within minutes, while heavy proteins can linger for hours. Understanding digestion times may improve comfort, energy and meal planning.

Have you noticed how a heavy, cheesy meal can leave you feeling full for hours, yet a banana may seem to vanish from your stomach in no time? The difference lies in how long foods take to travel through the digestive system. Some are broken down quickly, leaving you hungry soon after, while others linger, sometimes causing bloating or sluggishness.

 

The basics of digestion 

Digestion is the process by which your body breaks down food and drink into smaller molecules so nutrients can be absorbed. It happens in stages:

 

Mouth and oesophagus – chewing begins, saliva starts breaking down starch, and food travels to the stomach.

 

Stomach – food mixes with acids and enzymes, especially breaking down proteins.

Small intestine – most nutrients are absorbed here.

Large intestine (colon) – water and electrolytes are absorbed, and the rest is prepared for excretion.

 

“It usually takes around four hours for food to move from the stomach into the small intestine, marking the first stage of digestion. From there, it can take another six to twelve hours, sometimes longer, to travel through the small intestine and reach the large intestine. Finally, waste products may pass out of the body the following day, or in some cases, even the day after,” shared Dr Rahul Poddar, general and laparoscopic surgeon at Poddar Nursing Home, Ghaziabad. The time period for the whole process depends on the type of food, fibre and fat content, hydration, activity levels, age, hormones, and overall health.

 

How long foods and drinks take to digest 

“Every bite of food you take spends a different amount of time digesting, varying from just 20 minutes to over five hours. Understanding this helps with better meal planning, energy balance & weight management,” shares Dr Abhishek Katakwar, associate director of bariatric & metabolic Surgery at Asian Institute of Gastroenterology Pvt Ltd (AIG Hospitals), Hyderabad.

 

Quick-digestion (20–60 min): Fruits & watery veggies like watermelon, cucumber, oranges, apples, banana.

Moderate-digestion (1–3 hrs): Grains & lean proteins like rice, pasta, milk, beans, quinoa, eggs.

Slow-digestion (3–5 hrs): Meats, nuts, cheese & fatty foods like chicken, steak, pork, lentils.

 

Digestion time for common foods and drinks 

Water - When the stomach is empty, it leaves immediately and passes into the intestines.

Fruit or vegetable juices – 15 to 20 minutes

Vegetable broth – 15 to 20 minutes

Blended salad, blended vegetables or fruits – 20 to 30 minutes

 

Fruits

• Watermelon – 20 minutes
• Other melons – 30 minutes
• Oranges – 30 minutes
• Grapefruit, grapes – 30 minutes
• Apples, pears – 30 minutes
• Peaches, cherries – 40 minutes

 

Vegetables

• Raw tossed salad – 30 to 40 minutes
• Tomatoes, lettuce – 30 to 40 minutes
• Cucumber, celery – 30 to 40 minutes
• Red or green pepper – 30 to 40 minutes
• Carrots, beets – 50 minutes
• Butternut squash – 60 minutes
• Corn, potatoes – 60 minutes
• Sweet potatoes, yam – 60 minutes
• Chestnuts – 60 minutes

 

Steamed or lightly cooked vegetables

• Leafy vegetables – 40 minutes
• Zucchini, broccoli – 45 minutes
• Cauliflower – 45 minutes
• String beans – 45 minutes

 

Grains

• Brown rice, millet – 90 minutes
• Buckwheat, cornmeal, oats – 90 minutes

 

Legumes and beans

 

• Lentils, lima beans, chickpeas – 90 minutes
• Peas, pigeon peas – 90 minutes
• Kidney beans – 90 minutes
• Soybeans – 2 hours

 

Seeds and nuts

 

• Sunflower seeds, pumpkin (pepita) – 2 hours
• Sesame seeds – 2 hours
• Almonds, filberts – 2 hours
• Peanuts (raw), cashews – 2 hours
• Brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans – 2.5 to 3 hours

 

Dairy

• Skim milk – 90 minutes
• Cottage cheese, low-fat cheese – 90 minutes
• Ricotta – 90 minutes
• Whole milk cottage cheese – 2 hours
• Whole milk hard cheese – 4 to 5 hours

 

Animal proteins

• Egg yolk – 30 minutes
• Whole egg – 45 minutes
• Lean fish (cod, scrod, flounder) – 30 minutes
• Fatty fish (salmon, trout, herring) – 45 to 60 minutes
• Chicken (without skin) – 1.5 to 2 hours
• Turkey (without skin) – 2 to 2.25 hours
• Beef, lamb – 3 to 4 hours
• Pork – 4.5 to 5 hours

While these are the times food spends mainly in the stomach and small intestine, full transit through your digestive system can take 12–48 hours or more.

 

Digestion differs for men, women, children 

Men – tend to digest food slightly faster due to higher muscle mass and metabolic rate, though differences are modest. 

Women – often experience slower gastric emptying and may feel fuller for longer. Hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone, especially during pregnancy or menstrual cycles, can slow things down. 

Children – usually digest food more quickly than adults. Their metabolism is faster, they have smaller digestive tracts, and their bodies need constant energy for growth.

 

“Digestion slows down with age as muscle strength and enzyme activity decline in older adults. Medications and reduced activity can also add to slower motility,” said Dr Katakwar.

 

Simple ways to improve your digestion 

Experts share tips for smoother, healthier digestion

 

• Eat a fibre-rich diet with fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
• Stay hydrated - water keeps digestion moving.
• Move your body with regular exercise; even a short walk after meals helps.
• Chew thoroughly and eat slowly, so your stomach doesn’t have to work as hard.
• Go easy on fatty, heavy meals, especially before bed.
• Sleep well and manage stress, since both directly affect gut function.
• Watch portion sizes and food combinations—overloading the stomach slows everything down.

 

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This report is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.