You’ve heard it a thousand times- from your your parents, their parents, and every friend’s parent. “No swimming for 30 minutes after eating!” The myth that you can’t swim after eating is one of the most well-known misconceptions in medicine. The belief is that if you swim soon after a meal, you will experience cramps or even drown. However, this is not true (for the most part).  Here are a few reasons why this myth is false:

• The digestion process takes several hours, so it takes a while for food to be properly digested and absorbed by the body. There’s nothing special or scientific about 30 minutes.

• With highly vigorous activity you may experience cramps, and yes, eating may be a part of that. But if recreational swimming should not be an issue

• Eating a light meal and drinking plenty of fluids before swimming may even be recommended to give the swimmer energy and help prevent cramps.

In conclusion, the myth of not being able to swim after eating is false. Eating a light meal before swimming can help aid digestion and prevent cramps, but it is not dangerous to swim after eating.