Swollen stomach after lunch, need to loosen jeans, serial burps in the afternoon: for many, these little hassles have become the norm. For the Spanish doctor and nutritionist Magda Carlas, they often have less to do with food than with the way we eat, and in particular with a very banal eating habit, common during meals with friends or family, which makes us swallow much more air than we imagine.v
Aerophagia: when talking while eating really makes you “eat air”
Magda Carlas describes this habit as eating too quickly or talking while eating, two behaviors that significantly increase the amount of air swallowed and promote bloating throughout the day.
This excess air has a name: aerophagia, literally “eating air”. With each bite or sip, a little air travels down the esophagus into the stomach. When the quantity remains moderate, the body evacuates it without difficulty through some belching or intestinal gas. But if we talk non-stop while swallowing large mouthfuls, the stomach becomes distended, hence the feeling of a hard, tense, sometimes painful stomach.
Magda Carlas recalls in the Spanish podcast
Repliesrelayed by The Confidential that it is not only the speech that counts, but also the context: meals taken under stress, at the office, between two appointments, occlusion problems or poor teeth.
Talk less, chew more: the right reflexes to swallow less air
To limit aerophagia, Magda Carlas advises putting your fork down between bites, chewing for a long time and avoiding talking too much at the table. There Canadian Digestive Health Foundation recommends making the meal last around 20 minutes and aiming for 20 to 30 chews per bite, enough so that the texture becomes almost creamy. This slower pace reduces big gulps of air and gives the brain time to feel full.
In an article from the Cleveland Clinic, specialists also recall the benefit of working on breathing and anxiety. Taking a few deep breaths before eating, putting down the phone screen, and walking regularly, as Magda Carlas also suggests, helps calm the digestive system.
When the body is less tense, we swallow less often “into the void” and we mechanically swallow less air.
Persistent bloating: when this aerophagia requires medical advice
If, despite these changes, intestinal gas or the feeling of pressure remains almost daily, consult quickly to rule out reflux or a digestive disease.
Finally, Magda Carlas reminds us that hormonal variations and very tight clothing can amplify discomfort.