Is it Good to Walk After Eating? 7 Reasons To Adopt the Italian “Passeggiata”

If you’ve ever been to Italy (or perhaps you’re on your annual fall rewatch of Gilmore Girls), you’re familiar with the term passeggiata—the Italian word for a stroll after eating dinner. 

Also known as pasear in Spanish (meaning “take a stroll”), verdauungsspaziergang in German (“digestion walk”), or shatapawali in Ayurvedic medicine (“walking 100 steps”), the simple act of taking a walk after eating has been practiced in cultures all over the world for centuries. 

Not only does taking a stroll with family or friends strengthen social bonds, but it can also lead to better digestion and sleep, blood sugar management, weight loss, and improved heart health—let’s take a closer look at what the research says.

7 Benefits of Walking After Eating

Walking has been recognized for thousands of years as a beneficial practice, from Hippocrates stating that “walking is man’s best medicine” to Victorian-era physicians recommending “daily constitutionals” for well-being. Walking after eating can be particularly beneficial, evolving from ancient cultural practices to modern-day wellness habits backed by science.

1. Supports Digestion

One of the most immediate benefits of walking after eating a meal is that it aids digestion. 

Moving your body also helps move your intestines—also known as gastric emptying—much faster than plopping down on the couch to watch Netflix. 

A small study with 10 healthy males found that post-prandial (after-eating) walking significantly accelerated gastric emptying compared to drinking aperitifs, water, or espresso.¹ Other research has shown that healthy adults who walked for 10 to 15 minutes after eating had fewer stomach problems over the 4-week study, including belching, gas, abdominal pain, and bloating. Walking after a meal was even more effective than a prokinetic medication (one that helps food move along in the GI tract) at reducing bloating and fullness.²

2. Helps Regulate Blood Sugar

Another immediate effect of walking after eating is blood sugar regulation. Blood glucose increases after eating and should return to baseline within two hours, which is a normal and necessary process.

However, people with dysregulated glucose metabolism or those who eat high-carbohydrate meals often have blood sugar spikes that remain elevated for longer. Over time, this can lead to disorders like prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. 

In a study of young adults, walking briskly for 30 minutes after eating a higher-carbohydrate meal significantly improved glycemic responses, including substantially reducing the blood glucose peak.³

A meta-analysis of seven studies of overweight or obese adults found that just 2 to 5 minutes of light walking after a meal significantly reduced blood sugar and insulin levels.⁴However, waiting too long between your meal and walk can reduce the benefits. According to this study, going for a walk less than 30 minutes after eating helps to manage blood sugar, but they say “as soon as possible” is best.⁵

3. Helps With Weight Management

Walking is an excellent form of exercise to maintain a healthy weight, and going for a walk after each meal can be a great way to split up your steps throughout the day—just a 10-15 minute walk after each meal adds up to 30-45 minutes total. 

In one study of overweight or obese women, two shorter bouts of exercise (two 25-minute walks) led to more significant decreases in body weight, waist circumference, and BMI (Body Mass Index) than one longer 50-minute walk.⁶

Interestingly, another study found that slow-speed walking—like a Passeggiata stroll!—led to more rapid fat loss than speed walking. According to the researchers, “change is more rapid, clear, and initially greater with slow walking in overweight subjects.”⁷

4. Supports Cardiovascular Health

Walking is an aerobic activity that can support heart health. In addition to regulating blood sugar, walking after a meal can also lower resting heart rate over time, reduce high blood pressure, and support healthy circulation. 

In a meta-analysis of 32 studies, walking significantly reduced risk factors of heart disease, including reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, percentage body fat, waist circumference, and BMI, as well as increased aerobic capacity.⁸

5. Reduces Risk of Mortality

Research has shown that regular walking reduces the risk of mortality. In a 2023 study of 3,100 adults, researchers found that 8,000 steps is the magic number—and walking after meals can help you get there.⁹

In this study, even just 1-2 days per week of taking 8,000 steps significantly reduced all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk over 10 years. However, adults who took 8,000 steps 3-7 days per week had the greatest risk reduction. 

6. Supports Well-Being

Going for walks outside is great for emotional health and mental well-being, especially if you aren’t using your phone while doing so. You can even make it a gratitude walk.

After-dinner strolls with family or friends are especially beneficial for mental health, as they can strengthen social bonds.

Even if you are going on a solo passeggiata, you can still reap the emotional benefits by walking mindfully, breathing deeply, or walking in green, natural spaces.

However, walking in non-green spaces is not the only option for feeling better, as seen in this study in China, which shows that walking in polluted neighborhoods still positively impacts emotional health.¹⁰

7. Supports Sleep Quality

Lastly, walking after eating can support good sleep. All forms and times of walking are great for sleep quality, but exposing your eyes to natural light in the evening is important for our circadian rhythm.

Seeing the light around dusk or when the sun is setting can signal to your body that it’s time to wind down and get to sleep soon. 

An evening walk can also help you decompress from the day, reducing stress, anxiety, and worry once your head hits the pillow and allowing you to fall asleep faster.

How to Adopt the Italian Passeggiata

It sounds simple enough—just go for a walk, right? Well, there are a few things to consider when going for your first passeggiata at home—no flight to Naples required! 

First, while walking after a meal can help with digestion, you should be careful not to walk too soon or too fast. 

If you head out the door the minute your fork hits the empty plate, you may actually experience unwanted digestive effects—the opposite of what we want! A stomach that is too full can get “jostled” around, for lack of a better word, leading to discomfort and possibly reflux or nausea.

You also will not want to walk too fast—it’s called a stroll for a reason! Speed walking, jogging, and especially running will likely cause indigestion.

So, a best practice to support digestion is to walk about 5 to 15 minutes after finishing your meal (depending on how you feel) at a slow, leisurely pace. You don’t have to walk for too long—even 5 to 10 minutes is great. You get bonus points for going with family or friends and staying off your phone! 

If the weather is truly terrible, you can still experience some of the health benefits of post-meal walks if you do laps around your house or step on a treadmill for a few minutes.

Overall, walking after eating is a simple and time-honored tradition with overwhelmingly positive health benefits—time to lace up those shoes and get stepping!

Is it Good to Walk After Eating FAQs