Once the bite is small enough to swallow, your tongue pushes it to the back of your throat into your esophagus, which begins to contract automatically in a motion called peristalsis. Between the chewing action of your mouth and the enzymes and lubrication from your saliva, you start to break down what you’re eating, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) explains. Not only are stomach cramps painful at the time, but persistent ones can make you apprehensive every time you try to eat, particularly when it’s unclear why the cramps are happening and what you can do to try to relieve the pain.įirst, though, this all starts with one bite. But consistently feeling like your stomach is tying itself into knots after you eat isn’t normal, and it can have an impact that lasts long after you’ve left the table (or the couch).

“Having an occasional belly ache is not a problem-it’s essentially normal,” William Chey, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Michigan, director of the GI Physiology Laboratory, and codirector of the Michigan Bowel Control Program, tells SELF. It’s worth noting that experiencing some cramps in your midsection after eating can be no big deal as long as it doesn’t happen often. So if you get stomach cramps after eating, you’re probably determined to make them stop ASAP. Many of us can agree that eating something delicious is (or should be) the best part of the day! Even if you don’t take special joy in food or spend a ton of your time deciding what to cook for dinner, eating is something we have to deal with as part and parcel of living as human beings.

Stomach cramps after eating are the absolute worst.

Sweet ache