# How long for food to pass through body? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 17, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804 "2009-03-17T21:22:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804/1 "2009-03-17T21:22:55Z")
So I used Google to search on how long it takes food to pass through the body. The first answer says 4-6 hours. The third answer says 24-72 hours. Another answer said 30-90 minutes. Another just said it varies per person. What’s a more realistic range for how long it takes? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804/2 "2009-03-17T22:48:50Z")
This looks somewhat [authoritative](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,754626,00.html?promoid=googlep), but the answer surely has to be “it depends”. I can think of a number of factors that could impact how quickly your body can process “food”. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804/3 "2009-03-17T23:03:22Z")
If you want to find out your own body’s rate of passage, eat something strongly colored, like a bunch of red beets. You’ll see how soon the output changes color and then goes back to normal. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804/4 "2009-03-17T23:36:13Z")
Would there be any harm in swallowing, say, a few colorful little plastic beads to find out? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804/5 "2009-03-18T00:08:29Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > This looks somewhat [authoritative](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,754626,00.html?promoid=googlep), but the answer surely has to be “it depends”. I can think of a number of factors that could impact how quickly your body can process “food”. Those times are to get out of the stomach, not to go through the entire system. It does vary enormously with person and with food eaten. The 24-72 hours is the best answer. You could search for more info since we’ve done this thread a dozen times before. ---
**Author:** ![Myrrajh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/87869e/32.png) [@Myrrajh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrrajh)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804/6 "2009-03-18T00:21:03Z")
Try a tracer food, like corn, peanuts, and surprisingly grapefruit or oranges work too. Those stringy little bits of citrus flesh are apparently pretty hardy. Meat takes longer to digest than fruits and veggies, so the timing can vary. My personal best was 6 hours. Normally 12ish. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Elliot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jane_elliot/32/6166_2.png) [@Jane\_Elliot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Elliot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-food-to-pass-through-body/489804/7 "2009-03-18T01:19:06Z")
From personal experience, it took me around 65 hours to pass a foreign object through my body. It’s an experience I don’t recommend. Especially if the object has _any_ chance of perforating your bowel. Your mileage may vary.