Why does my stomach growl?

Your stomach and small intestine are the source of your stomach's growling. Think of your digestive system as a long tube that begins at the mouth and ends at the anus. Along the way, this tube connects with organs and passages that play vital roles in digestion.

It is very important to know about the manner in which the digestive system propels food. Muscle contractions move and push your meal continually downward in a process known as peristalsis. Besides moving your food along its digestive path, these contractions also churn your food, liquid and digestive juices together - resulting in a gooey a mix known as chyme.

Stomach growling can result as your body digests food. Moving along with the solid and liquid chyme ingredients are air and gasses. As the ingredients get pushed around and broken down, pockets of air and gas get squeezed and produce the growling noises we hear.

When you haven't eaten for a while and your stomach is empty, it initiates a series of rhythmic contractions known as hunger pangs. They serve as a signal to the brain: "Feed me!" These contractions explain stomach noises, which also can be caused when air or fluid is moving around inside. Once you've eaten, it takes about two hours for the muscular stomach to reduce a typical meal to a liquid and have it ready to move along to the small intestine. A high-protein meal can take an extra hour or two. A high-fat meal can take up to six hours. That's why eating foods with healthy fats (such as those in nuts) helps you feel full longer than eating high-carbohydrate foods like sugar.