If you feel the need to poop right after eating, it’s likely due to the gastrocolic reflex—a normal bodily response that prepares your digestive system for incoming food. When you eat, your stomach stretches, signaling your brain, which then prompts your colon to contract and clear space. The stool expelled is from previously digested food, not the meal you just ate.

This reflex can be more intense in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), causing discomfort or diarrhea immediately after eating. IBS symptoms include abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and constipation, and its heightened gastrocolic reflex makes management challenging.

To ease symptoms, avoid trigger foods like carbonated drinks, alcohol, citrus, dairy, and fried or fatty foods, which can irritate the digestive system, especially in sensitive individuals.