Sitting and eating with your legs crossed — what does it do to the body?

Sometimes we think of the movements we make every day as mere habits. But this is how the body shows us that something is not right.

Author: Dr. Elfana Suleymanova Medically reviewed

Eating with one leg crossed over the other is a habit for many of us. But did you know that this habit can have a negative effect on digestion?

Sitting like this puts pressure on the organs in the abdominal cavity, reduces the normal motility of the stomach and can interfere with the breakdown and absorption of food. As a result, food is not fully digested and the body does not properly receive the nutrients it needs.

Correct sitting posture — feet flat on the floor, body relaxed — makes the stomach’s work easier and allows food to be digested more comfortably.


We look not at where the pain is, but at where it comes from.
— Dr. Elfana Suleymanova, Center Director · Internist and osteopathic physician

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Sources and further reading

  1. IndigestionNHS (Böyük Britaniya)
  2. NHS Eat Well — nutritionNHS (Böyük Britaniya)

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