As you spend time at the pool this summer, should you wait a half hour to dive in after you eat?
13 WMAZ set out to verify.
The sources were Warner Robins pediatrician Robert Ford and the Centers for Disease Control.
It's the rule everyone has heard, wait 30 minutes after eating before you go swimming.
“They didn't really tell me why, honestly, there was no backup story, it was just like a wives tale, or like a superstition. So, it was never really confirmed but growing up you know whatever your parents told you that's just what you abided by,” said mom Michele Decker.
Decker said she heard it all the time growing up and she'll probably pass it on to her active kids.
But, is it true?
Doctor Robert Ford says the theory sinks.
“I would say not true,” Ford said.
Ford has been practicing medicine in Warner Robins for ten years and says parents don't have a reason to worry.
“A light meal, or a snack, followed by low to moderate activity, which is your average child's play in the pool is perfectly safe to do even immediately following eating,” Ford explained.
The Centers for Disease Control do not list eating as a reason not to go swimming on their steps of healthy swimming.
The CDC also does not list eating as an influencing factor in drownings.
A Duke University Health blog also says the rule holds no water.
So 13 WMAZ verified that if you're diving in, it's okay if you've had a bite to eat.
“That is fair to debunk it, you know again, knowing that most people are not going to try to have a five-course meal in the middle of the day, so with the exception of overeating, absolutely fair to swim right after eating,” Ford said.
This summer you can tell mom you're going from the table to the pool with a splash.
Ford added that while eating is okay, it is important to stay hydrated when swimming so you can avoid cramps.
VERIFY Sources
Dr. Robert Ford - Warner Robins pediatrician
Centers for Disease Control
Duke University Health