 Do you really have to wait to go swimming after eating? Correspondent Julie Walker reports. No, you don't really have to wait 30 minutes after eating to go swimming. Doctors say there's no need in most cases to wait. That old warning stems from worry. People might drown or struggle because blood will be diverted to their full stomachs instead of their muscles. But the Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Matthew Badgett says people will still have plenty of blood flowing to their muscles after eating. That said, those who plan to swim laps may