(Intro)

Jessi: It happens to everyone. You're just finishing up your lunch, maybe helping everyone clean up, and just as you open your mouth to say something... 
 
(Squeeks burps)

Oh, geez! Excuse yourself, Squeeks. Burping can be embarrassing sometimes, but everyone does it, and people aren't the only animals that burp. Dogs, sheep, and cows all burp after they eat, even though you never hear them say "excuse me." And since we all seem to do it, there must be a pretty good reason for burping, and there is.
 
But to find out why we burp, we first need to learn a little bit about our body's digestive system. The job of your digestive system is to break down, or digest, everything that you eat so that your body can use all of the the good nutrients and energy that are in your food. The digestive system is made of lots of different body parts, some of those parts you can see in a mirror, like your teeth and your tongue. And some are deep inside your belly, like your stomach. And in between your mouth and your stomach is a long tube, called the esophagus.
 
When you swallow, food travels through your mouth and throat, and then moves down your esophagus and into your stomach. You can think of your stomach, a little bit like a pouch, or a bag; just like a backpack or a purse, it can stretch a little bit when you put things in it. But there's only so much room in there. So, if things start to get too crowded, something's gotta go. And burping is your body's way of getting rid of extra gas in your stomach when there's just too much of it. During a burp, gas leaves your stomach and goes up through your esophagus and leaves your body through your mouth or nose. And, I'm sure you've noticed, there's usually a noise involved. 
 
But where does all that gas come from? Well, that depends. If you've been sipping on soda, then the bubbles from the soda, which are made of a gas called carbon dioxide, are to blame for your burps. But even if you haven't been drinking fizzy drinks, you're still probably going to burp. It happens to most of us between 6 and 20 times a day. That's because we swallow a lot of air during the day, mostly without even knowing it. You might get a mouthful when you stretch your mouth open wide for a yawn, or drink through a straw, or from a water bottle, or chew gum, or eat too fast, or if you talk too much while you're eating. 
 
Some foods can give you a case of the burps, too. This is especially true for foods that, while good for you, can take a while for your body to break down, like beans, peas, broccoli, even bananas. There are lots of ways that air can end up in your stomach, and it all adds up. And once air gets inside of your body, it doesn't have very many ways to get out. So burping allows your stretched out stomach to get back to normal, and back to doing its job, digesting your lunch. 
 
So a case of the burps might not be very pleasant, but sometimes its just gotta happen. Just be sure to cover your mouth, and you should probably say "excuse me" too, okay?
 
Thanks for joining us on SciShow Kids, is there something you've always wanted to know more about? Get help from a grown up and tell us in the comments below. Or drop us a line at kids@thescishow.com and we'll see you next time.
 
(Outro)