Why My Gut Loves Europe (Even When I Eat More Bread and Cheese)

I just started a three-week trip to Europe, and while I’m only a few weeks in, something has happened I thought worth sharing: I haven’t experienced the usual digestive discomfort I often deal with traveling back in the U.S.

And I’m not alone. Many people report fewer gastrointestinal (GI) issues while vacationing in Europe—even though they’re often eating more bread, more cheese, and more late-night gelato. It sounds like a paradox, right? But there are some very real reasons for this difference, rooted in food quality, regulation, lifestyle, and even psychology. Because at the end of the day, our gut is more relevant than many of us realize.

Let’s dig in.

The Paradox of Eating “More” Yet Feeling Better

At home in the U.S., I cook most of my meals, keep ingredients simple, and generally eat a balanced, nutrient-dense diet. Yet I sometimes feel bloated after meals.

In Europe, my days are filled with bakery goods, traditional Austrian sweets for lunch, long dinners, pizza, and pasta—and still my digestion feels calm. What gives?

The answer isn’t only what I eat, but how the food is made, regulated, and experienced.

1. Food Quality and Regulations

European food tends to be less processed, with stricter regulations on additives, pesticides, and preservatives. For example:

Glyphosate (herbicide): tightly restricted in Europe, while U.S. wheat products often contain residues. Some believe this difference helps explain why European bread feels easier on the gut.
Fermentation and preparation: European breads and pizzas often undergo longer fermentation, which reduces gluten content and makes them easier to digest.

Then there’s the additives debate. Europe bans or restricts certain food chemicals still widely used in the U.S.:

Titanium dioxide (E171): banned in the EU in 2022 due to links to gut inflammation and microbiome disruption. Still in U.S. candies and baked goods.
Potassium bromate: used in U.S. breads to improve texture, but classified as a carcinogen and banned in the EU.
Azodicarbonamide (the “yoga mat chemical”): still in some U.S. baked goods, banned in the EU.
Artificial dyes like Red #40 and Yellow #5: restricted in the EU, allowed in the U.S.

But let’s not pretend Europe is a food utopia. Some preservatives and nitrates in cured meats are allowed in the EU but face tighter rules in the U.S. The bottom line: both food systems are imperfect, but they diverge in ways that your gut might feel.

2. Lifestyle and Eating Habits

It’s not just the food—it’s the way food is eaten.

Movement: Europe, is less car friendly- read people bike and walk more. That natural post-meal movement aids digestion far more than taking an uber or car to drive home.
Pace of meals: Europeans linger at the table, eat with company, and savor food. In the U.S., meals are often rushed or eaten on the go. Slower eating = less stress = happier digestion.

3. The Psychology of Vacation

Never underestimate the gut-brain connection.

On vacation, stress levels drop, cortisol decreases, and digestion improves.
Positive emotions (hello oxytocin and dopamine) promote gut motility and reduce discomfort.
And maybe most important: eating without guilt. When we enjoy food without labeling it as “bad,” our bodies respond differently.

4. Sugar, Salt, and Additives

U.S. packaged foods often contain higher levels of sugar and salt—cheap tools to keep products hyper-palatable and shelf-stable. These can contribute to bloating and water retention. European foods, by regulation and by tradition, tend to use less, which also means they go bad sooner.

Additives like emulsifiers and stabilizers—common in U.S. processed foods—have been linked in studies to gut barrier irritation and microbiome shifts. Even if each exposure is small, the cumulative effect might explain why some people’s digestion feels more fragile at home.

5. Traditional Food Preparation

From sourdough bread to aged cheeses and fermented vegetables, many European staples use preparation methods that naturally support gut health. These foods contain probiotics, prebiotics, or simply gentler processing that leaves the gut less irritated.

So—Is It Really the Croissant?

Here’s the provocative thought: maybe it’s not about your willpower or how “clean” you eat in the U.S. Maybe your gut is quietly rebelling against a food system that allows more questionable additives, more shortcuts in production, and less emphasis on quality.

But let’s also be real: Europe isn’t immune to ultra-processed foods either, and “vacation glow” adds its own digestive benefits.

What You Can Take Home

Final Bite

If a croissant in Paris (or Vienna in my case) sits better in your stomach than a sandwich in New York, maybe it’s not just the butter talking. It might be the additives, the pace of the meal, the walk afterward—and the fact that you’re simply happier eating it.

So the question is: how can we bring a little more of that European gut-friendly balance to the US?