when you swallow food it's supposed to go down your esophagus which leads to your stomach but there's this different route that leads to your lungs called the trachea and the trachea sits right next to your esophagus now when you swallow the fleshy Parts in your throat move over the trachea so the food won't go down it but sometimes if you eat too fast the fleshy parts of your throat don't do their job and the food goes down your trachea also known as the wrong pipe