By Caroline Morse, Smarter Travel
Fast food Alcohol Vegetables
What you eat before you board can make a big impact on how you feel once you’re in the air (and even how you feel once you land). Leave these dining disasters off your pre-flight checklist and avoid the dreaded “jet bloat,” being the stinky seatmate, and other in-flight horrors. Read on to find out the eight foods you should never eat before flying.
Fried or Fast Food
Tempted by those ubiquitous airport fast-food restaurants? You should know that digestion is even harder for your body at 35,000 feet. Add that to the trouble the human digestive system already has processing saturated fats, and you’ve got a recipe for heartburn or an upset stomach. Scientists have also found that eating saturated fat can constrict blood flow, which could increase your risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Alcohol
Okay, it’s not a food, but you should still avoid this beverage. That beer or vodka tonic may hit the spot, but it’s also dehydrating. Unfortunately, the air we breathe in planes isn’t humidified, which also causes flyers to become dehydrated. Throw alcohol into the mix and you may be more relaxed, but you’ll come off the flight feeling parched and miserable. And keep in mind that alcohol has a bigger effect on your body at higher altitudes!
Cruciferous Vegetables
The airplane’s cabin is pressurized, but that doesn’t mean the air is the same as it is on the ground. Did you know that after takeoff, the air pressure in the cabin decreases, causing the cabin air to expand by around 30 percent? This can cause swallowed air and gases in the stomach and small intestine to expand, leading to an uncomfortable, bloated feeling. Minimize the effect by staying away from broccoli, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables that can increase bloating.
Read the full list of tips by Caroline Morse from Smarter Travel.
