Flights often see holidaymakers grabbing food at the airport or ordering from the in-flight menu. However, flyers need to be careful with what they are consuming while away as some food and drink could provoke unpleasant consequences. Travelling can wreak havoc on heath, especially with holidaymakers’ tendencies to not eat enough fruit and vegetables. A nutritionist has explained that avoiding certain foods before a flight could make all the difference.
“Plastic wrapped meals and dry airplane croissants may be convenient but they’re not so gut-friendly,” explained London nutritionist, Lily Soutter.
“In reality, travel means a rapid change in diet. Our usual routine stops and some may not touch anything green for days, which ultimately impacts digestion.
“While bloating, heartburn and irregular bowel movements may not sound so glamorous, regulating digestion can really make or break a trip.”
Flying makes flatulence much worse, which is unpleasant for both you and the other passengers around you.
“Bloating and cramps are not uncommon with air travel. Due to air pressure, gas in the intestinal will expand at around 30 per cent when flying,” said Lily.
There are certain foods flyers should steer clear of before they travel to help beat bloating.
“To prevent the bloat, it’s advisable to pass on the carbonated drinks and gassy foods like broccoli, beans, and onions before your flight.”
Coffee could also make bloating worse so consider drinking a peppermint tea instead. Lily also advocates eating chia seeds.
“Chia seeds can be a fast-track way of increasing fibre intake; just two tablespoons provide 11g fibre,” Lily said.
“These little seeds can be easily packed into hand luggage or a suitcase and can be consumed as a snack or sprinkled over your breakfast.”
A cabin crew member has also explained why flyers should limit alcohol consumption during a flight.
“We do offer some fantastic wines,” British Airways flight attendant Rob Staines told Business Insider, “but I would try not to overindulge on alcohol. It’s just really dehydrating.”
If passengers become too dehydrated the risk of health problems during and after the flight increase.
The Aerospace Medical Association advises passengers to drink at least one cup (250ml) of water per hour while flying.
Cabins on commercial airliners are kept at a humidity level of 20 per cent, revealed Teletext research.
This is five per cent lower than the relative humidity of the Sahara desert, potentially leading to dehydration-related health issues such as headaches and sore throats.
Alcohol could also affect you much more while in the air than it would on the ground.
“When on a plane, the barometric pressure in the cabin of a plane is lower than it normally is,” Dr Clare Morrison, from online doctor MedExpress, told HuffPost UK.
“This decreased pressure means that the body finds it harder to absorb oxygen – this can produce light-headedness or hypoxia.”
