8 Food Items You Should Avoid Before A Flight!

With good inflight-food scarce or expensive, passengers have learned to bring their own snacks to keep away hunger during a flight.

But not everyone can pack homemade healthy snacks for their trip, and bank upon the greasy fast food burgers, oily pizza and heavy snacks like samosas or patties.

Put in a long layover or a flight delay in the mix and you’re surely tempted to go to the airport lounge and have a nice hearty meal with a tasty alcoholic beverage to go with it.

But the problem is that they are not very travel friendly and cause some serious health problems when you fly.

So, before you board your next flight, avoid these foods and beverages to fly stress-free.

1.Fast Food

As we’ve mentioned before, burgers and pizza are easy options to fill your stomach, but they’re definitely not viable when you’re travelling.

According to the medical studies, the body doesn’t do so well digesting foods filled with sodium and saturated fats in the first place and digestion at 35000 feet proves even more difficult.

So it’s common sense to avoid these worst offenders before flying.

But beyond the digestion problems, there’s also the issue of in-flight blood circulation. Eating greasy food  can cause an almost immediate restriction ofblood flow.

And because we’re inactive during a flight, the chances of getting health related problems can increase.

Alternative: Plan ahead and pack a light sandwich or a wrap.

2.Crusifirous vegetables

“Always Eat Your Vegetables” is something we’ve always heard growing up , but it isn’t the best advice before a flight.

Things like onions, cauliflower, cabbage, beans and lentils are difficult to digest, which can lead to bloating, cramps and gas in a pressurised environment.

This is because these vegetables contain high-sodium foods which retain water, contributing to that bloated feeling.

Avoid consuming them before or during your flight.

Alternative: Munch on sliced capsicum, carrot, cucumber and snow peas.

3.Salty Snacks

Chips, pretzels, instant noodles etc at the airport can curb your hunger in a jiffy but they’re very high in salt content.

Excessive salt is bad for everyone, but it is worse for frequent flyers since foods with high amount of salt increase the chances of high blood pressure and retains fluid in your body making you feel bloated when you fly.

Alternative: Opt for protein-rich snacks like dry fruits to keep you full for longer. You can also eat a freshly prepared meal at one ofthe airport restaurants and request the chef to add less salt to your food.

4.Caffine

Coffee or tea? The answer is neither.

It is said that you loose 1/3^rd of water from your body when you’re flying and caffeine in itself causes dehydration.

Plus, even though you’ll be fresh for a while, but by the time your flight will land you’ll start feeling sluggish.

So, save your coffee fix for later since a fresh brew tastes far better on land.

Alternative: Herbal or Green Tea. Try peppermint to help digestion and ginger to eliminate motion sickness.

5.Carbonated Beverages

Sweetened fizzy drinks are a recipe for digestive disaster when on an airplane.

Since you’re sitting in one place it can cause gastro-intestinal problems leading to bloating up of your stomach.

Not the most comfortable feeling in the world!

Alternative: Fruits are a great source of vitamin C to boost your immune system and keep you hydrated. Oranges and watermelons can be easily found around the airport Or you can pack it yourself.

6.Chewing Gums

Gum seems like the best choice for an airplane since you’re not eating heavy, indigestible food.

While this might be true, chewing too much gum can actually wreak havoc on your system, causing bloating, gas, and Diarrhoea. 3 things you most definitely don’t want to battle while flying.

Artificial sweeteners in chewing gums can cause Diarrhoea and when you chew gum you swallow a lot of air, which causes gas and bloating.

Alternative: There aren’t many great alternatives but you can chew on mint leaves or use mint sprays to keep your mouth fresh.

7.Alcohol

You’re not going to like this but the fewer alcoholic beverages you have, the better your body copes with the flight.

Alcohol is extremely dehydrating, and the low humidity and high pressure in the aeroplane cabin causes further loss of water.

And in case you do feel like having a beverage make sure that you drink lots of water.

Alternative: Have a fruit juice or lots of water. Make sure you keep your hydration up.

8. Meaty Salads

Do not eat the tuna salad, chicken salad etc available at the airport. No, they aren’t healthy! They contain lots of mayonnaise, cheese,and other fatty dressing.

These so-called salads are quite deceiving. They make you feel bloated and uncomfortable on the flight and don’t really help with that diet you have been following to stay fit.

Alternative: A vegetable or fruit salad.

Conclusion

Even though we’ve mentioned some alternatives, many must be wondering what exactly should we have before a flight.

Well, the answer is ‘Nothing’!

According to a study published in the journal “Science”, researchers suggested that fasting for about 16 hours before a long flight may actually help to fend off jet lag.

In a nutshell, if you make your body think it’s starving,you’ll be able to remain awake and alert until it’s dinner time in your new destination, resetting your body clock.

It really tough to follow this but if you want to fly comfortably it’s definitely doable.

* The next time you fly and want to know where to eat at the airport, download the AirWhizz app. It gives you information about airport restaurants and their location at your airport terminal. You also get great deals and discounts at the airport, live flight updates and a whole bunch of services for your trip.

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