A flight attendant has revealed why you should avoid airline food on long-haul flights.
Kris Major, who is based in London and has more than 24 years of experience in the skies on long-haul flights, suggested eating before boarding the plane.
He said skipping in-flight meals will make your long-haul trip much more enjoyable if you’re on a shorter, longer route, such as from London to New York.
Speaking with CNN Travel He explained: “Most airlines do not particularly plan their (food) service based on passenger crossing, acclimatization and time zones.”
Kris, who also represents European pilots and flight attendants as chair of the Joint Aircrew Committee of the European Transport Workers’ Federation, said getting as much sleep as possible on the plane is key.
London-based Kris Major, who has more than 24 years of long-haul experience in the sky, revealed why you should avoid airline food on long-haul air travel (file image)
And he added: “Experienced travelers, after takeoff, go down to the cabin and see that they have left, they have covered themselves and they are asleep.”
As in-cabin food and beverage service can take up to two hours, Kris noted that travelers are losing valuable time to rest and won’t feel as refreshed when they land.
Eating at odd times compared to your usual routine can also throw off your natural sleep/wake routine and your stomach, which can lead to jet lag.
Trapped gas, constipation, and bloating can be exacerbated by dehydration and being sedentary on an airplane, as well as confusing the digestive system.
Of course, on a really long flight, it’s almost impossible to avoid food, but Kris suggested that if you’re offered numerous meals, you might consider skipping one of them.
Gut health specialist Dr. Laura Falvey recommended time-restricted feeding (TRE), Metro.es: “While it’s tempting to ditch your routine when traveling, eating lighter, easier-to-digest foods at regular times will really help minimize any uncomfortable digestive issues.”
It comes after US scientists said fighting jet lag is all about what and when you eat.
They say eating a single large meal early in the morning for three days after landing can kill jetlag, although the older you get, the less likely it is to work.
Jet lag is caused by a difference between the circadian system (the body’s internal clock) and the environment.
Experts agree that taking a walk in the sun is another good tip, so combining it with the new advice puts travelers on the best path to recovery.
It is already known that one of the worst things you can do when faced with jet lag is to refuse to assimilate to your new time zone, such as going to sleep during the day.
The new study was conducted by experts from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico.
“Eating more first thing in the morning in the new time zone may help overcome jet lag,” said study author Yitong Huang of Northwestern University.
“Constantly changing meal times or eating at night is discouraged as it can cause a misalignment between internal clocks.”
Jetlag is caused by disruptions in humans’ innate biological clock, called the circadian rhythm, which regulates when we are sleepy and when we are most alert.
Modern research has shown that circadian clocks are present in almost all cells and tissues of the human body and can vary from one organ to another.
For example, the brain’s master clock is a group of about 20,000 nerve cells that form a structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which receives direct information from the eyes.
The brain’s clock can be reset by exposure to sunlight, so jetlag sufferers are advised to soak up the daylight in their new location rather than succumb to sleep.
Specifically, sunlight affects the production of a hormone called melatonin (produced by the pineal gland in the brain) that helps regulate sleep.
When we are exposed to sunlight, the production of melatonin is suppressed, which helps us stay awake during the day.
Meanwhile, peripheral organs like the stomach and liver have their own separate clocks that are recalibrated by food: that is, what and when we eat.
Jet lag can occur when these clocks are not synchronized with each other, says the research team.
“Conflicting signals, such as warm weather during a short period of light or nighttime eating (eating when the brain is about to rest) can confuse internal clocks and cause desynchrony,” Huang said.