Tummy turbulence: When your seatmate unfolds a cold, greasy burger and fries on your flight
Montreal-based performance nutritionist Mélanie Olivier helps both Olympic athletes and business people who often travel long distances and have to perform on arrival.
“What I tell them isn’t much different,” she says. “In fact, often times I find business people have it harder. At least the athletes get time to adapt before they have to perform. Business travellers fly to Japan for a few days and have meetings bam-bam-bam. Then they’re out.”
Dietitians don’t advise eschewing food and drink completely on a plane – that will just leave you fatigued and dry as a bone at the end of your journey. But choosing the right foods on board and avoiding the wrong ones can ensure you retain less fluid, keep your tummy in good working order and feel less tired when you get to your destination.
Chicken or pasta? When faced with the standard choice between chicken or pasta, opt for the chicken. Says Olivier: “At least you get some protein which will help keep you full and boost your energy.”
Even better, since food choices on board tend to be high in sodium and fat, and low in fibre, she suggests pre-ordering vegetarian, diabetic or low-sodium meals “because they tend to be healthier.”
Brown rice and tofu or chickpea curry, for example, would be a good high-protein, low-fat, high-fibre choice. The caveat: if you’re not accustomed to eating such food it may cause rumbles in your digestive system.
Stay thirsty my friend. Hydration is key to ensuring you don’t stagger off your flight in a brain fog. Most people know to avoid caffeine and refrain from taking full advantage of the free hooch in business class. But few know just how much fluid you have to drink to stay hydrated on board.
The rule of thumb, says Angela Dufour, a Bedford, N.S.-based registered dietitian, professor at Mount St. Vincent University and owner of Nutrition in Action: “Drink about a cup of fluid per hour for every hour of flight.” She suggests filling up a water bottle in the airport before you board and asking the flight attendant to replenish it as needed.
Dufour, who travelled to the Pyongyang Olympics as the Team Canada dietitian, also advises steering clear of salty snacks and food. “Salt draws water from you,” she says. “Normally, for athletes we wouldn’t be opposed to sodium. But on planes it is potentially dehydrating and it can cause swelling.”
Rooty toot toot. Want to avoid a gas attack on board? There’s a certain amount of individuality involved in what affects you, but Dufour says many people react to such foods as asparagus, mushrooms, onions and garlic. “Those foods are high in fermentable sugars,” she says. “In small amounts they may be fine, but if you’re consuming a lot on the day before and the day of travel, that could be a recipe for disaster.”
High-fat foods like creamy sauces and foods high in corn syrup (most commercial granola bars and candy) and fructose (ripe bananas) can be problematic too, particularly combined with inactivity, changing time zones and altered meal times.
The good news, points out Dufour: “If you’re drinking enough fluid you don’t just stay hydrated, you have to get up to go to the bathroom. So you get a dual benefit.”
Snacks to go. Nutrient-poor and salt- or sugar-rich snacks such as pretzels, chips and cookies are pretty much de rigeur on planes. Both Dufour and Olivier suggest bringing a nosh stash. Focus on protein (unsalted nuts and seeds), yogurt, oatmeal and lean meat sandwiches, as well as veggies (cherry tomatoes, baby carrots) and fruit, and perhaps a square of dark chocolate for a sweet treat.
Time your meals. When you board, set your watch to the hour at your destination and try to adjust your eating patterns accordingly, says Olivier. If you aim to get some sleep right off the bat, avoid caffeine and eat a carb-rich meal. “That will make you tired,” she says.
Flakes on a plane. “To the bonehead in Seat 1D,” reads a rant on frequent traveller website FlyerTalk. “And all the other boneheads … who bring really stinky food on airplane. Please stop. Your grease-stained Five Guys bag is nasty and the perfume of oily brown paper with a not-so-new burger and fries is disgusting.”
That comment prompted a string of equally ferocious tirades. Airplanes make for tight quarters – particularly if you’re in the cheap seats. Those with a modicum of decency, then, should strive not to stink up the plane for fellow passengers, especially not with something like Surströmming (an Icelandic “delicacy” reputed to be the smelliest food on the planet). Exactly what constitutes stinky is, of course, up for debate. But generally speaking boiled eggs, smelly cheese, kimchee, spicy food, deep-fried food, tuna and other smelly fish are offensive. Reserve them for the airport – where your fellow passengers can politely vacate the premises.
Oh, and human odours don’t get a pass either. If you know that sauerkraut turns you into Farty Marty, you also know the right thing to do. Just say no.
• Camilla Cornell is a business writer and intrepid traveller, who nonetheless appreciates a little comfort when away from home.