Why You Should Immediately Stop Eating Food on Planes

Luxury travel expert says this will prevent you from getting jet lag.

July 25, 2017 5:00 am
One expert talks to Bloomberg about why you should stop eating food on planes.
France Europe French Paris CDG Charles de Gaulle Airport American Airlines Miami flight economy seat in-flight meal orange juice. (Jeff Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images)

Stop eating food on planes. And not for the reason you might think: one travel expert says it’s a tried-and-true trick to avoid jet lag.

Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of luxury travel firm Indagare. She told  Bloomberg that the cabin crew’s secret to avoiding jet lag is not to eat on planes. She explains that at very high altitudes, your digestive system shuts down completely, so when you get off your flight, everything restarts and your digestive system has more work to do. Since your body is doing more work, you are more tired.

So instead of gorging herself on (usually) over-salted plane food, Bradley has something to eat before getting on the plane, drinks a lot of water on the flight, and then treats herself to a meal when she arrives at her destination.

“Really and truly, I live by it and I feel so much better,” she told Bloomberg.

Another tip? Probiotics. While travel insurance is “vital” in her mind, Bradley says that she carries Pro-15 and Pepto-Bismol pills with her every where she goes. The probiotics build up healthy bacteria and the Pepto helps coat your digestive track with a protective layer. The Pepto can also help filter out organisms in contaminated food or water, she says.

Worried about losing service while traveling? Bradley recommends Skyroam, a mobile hotspot that costs $10 a day, no matter how much data you use.

One more tip from Bradley? Sometimes staying in the best suite of a four-star hotel is better than staying in the lowest category room in a five-star hotel.

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