Aviation tips for flyers: If you don't want to lose hefty money, then avoid doing this before taking a flight
If you are a frequent air traveller, you need to ensure that you take a good meal before your travel. Otherwise, you may have to endure not just digestive discomfort while flying, it may also cause you to lose a lot of money if the situation turns worse and you need to visit a doctor or a hospital abroad. The bill will be astronomical and is guaranteed to ruin your trip. There are certain foods that you should never eat before getting on a plane. A BUSTLE report citing many nutritionists informs us about what to eat and what not to eat before embarking on air travel.
Foods that cause bloating are reportedly the worst enemies in flight, as combination of the change in cabin pressure, mixed with the inability to move around creates a bloated situation to start. Although planes are pretty good at stabilizing the cabin pressure, the air pressure is still generally lower than what you're used to, and more importantly, what your stomach is used to.
According to Men's Health, being on a flight causes the gasses in your stomach to expand up to 25 percent. Therefore, you should avoid any food that creates gas. Some gaseous foods are obvious, while others might be surprising. The report suggests a few foods that you should avoid at all costs before getting on plane: Image source: Reuters
1. Beans & Lentils
Beans and legumes create tons of gas in the digestive tract, so try to ward off your craving until after the flight. If you choose to eat beans, even many hours before your flight, you could end up suffering from some serious gas pains. Image source: Reuters
2. Cruciferous Vegetables
The vegetables including Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, artichoke and cauliflower are good for health, but they may not suit your belly when you're about enter a low air pressure environment. These are packed with fiber, which can be great for digestion, but not when you're belted into a seat for a few hours, surrounded by strangers. Image source: Reuters
3. High-fructose fruits
A little bit of fruit will be OK, but fruit juice, or dried fruits are too high in fructose that only feeds the gas-producing bacteria in your gut. Therefore, it is better to avoid them if you are taking a flight. Image source: Reuters
4. Excess Dairy
You must check you love for dairy products at all costs as a low pressure environment will make things worse. Even if you don't typically have digestive issues after consuming dairy, you should go light on it pre-flight. The dairy products have been noticed to be a common cause of stomach pain. Image source: Reuters
5. Carbonated Drinks
If there are bubbles in your drink there will be bubbles in your tummy. If you still need a drink in-flight, opt for something without carbonation and opt for water instead of soda. Image source: Reuters
6. Too Much Gum
The last precaution is to avoid gum on flight, despite it being helpful for releasing pressure in your ears when you're in-flight. Gum also causes you to swallow a lot of air. If you need to chew gum during take-off to pop your ears and clear your head, but you should spit it out once your ears are feeling OK. Image source: Reuters