2023-06-28 17:01:51
Anyone flying to a distant destination this summer will have to turn their watch forward or backward by many hours. Not only will your sleep-wake rhythm be disturbed, your hunger will also be completely lost for a while. But there’s good news: What and when you eat, on your flight and upon arrival, can ease your jet lag. Nutritionist Heleen Becuwe explains.
“Both when you eat and what you eat have an impact on your jet lag,” says Heleen Becuwe, nutritionist and therapist. “Two hormones play an important role in the when piece. The first is cortisol, the stress hormone. That normally peaks in the morning and wakes you up before your alarm goes off. The second is melatonin, the sleep hormone, which peaks in the evening and makes you sleepy. During the night, the amount of melatonin drops and the amount of cortisol rises. This way your sleep-wake rhythm remains stable.”
Food can stimulate or inhibit the production of these hormones. If you’re on an airplane long enough to experience symptoms of jet lag afterwards, it’s best to pay attention to which hormone you want to stimulate during and after the flight.
If you know you want to crawl into bed two to three hours after landing, it makes sense to skip the plane meal to support your new rhythm.
Nutritionist Heleen Becuwe
Skip meal if you land late
“Is it late at night or late at night where you are going to land? Then you better not eat anything on the plane. You then simulate ‘night’ for your body: most people fast during the night. Especially if you know that you want to crawl into bed two to three hours after landing, it makes sense to skip the meal to support your new rhythm. Otherwise your metabolism will want to prepare you for the day and it will be difficult for you to fall asleep.”
“Don’t do any intensive physical exertion right before you go to sleep. Movement stimulates the production of cortisol. For the same reason, it is also better to remove light stimuli by putting your laptop or mobile phone away once you arrive at your destination. If you land early in the morning, on the other hand, it is best to go into daylight as soon as possible, so that your body realizes that it is not night after all and can adjust. Sunlight is also a form of nutrition.”
Eat egg, fish, meat or poultry when you need to go to sleep
“The essential amino acid tryptophan – which your body does not produce itself, but must get from food – is important to stimulate the production of melatonin. If you have to prepare your body for sleep, then it is best to choose food that is rich in it. This is protein-rich food, such as an egg, fish, meat or poultry. Eat a meal of oily fish, vegetables and rice or potatoes no more than three or four hours before bed: the carbohydrates help your body to convert the nutrients into the sleep hormone. A plate of only pasta with a vegetable sauce is a bad idea: the sugars will make your blood sugar fluctuate a lot, so you won’t feel so rested in the morning.”
You can freely get a nutritional supplement with melatonin at the pharmacist.
Nutritionist Heleen Becuwe
“Alcohol, coffee, green or black tea and nicotine will also make you sleep less well and you should avoid it from the afternoon onwards. You can also get a nutritional supplement with melatonin from the pharmacist if light and nutrition prove insufficient. Ask for advice.”
Eat a healthy breakfast when the day starts
Do you have to start your day right away at your destination? Then a good breakfast is important. “Coffee biscuits or cornflakes are tasty, but they quickly raise your sugar level and after two hours your energy will be gone again. That makes it difficult to overcome jet lag. Choose a diet with healthy proteins and fats instead. Think of chia pudding with some granola, pips and seeds or toast with smoked salmon. That’s a good, hearty breakfast that will keep your sugar levels stable. Your body then notices that energy is coming in and that it is allowed to function as if it were daytime. Unfortunately, your airline will sometimes only offer you a coffee cake, but you can, for example, take a jar of nuts on board.”
Read also:
What can you eat to speed up your metabolism? And can you eat away belly fat? Nutritionist answers 10 reader questions about healthy eating (+)
What should you (not) eat during the heat? “A combination of these three food groups makes for the ideal meal in warm weather” (+)
Can it hurt to have breakfast with pastries on the weekend? And does a good breakfast help you lose weight? Nutritionist separates 7 facts from myths (+)
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