Many travelers have a love-hate relationship with airplane food.
But a fitness and nutrition expert says he would never eat while flying, even when traveling in first class with restaurant-worthy dishes.
During a recent podcast, Michael Sheedy, 31, warned that the pressure and altitude in the cabin makes it harder for food to move through the body.
This change in air pressure, along with the motion of the aircraft, means that digested food cannot move efficiently into the small intestine. This can cause stomach pain, bloating and gas and make it harder to do a number two.
For this reason, passengers with IBS may find their symptoms flare up.
Supporting his claims, New York-based gastroenterologist Dr. Elena Ivanina told DailyMail.com that “jet belly is indeed a real phenomenon” and that it is better not to eat while in the air.
Michael Sheedy, 31, a business and fitness coach based in Las Vegas, never touches food on airplanes because it can cause gastrointestinal inflammation
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She explains: ‘Not only does travel and its associated time changes, reduced sleep and altered eating schedules and food choices disrupt digestion – but the actual act of flying also alters digestion due to cabin pressure.
‘Gas in the intestines can expand as air pressure decreases at higher altitudes and can feel like bloating, distension and a need to pass gas.
“Research has even shown that astronauts going into space showed an abnormal decrease in gastric motility after eating during the first few days of spaceflight.”
Being inactive in a confined space for long periods of time can also contribute to gas buildup, and make it more difficult for digested food to pass into the small intestine.
That’s why Dr. Ivanina says it’s best to eat before and after flying, if possible.
This is especially true for passengers with pre-existing digestive problems, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as airborne eating can increase their discomfort.
This is because slower digestion and constipation are more likely in the pressurized environment.
New York-based gastroenterologist Dr. Elena Ivanina says it is best to eat before and after flying, if possible
And when it comes to drinks, Dr Ivanina advises avoiding alcohol and carbonated drinks and sticking to ‘non-carbonated soft water and tea’.
Fitness influencer Mr Sheedy does just this. He revealed his flying rituals on the Rich way podcast.
‘So if you eat on a plane, your food is digested less well and can cause gastrointestinal inflammation.
“So what I do every time I fly, even if it’s an earlier flight, I wake up and I don’t eat.
‘I only provide coffee, water and electrolytes on the plane.
“(Even in) first class, I say no to the meal. Typically (the food) isn’t great anyway.”
Even at the airport, Mr. Sheedy says it’s “difficult” to find healthy food, so he chooses to fast during his journey until he reaches his final destination and can finally eat.
He concludes: ‘You know, it not only keeps my body composition looking good, it also makes me feel better.
“And when I land, I can eat whatever I want.”
To prevent gas and bloating Turkish airlines also advises passengers to use the toilet before boarding a flight and to walk around the cabin every two hours on long distances.
And if you do decide to eat on a flight, the airline recommends doing so “slowly” because “every time you swallow, air enters the digestive system… swallowing too much air can cause bloating cause.’