If you get delayed at the airport then you will be likely to need something to eat and drink while you are waiting. This can help to pass the time as well as making you feel more comfortable. However, it is important to think carefully about what you are eating and drinking to ensure that you are doing the right things for your body just before your fly or when you have a lot of waiting around.
Avoid alcohol
You might think that alcohol will be just the right thing to calm you down or make you feel better about being delayed. However, alcohol can make us feel more agitated and it can dehydrate us. It can be very bloating, which is not comfortable when you are flying as the pressure can cause bloating anyway.
If you are abroad then you may not be familiar with the alcoholic drinks or aware of the alcohol content of them and this is therefore something to watch for. If you are driving when you get off the plane you will need to watch you have not gone over the limit.
Avoid fizzy drinks
Fizzy drinks will fill up your stomach with gas. You may normally be able to cope with this, but once you fly, you can bloat anyway and already having a bloated stomach can lead to a lot of discomfort.
As much as you may like fizzy drinks, it could be wise to avoid them just before and during the flight. You will be able to have some as soon as you land, if you want to and so you will not have to go without for too long.
Choose a healthy café
If you are eating a meal, then it is a good idea to choose somewhere with healthy food. If you are spending vouchers that you have had for compensation for the delay, then you may have to go to a certain one, but see if they will be flexible.
This is because eating healthily will help you cope better with the flight and the delay. Having nutritious food will make sure that you have the energy required to cope and it could make a big difference too, to how you feel when you land.
Have light meals
It is wise not to eat anything too heavy. This means anything that will make you too full, give you wind or make your feel bloated or that is too fatty. These types of food will be likely to make you feel uncomfortable while you are travelling.
Feeling full can be comforting at home when you can just sit down and relax, but at the airport you may need to move around fairly quickly when your flight is called and the furniture is not that comfortable anyway so you may not be able to feel like you can sit back and relax.
Once on the plane, the increase in pressure causes everyone to bloat and so if you are already full you could feel really uncomfortable. If you have had a lot of fatty foods, you may even start to feel a bit sick.
Try foods with slow release energy
It can be good to take on small amounts of food which will stay in your system for a long time. Then you will not have to send so much time and money on eating. It will also be better for your mood as your blood sugar will not spike and then drop which can send your mood up and then down very quickly.
You may also find that some meals will make you feel low in energy very quickly because of the energy that it takes to digest them. So try to choose something light, with high fibre foods, such as vegetables and wholegrains, but not more than you are used to as they may give you wind Look for meals with protein and fat, in moderate amounts to give you slow release energy and avoid things which will give you a quick energy release such as things high in sugar.
Stay hydrated
It is important to drink enough hydrating drinks. This is because flying dehydrates you as could the air conditioned environment of the airport. Have plenty of low caffeine, low sugar and still drinks such as decaf tea and coffee, still water and milk.
Caffeine only dehydrates you if you are not used to it or have not had it for a while, so avoid it if you do not normally have it, but if your system is used to it then it should be fine. You may have concerns about having too much to drink and then needing the loo. You know how much you can manage so work within your known limits.
Leave a Reply