Fly Well: Food facts

America is sadly among the fattest countries on Earth, affecting health and life expectancy. No excuse, my fellow Americans, Brillat-Savarin nailed it. You eat too much.

The term “fast food” is anathema; eating should be enjoyed mindfully, meals planned with focus, ingredients purchased carefully, tastes relished; then luxuriate in post-prandial pleasure. While eating a healthful diet is ideal, don’t punish yourself for having the occasional special treat. Aiming to shed excess cargo? Rather than alternate from diet, to binge, to diet, make conscious eating part of your life and avoid the rhythm method of girth control.

Mediterranean and Blue Zone eating habits (“Fly Well: Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder,” October 2016 AOPA Pilot) confer doubtless advantages. But so do a low-stress life, meaningful exercise, and close human connectivity, elements less common in our frenetic society. So, try adopting the lifestyle, as well as the nourishment regime.

Focus on what you should eat, not on what you shouldn’t—positive behaviors are easier to imprint.Focus on what you should eat, not on what you shouldn’t—positive behaviors are easier to imprint. Consume eight, eight-ounce glasses of water daily; simple tap water in a reusable bottle is fine. Consume the three macronutrients—protein, fat, and carbohydrates—in sensible ratios depending on sex, co-existent health conditions, age, and pregnancy. Start daily with a robust, relaxed, fiber-rich breakfast to ensure a healthy bowel habit and protein to suppress hunger. Mid-morning, raw vegetables and unsalted nuts should be consumed when hungry.

For lunch, salad with protein provided by a lower fat source—maybe tuna, chicken, or tofu. For dinner a steak is fine, but have two-thirds of each meal consist of bright natural colors—not from a chemistry lab. Aim for a spectrum of colors; if all white (potatoes or bread) or brown (fried foods), think again.

The microbiome—critters that live in and on us— grabs many headlines. These microorganisms influence how we behave; consume sugar and the sugar-supping species will flourish. When they want more sugar, they will let your brain know. Certain foods encourage bugs to initiate inflammatory disorders. Eating more fruits and vegetables helps, but microbiome science is in its early stages, so look out for misleading pseudoscience.

Some conditions merit specific diets, including diabetes; heart, kidney, or liver failure; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; celiac disease; food allergies; or inflammatory bowel disease. Certain medications also impose limitations; if taking warfarin for atrial fibrillation, vitamin K-rich foods should be limited (spinach and Brussels sprouts, for example), as they disrupt drug efficacy. Or if prescribed a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) for depression—not allowed by the FAA for operations requiring a medical certificate, by the way—avoid tyramine-rich items such as processed meats or fish, cheeses, yeast, and certain alcohol to prevent blood pressure problems.

For those of us who take charge of our steeds, there are some flying food facts you may want to know. Avoid carbonated beverages before flight as ingested gas bubbles expand with altitude, causing stomach or chest pain or exhaust discharges that breach the Clean Air Act. Bean-rich dishes or sulfurous snacks such as eggs have a similar antisocial effect. Avoid salted snacks in flight as they serve to further the dehydrating effects of flight. Pack some celery with peanut butter, almonds, or granola to nosh on. And drink plenty of water.

What do you get if you eat 3.142 cakes? Fat. You get fat. And you thought I was going to make a pi joke!

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